PILI is thrilled to announce a new Named Internship in honor of Ruth Ann Schmitt, who has recently retired as the Executive Director of Lawyers Trust Fund after 32 years of service. LTF has allocated a grant award of $30,000 to create the “Ruth Ann Schmitt Legal Aid Internship” to support one Intern each summer from 2016 through 2020. This Intern will help carry on the legacy of public service embodied by Ruth Ann and LTF.
In announcing this new Internship at LTF’s Annual Meeting in June, Jennifer Nijman, who is the current President of LTF’s Board of Directors and a past member of PILI’s Board of Directors, explained why LTF chose to honor Ruth Ann’s career in this way. “Ruth Ann Schmitt devoted her entire legal career to making sure that the protections of the legal system are available to all, without regard to income,” she said. “The Lawyers Trust Fund is pleased to support the Ruth Ann Schmitt Legal Aid Internship, which will give a bright, idealistic law student the opportunity to launch his or her public service career – a career that will also be a part of Ruth Ann’s legacy.”
The recipient of the Ruth Ann Schmitt Legal Aid Internship will be placed at one of the organizations funded by LTF to provide direct legal services to those in need.
“PILI is incredibly grateful to LTF for funding this new Internship position,” PILI Executive Director Michael Bergmann said. “The impact these Interns will have over the course of their Internships and their careers is immeasurable. This is an extraordinarily fitting tribute to Ruth Ann’s career and her own lifelong commitment to public interest law.”
Learn more about PILI’s Named and Honorary Internships here »