We have been so impressed at how the legal community has stepped up during the COVID-19 Pandemic. Seeing the power of the PILI network – our Interns, Fellows, volunteers and supporters – coming together to help those in need has kept us inspired and anchored over this last year. When Illinois shutdown, we made sure the gateway to justice remained open. We should all be proud of what we have accomplished in the past year, but our work is far from over.
While we are all excited to get back to life after the pandemic, we cannot forget our vulnerable neighbors. Many of the protections shielding them during this difficult time are expiring; the eviction moratorium is being rolled back and debt payments will soon come due. Civil legal aid helps to ease these burdens in our communities. Pro bono attorneys can work to keep families housed and help clients access the resources available to them. Through pro bono work, we can help right some of the wrongs faced by the poor and underrepresented in our state and undo some of the injustices in our society.
In Illinois, PILI is the gateway through which the legal community serves. PILI converts gifts of time and money into system-wide positive impact, whether that is by introducing law students and recent graduates to legal aid through our Law Student Internship and Graduate Fellowship Programs, ensuring their ongoing connection to public interest law through the Alumni Network, or mobilizing the legal community and providing pro bono opportunities through our Pro Bono Program.
Help ensure equal access to justice during this important time by donating using the enclosed envelope or online at www.pili.org/donate. Coming together, working together, we are opening the gateway to justice ever wider, and we cannot do it without you by our side.