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 funding a named or honorary Internship here »

Summer 2026 Named & Honorary Interns

PUBLIC INTEREST LAW INTITIATIVE ALUMNI NAMED INTERN

Cassipea Stith (2L) from Chicago-Kent College of Law is the Summer 2026 PILI Alumni Named Intern, serving at James B. Moran Center for Youth Advocacy. The PILI Alumni Named Intern is funded directly from the donations of PILI Alumni. These public interest lawyers span the globe and the profession, from law firm and corporate attorneys to members of the judiciary and government sector, to members of the public interest law and higher education communities.

ALFRED C. TISDAHL MEMORIAL INTERN

Niko Yeager (2L) from University of Illinois College of Law is the Summer 2026 Alfred C. Tisdahl Memorial Intern, serving at Illinois Legal Aid Online. A longtime supporter of PILI, the Francis Beidler Foundation funds the Alfred C. Tisdahl Memorial Internship to honor the memory of prominent Chicago litigator Alfred C. Tisdahl, who died in 2000.

CHICAGO BAR FOUNDATION INTERNS

Marie Chamberlain (2L) from Loyola University Chicago School of Law, Lia Kornmehl (1L) from Yale Law School, and Tagwa Shammet (1L) from Chicago-Kent College of Law are the Summer 2026 Chicago Bar Foundation Interns, serving at Ascend Justice, Legal Aid Chicago, and Impact for Equity, respectively. As the charitable arm of the CBA, The Chicago Bar Foundation brings the legal community together to improve access to justice for people in need and make the legal system more fair and efficient for everyone.

GE HEALTHCARE NAMED INTERN

Cameron Shuck (2L) from Loyola University Chicago School of Law is the Summer 2026 GE Healthcare Named Intern, at Legal Council for Health Justice. GE HealthCare, through its charitable foundation, advances equitable access to precision healthcare, by funding nonprofit organizations aimed at making healthcare more accessible, personal, human, and flexible – and ultimately, strive to remove barriers that separate underserved communities from equitable healthcare.

CHRISTOPHER J. HORSCH MEMORIAL INTERNSHIP

Brittany Ochoa (2L) from Chicago-Kent College of Law is the Summer 2026 Christopher J. Horsch Memorial Intern, at Chicago Coalition to End Homelessness. Christopher Horsch was a dedicated champion for access to justice and supporter of PILI, serving on the PILI’s Board of Directors for several decades. Through the generosity of Christopher’s family, friends and colleagues, PILI was able to establish the Christopher J. Horsch Memorial Internship to honor Chris' memory and provide funding for PILI Interns.

ILLINOIS STATE BAR ASSOCIATION YOUNG LAWYERS DIVISION INTERN

Katie Nail (2L) from DePaul University College of Law is the Summer 2026 Illinois State Bar Association Young Lawyers Division Intern, at Chicago Volunteer Legal Services. The ISBA Young Lawyers Division's Children Assistance Fund has generously provided funding for this Intern, supporting direct legal services to, or on behalf of, poor, disenfranchised and underrepresented children.

JUSTICE THOMAS L. KILBRIDE HONORARY INTERNS

Emma Armbrust (2L) from University of Illinois Chicago School of Law, Rick Hamer (1L) from Chicago-Kent College of Law, Brytni Gillespie (1L) from Saint Louis University School of Law, and Melissa Hubbert (1L) from University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign are the Summer 2026 Justice Thomas L. Kilbride Honorary Interns serving at Access Living, CARPLS, Prairie State Legal Services - West Chicago, and The Immigration Project, respectively. Funded by the Lawyers Trust Fund of Illinois in honor of retired Illinois Supreme Court Justice Thomas Kilbride, this Named Internship is intended to highlight law students of diverse backgrounds and experiences.

