During and around the week of October 20th to 26th, PILI participated in the national celebration of Pro Bono Week. Celebrated annually and organized nationally by the American Bar Association’s Standing Committee on Pro Bono and Public Service, Pro Bono Week is intended to inspire even greater pro bono participation by the legal community throughout the nation.
From L to R: PILI Attorney Program Manager Arthur Surratt and Intake & Program Support Associate Lexi Korn at the CBA/CBF Pro Bono Fair
PILI celebrated with a variety of events across the state over the course of several weeks, bringing together hundreds of pro bono advocates. We also recognized nine local attorneys and one courthouse staff person through several of our Judicial Circuit Pro Bono Committees for their outstanding pro bono work during events held throughout the week. Congratulations to our award recipients! Our team was on hand in Chicago as well for the CBA/CBF’s 31st Annual Pro Bono & Community Service Fair.
We also celebrated Pro Bono Week with some of our partners by doing pro bono! In conjunction with our Eleventh Judicial Circuit Pro Bono Committee and our partners at Prairie State Legal Services, we held a Criminal Records Relief Clinic in Bloomington the Friday before Pro Bono Week. PILI also held several Illinois Free Legal Answers clinics across the state, including Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner & Wells Fargo, Chapman and Cutler, DePaul University College of Law, GE HealthCare, State Farm, SIU Simmons Law School and the University of Chicago Law School. Through these clinics, over 70 civil legal questions from those in need were answered, which makes a big difference.
In the Third Judicial Circuit, Deanna Litzenburg Received the Pro Bono Service Award and Stephanie McSparin Received the Judge Barbara Crowder Pro Bono Champion Award
From L to R: PILI Executive Director Michael Bergmann, Stephanie McSparin, Justice David Overstreet, Deanna Litzenburg & PILI Attorney Program Manger Andrea Schrader
With decades of experience in the Third Judicial Circuit, Deanna Litzenburg has established herself as a trusted lawyer dedicated to serving others in the community. Deanna actively participates in the annual Wills and POA Clinic for veterans and seniors. She never hesitates to take a pro bono case outside of clinics, and has handled several pro bono matters in the last year. Her diligent advocacy exemplifies a commitment to justice and underscores the vital role that generosity plays in transforming the legal industry.
Stephanie McSparin has served as a Madison County Court Security Officer for eighteen years and has gone above and beyond her duties to ensure everyone that comes into the courthouse is safe and treated with respect. Stephanie goes out of her way to make patrons feel welcome and improve their contact with the justice system by giving directions and helping them find forms and information. Stephanie is always there and willing to assist. The award is presented to a courthouse staff person or member of the judiciary who demonstrate their support for pro bono in the courthouse on a regular basis. It is named after Judge Barbara Crowder (Ret.) who served as chair of PILI’s Third Judicial Circuit Pro Bono Committee from its launch in 2011 until her retirement.
In the Fifth Judicial Circuit, Billie Constant Received the Pro Bono Service Award and Kaye Dent was Recognized as Outgoing Chair
From L to R: Outgoing Chair Kaye Dent, Pro Bono Service Award Recipient Billie Constant, Illinois Appellate Court Justice Craig DeArmond & Chair Angel Wawrzynek
Billie Constant is a partner at Constant, Wawrzynek & Grove, LLC in Mattoon. She is generous with her time and lends her skill set to assist those in need by providing pro bono assistance in family law matters and as the GAL in Cumberland County. She goes above and beyond, especially with her pro bono clients, to provide guidance and encouragement to ensure success for their families. Billie has also provided pro bono assistance through Illinois Free Legal Answers and in criminal records relief cases.
Lisa “Kaye” DeSelms Dent of Dent Coulson Elder Law was also recognized for her service as the chair of PILI’s Fifth Judicial Circuit Pro Bono Committee. Kaye has served on the committee since its inception in 2013, and she has served as its chair since 2016. She also enjoys accepting pro bono cases referred from various non-profit agencies, finding the experience a very rewarding part of the practice of law.
In the Sixth Judicial Circuit, Lauren Aronson, Marie Casteel & Mia Hernandez Received the Community Legal Services Award
From L to R: Chair Mark Palmer with the 2024 Community Legal Services Award recipients Mia Hernandez, Lauren Aronson & Marie Casteel
Lauren Aronson is a Clinical Professor of Law and Director of the Immigration Law Clinic at the University of Illinois College of Law. She conducts pro bono immigration legal consultations through the New American Welcome Center (NAWC). Lauren also goes to local high schools to provide free immigration legal consultations as well as Know-Your-Rights presentations to minors. Additionally, she became a guardian ad litem (GAL) to provide pro bono service to Spanish-speaking community members as there were no other Spanish-speaking GALs in the county.
