PILI will grant $309,000 to fund 60 Law Student Interns at 28 public interest law organizations across Illinois during the 2018-19 academic year and the summer of 2019. PILI’s Law Student Internship Program connects law students from across the country with public interest law agencies in Illinois and pays them for their work.
This funding plan reflects a new school-year Internship allocation at the Legal Aid Society. This position is funded by Judge Wayne Anderson and Justice Sheila O’Brien and will be designated the Anderson-O’Brien Named Intern. PILI designates a number of Named and Honorary Interns each year, thanks to special funding commitments made by individual and organizational champions for public interest law. Learn more about Named & Honorary Internships »
PILI Interns work 400 hours during the summer or 200 hours during the school year at public interest law agencies. PILI has grown the number of Internship placements by 54% since 2011 and also raised the summer stipend from $5,000 in 2015 to its current amount of $6,000 and the school-year stipend from $2,500 to $3,000.
PILI has operated its Law Student Internship Program since 1977, and it is the only program of its kind. Students apply from law schools across the country to compete for these funded public interest law internship opportunities. The Internships provide law students with invaluable legal experience, while also giving agencies much needed support to assist more clients in need.
Internships placements are currently offered in Alton, Bloomington, Chicago, East St. Louis, Champaign, Peoria and Rock Island, Illinois. See a full list of agencies »