LAGBAC FOUNDATION INTERNS

Megan Willburn (2L) from University of Virginia School of Law, Adelaide Zwick (1L) from University of Illinois Chicago School of Law, and Lachlan Lane (1L) from Chicago-Kent College of Law are the 2026 LAGBAC Foundation Interns serving at Lambda Legal, Legal Council for Health Justice, and TransLife Care at Chicago House, respectively. The LAGBAC Foundation’s mission is to improve access to the legal and judicial system for all lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered, intersexed and questioning persons by giving law students the opportunity to learn valuable, practical legal skills while giving back to our community. LAGBAC is Chicago’s LGBTQ+ Bar Association and the LAGBAC Foundation is its charitable foundation.

FLORENCE MILLER MEMORIAL INTERNS

Amanda Malawski (2L) from University of Illinois College of Law and Savannah Cedeno (2L) from University of Illinois Chicago School of Law are the Summer 2026 Florence Miller Memorial Interns, at Equip for Equality and Legal Aid Society, respectively. Florence Miller, who passed away in 2008, was well-known in the international trademark law community and a strong advocate for women in the profession. Through Florence Miller’s generosity in her will, PILI was able to establish the Florence E. Miller Endowment Fund to provide much-needed funding for Interns.

JEROME MIRZA MEMORIAL INTERNS

Sindralynn Gerdes (1L) from University of Illinois College of Law and Galen Munger (1L) from Vermont Law School are the Summer 2026 Jerome Mirza Memorial Interns, serving at Land of Lincoln's Champaign office and Prairie State Legal Services' Rock Island office, respectively. These Internships are funded directly by the Jerome Mirza Foundation in Bloomington, IL. Jerome Mirza, a 1963 graduate of the University of Illinois College of Law, was a leader in the field of trial advocacy and in the legal profession throughout his long career.

O'BRIEN NAMED INTERN

Victoria Bonilla (1L) from Loyola Chicago School of Law is the 2026 O'Brien Named Intern and will be serving at the National Immigrant Justice Center on the Asylum Team. This Internship is generously funded by Justice Sheila M. O’Brien (Ret.), supporting the work of the National Immigrant Justice Center providing access to justice for all immigrants, refugees, and asylum seekers.

SIMMONS HANLY CONROY NAMED INTERN

Kate Gardner (1L) from Saint Louis University School of Law is the Summer 2026 Simmons Hanly Conroy Named Intern, serving at Land of Lincoln's East St. Louis office. Simmons Hanly Conroy has a longstanding commitment to ensuring access to justice for all of those in need, and funding a Law Student Internship through PILI further supports this tradition of service.

UNITED AIRLINES NAMED INTERN

Carolaine Gillespie (2L) from DePaul University College of Law is the Summer 2026 United Airlines Named Intern, serving at the Law Center for Better Housing. This Internship is funded by United Airlines. Since launching the Pro Bono & Community Service Program from its Chicago headquarters in 2012, United attorneys have been working diligently to make a difference for those in need and funding this Internship is an extension of that commitment.

ZURICH NORTH AMERICA NAMED INTERN

Ella Lawson (2L) from University of Michigan Law School is the Summer 2026 Zurich North America Named Intern, serving at the Center for Disability and Elder Law. Zurich North America, a provider of insurance products and services to businesses and individuals, is sponsoring this Internship to support their belief that investing in a law student’s future through a PILI Internship naturally complements their legal team’s pro bono work.

Spring 2026 Named & Honorary Interns

Chicago Bar Foundation Intern

Eunice Kpatah is a 3L at the Chicago-Kent College of Law, serving as the Chicago Bar Foundation's Intern at the Coordinated Advice Referral Program for Legal Services (CARPLS). As the charitable arm of the CBA, the Chicago Bar Foundation brings the legal community together to improve access to justice for people in need and make the legal system fairer and more efficient for everyone.

Diversity Scholarship Foundation Intern

Alanna Blazer is a 2L Chicago-Kent College of Law, serving as the Diversity Scholarship Foundation Intern at Life Span. This Internship is generously provided to fund a PILI Law Student Intern on behalf of the Diversity Scholarship Foundation, NFP (“Foundation”). The Foundation was established by a group of attorneys and judges committed to the ideal that diverse law school student bodies are a means of ensuring further diversification in the legal community.

