PILI is excited to welcome twelve fall Law Student Interns who will work 200 hours during the semester at legal service agencies in Chicago.
This year, PILI will fund its largest number of Law Student Interns ever. PILI will grant $442,000 to fund 80 Law Student Interns at 33 public interest law agencies across Illinois in the coming year. For the 2024-2025 school-year, PILI will fund 24 Law Student Interns, 12 per semester for 200 hours with the school-year stipend set at $3,250. Learn more here »
In addition to funding these Interns, PILI ensures quality supervision by experienced agency attorneys, and provides extra educational, networking and mentoring opportunities. This program helps Interns launch successful public interest law careers while also helping the Intern’s agency increase their impact.
Six of the fall Internship placements are made possible by special funding commitments from individual and organizational champions for public interest law:
ANDERSEN INTERN
Sophia Cavalcante is a third-year law student at Loyola University Chicago School of Law and is serving as the Andersen Named Intern at Legal Aid Society. The Legal Aid Society (LAS) is the legal aid arm of Metropolitan Family Services. The mission of LAS is to protect and strengthen families by providing equal access to justice for all by focusing on the most vulnerable communities, including those who are impoverished, the elderly, and victims of violence & crimes. Sophia previously worked as a Law Clerk for Cherskov Flaynik & Gurda, LLC, focusing on intellectual property. She also has internship experience in family law as well as healthcare law learning how to interview clients and develop legal research skills. Before attending law school, Sophia earned a Bachelor of Science in Biological Sciences from Marquette University. 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
Afaaf Amatullah is a third-year law student at University of Illinois College of Law and is serving as the Baker McKenzie Intern at Center for Disability & Elder Law, an organization that provides free legal services to low-income seniors and people with disabilities throughout Cook County. Afaaf has previously served as a legal intern for both the Chicago Coalition for the Homeless and the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund. Afaaf has also worked as a Law Clerk for LeDuc Montgomery LLC, working on civil rights cases, drafting demand letters and memoranda on issues. Before attending law school, Afaaf received a Bachor of Arts in English and Philosophy from Elmhurst University, graduating Summa Cum Laude and was a Fulbright Semi-Finalist. 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
Benjamin Bildsten is a second-year law student at Chicago-Kent College of Law and is serving as the Chicago Bar Foundation Intern at Chicago Volunteer Legal Services, a pro bono civil legal aid provider offering a wide range of totally free civil legal aid to the poor and working poor. Previously, Ben has worked as a volunteer law clerk at the Law of Office of the Cook County Public Defender preparing for trials and interviewing clients. Ben also served as a tenant advocate for HOME Line assisting tenant on a wide range of legal situations regarding landlord/tenant law. Ben also has extensive volunteer experience with organizations such as Legal Aid Chicago and Self-Help Resource Center. Before attending law school, Ben received a Bachelor of Arts in Geography with a Concentration in Urban Studies from Macalester College. 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
Macella Molenari is a third-year law student at Loyola University Chicago School of Law and is serving as the Brad and Terri Lane Named Intern at The Shriver Center on Poverty Law, an organization that fights for economic and racial justice. Macella has previously worked as a legal intern writing petitions and research memos for the Office of the State Appellate Defender, Circuit Court of Cook County and has work experience in private law offices as both a paralegal and law clerk. Before attending law school, Macella received a Bachelor of Arts and Masters in Political Sciences and Urban Studies from Boston University, graduating Magna Cum Laude. 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
Maya Jalukar is a second-year law student at University of Iowa College of Law and is serving as the LAGBAC Foundation Intern at the National Immigrant Justice Center’s LGBTQ Project, which provides legal services to low-income immigrants who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or queer (LGBTQ) and those who are living with HIV. Maya has previously worked as a volunteer with the Detroit Immigration Court where she conducted legal research and drafted court decisions to assist judges. She has also volunteered with the Citizen Lawyer Program, conducting background and legal research on the existence of legal deserts in Iowa. Before attending law school, Maya received a Bachelor of Arts in Ethics and Public Policy from the University of Iowa. 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
Jessica Nalputa is a second-year law student at University of Illinois College of Law and is currently serving as the O’Brien Intern at the National Immigrant Justice Center’s Counter-Trafficking Project, which provides immigration legal services to survivors of labor and sex trafficking. Jessica has previously interned at Chicago Volunteer Legal Services, supporting attorneys and interviewing clients. Jessica also has experience doing legal intakes at citizenship workshops with The Resurrection Project. Before attending law school, Jessica received a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism with a minor in Philosophy from DePaul University, graduating Summa Cum Laude. 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.