Marie Casteel owns Casteel Law, LLC and practices in the area of family law. She is a certified mediator and Guardian ad Litem. Marie was nominated and is being recognized for her work on one particularly extensive case through Land of Lincoln’s Pro Bono Program. She has dedicated over 50 hours of her pro bono time within the last twelve months to support her client in her ongoing long legal battle.
Mia Hernandez is a shareholder at Webber & Thies, P.C. She has served as a Guardian ad Litem in several complicated guardianship cases over the past several years, representing her client’s pro bono. Mia goes above and beyond in her pro bono representation of the best interests of minors and disabled adults, and she provides countless hours of valuable service to the community through her excellent work.
In the Tenth Judicial Circuit, Judge Michael Brandt (Ret.) Received the Joseph A. Dailing Pro Bono Service Award
From L to R: Chair Judge Lisa Wilson, Illinois Appellate Court Justice Amy Lannerd & Judge Alicia Washington
Michael Brandt was a Circuit Judge in the Tenth Judicial Circuit for over 20 years, including holding the position of Chief Judge from 2011 to 2013. After retiring from the bench, he continued his law practice and is also an avid pro bono volunteer. He has provided countless hours of service through Prairie State Legal Services and through the Public Interest Law Initiative. Through PILI, Judge Brandt has volunteered with the Conflict of Interest Pro Bono Referral Panel, and the Self-Represented Litigant Help Desks in Peoria and Tazewell County Courthouses. Judge Brandt is also a member of the Tenth Judicial Circuit Pro Bono Committee.
In the Eighteenth Judicial Circuit, Jim Ryan Received the Pro Bono Service Award
L to R: PILI Senior Managing Attorney Jessica Schneider, Award Recipient Jim Ryan & Kim Thielbar of Prairie State Legal Services
Jim Ryan is a partner at Roberts & Caruso. In 2009, Jim was instrumental in putting together the Guardianship Pro Se Help Desk in Courtroom. He brought the idea to the DuPage County Bar Association, assembled a roster of volunteers and created the help desk training video for volunteers. Even now, Jim continues to volunteer at the desk regularly. Due to Jim’s leadership and the assistance provided through the Help Desk, Self-Represented litigants are getting help that they would not otherwise have access to, the court process moves faster and smoother, the time in front of the bench is more efficient and more informative, and the return trips to court are reduced dramatically. Jim is also a member of the Eighteenth Judicial Circuit Pro Bono Committee.
In the Twenty-Third Judicial Circuit, Nicole Sartori and Rick Turner Received the Pro Bono Service Award
From L to R: Rick Turner & Nicole Sartori
Nicole Sartori is a partner at McAdams & Sartori, LLC. She believes in doing pro bono work to increase access to justice for individuals that otherwise could not afford assistance. She is a former president of the Kendall County Bar Association, and she is a member of PILI’s Twenty-Third Judicial Circuit Pro Bono Committee. Nicole also uses her expertise in family law to assist and represent individuals on a pro bono basis, regularly volunteering with PILI and Prairie State, including at the Criminal Records Relief Clinics in multiple counties and for the Lawyer in the Lobby program in Kendall County.
Rick Turner is a partner at Turner Law Group. He is passionate about being involved in the local community and using his skills as an attorney to increase access to justice for those who are not able to afford assistance. Rick is a founding member of the PILI Twenty-Third Circuit Judicial Pro Bono Committee. He has also volunteered at several clinics in the circuit, including the PILI Illinois Free Legal Answers Clinics and the PILI & Prairie State Criminal Records Relief Clinic. Rick also volunteers for the Lawyer in the Lobby program.
As we wrap up Pro Bono Week 2024, we want to say an enthusiastic “THANK YOU!” to all of PILI’s pro bono volunteers from across the state through our pro bono opportunities, including our Self-Represented Litigant Help Desks, Illinois Armed Forces Legal Aid Network, Illinois Free Legal Answers and Conflict of Interest Pro Bono Referral Panel. Through the efforts of these volunteers, PILI has helped nearly 4,000 low-income Illinoisans over the last year with their civil legal issues.
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