LAGBAC Foundation Intern

Nicholas Hernandez is a 2L at the Indiana University Maurer School of Law, serving as the LAGBAC Intern at the National Immigrant Justice Center for the LGBTQ Project. The LAGBAC Foundation’s mission is to improve access to the legal and judicial system for all lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered, intersexed and questioning persons by giving law students the opportunity to learn valuable, practical legal skills while giving back to our community. LAGBAC is Chicago’s LGBTQ+ Bar Association and the LAGBAC Foundation is its charitable foundation.

O’Brien Intern

Arrianna Martinez is a 3L at the Indiana University McKinney School of Law, serving as the O’Brien Intern at the National Immigrant Justice Center. This Internship is generously funded by Justice Sheila M. O’Brien (Ret.), supporting the work of the National Immigrant Justice Center providing access to justice for all immigrants, refugees, and asylum seekers.

Mary C. Russo Memorial Intern

Ana Avenado Martinez is a 3L at the University of Wisconsin Law School, serving as the Mary C. Russo Intern at the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF). This Internship is funded by Mary’s children to honor the memory of their mother who died in 2014. Mary was the consummate volunteer, contributing to her community in many ways, including forming the Office of Volunteer Resources for her city, Virginia Beach, Virginia. She served as Director of this office for 37 years, and also chaired many volunteer initiatives focused on education, mental health, drug abuse, and the court system, among others.

Fall 2025 Named & Honorary Interns

ANDERSEN INTERN

Dakota Chisholm from Chicago Kent College of Law is the Fall 2025 Andersen Intern, at Legal Aid Society. This Internship is generously funded by Judge Wayne R. Andersen (Ret.), supporting the work of Legal Aid Society, which aims to protect and strengthen families by providing equal access to justice for all.

BAKER MCKENZIE INTERN

Jessica Wiesneth from Northen Illinois College of Law is the Fall 2025 Baker McKenzie Intern, at Center for Disability & Elder Law. Baker McKenzie has a longstanding commitment to ensuring access to justice for all of those in need, and funding a school-year Internship placement through PILI further supports this tradition of service.

CHICAGO BAR FOUNDATION INTERN

Abigail Steinberg from Chicago Kent College of Law is the Fall 2025 Chicago Bar Foundation Intern, at Equip for Equality. As the charitable arm of the CBA, The Chicago Bar Foundation brings the legal community together to improve access to justice for people in need and make the legal system more fair and efficient for everyone.

BRAD & TERRI LANE INTERN

Justin Fernando from University of Illinois College of Law is the Fall 2025 Brad & Terri Lane Intern, at Greater Chicago Legal Clinic. Brad & Terri fund an Internship stipend to make it possible for an aspiring attorney to help those who need assistance, and to assist that person in becoming a difference maker in legal aid, public interest, or pro bono service over the course of their professional career.

LAGBAC FOUNDATION INTERN

Lauren Monasa from Indiana University Maurer School of Law is the Fall 2025 LAGBAC Foundation Intern, at National Immigrant Justice Center - LGBTQ Project. The LAGBAC Foundation’s mission is to improve access to the legal and judicial system for all lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered, intersexed and questioning persons by giving law students the opportunity to learn valuable, practical legal skills while giving back to our community. LAGBAC is Chicago’s LGBTQ+ Bar Association and the LAGBAC Foundation is its charitable foundation.

O’BRIEN INTERN

Irina Suglia Katerynicz from Indiana University Maurer School of Law is the Fall 2025 O'Brien Intern, at National Immigrant Justice Center - Counter-Trafficking Project. This Internship is generously funded by Justice Sheila M. O’Brien (Ret.), supporting the work of the National Immigrant Justice Center providing access to justice for all immigrants, refugees, and asylum seekers.