As PILI’s Fiscal Year 2023 comes to an end, we want to extend our greatest appreciation for the leadership of several individuals who are concluding their service on PILI’s Board of Directors at the end of August. Each individual has given their talents and dedicated their time to serve PILI in its mission to engage, inspire and empower those advancing equal access to justice.

We have three directors departing the PILI Board of Directors as of August 31^st: Patty McCarthy from the CBA Board of Managers, Barry Taylor of Equip for Equality and Judge Lisa Wilson of the Tenth Judicial Circuit. We are grateful for their leadership and service as well as their support for PILI.

Additionally, Paris Mayfield, 2021 Graduate Fellowship Representative and Aleathea Williams, 2021 Law Student Intern Representative are completing their two-year terms as of August 31^st. We are very thankful for their service and wish them the best in their future endeavors, while looking forward to celebrating their accomplishments along the way!

Finally, Corinne Biller of Conagra Brands, Liaison from the Young Professionals Board and Nidhi Narielwala of Norton Rose Fulbright, Liaison from the Alumni Network Leadership Council are concluding their service as representatives on the board. Both will assume the chair position for their respective leadership entities as of September 1^st. We look forward to continuing to work with them both in their new capacity.

At its final meeting of the fiscal year, PILI’s Board of Directors adopted a new Long Range Plan that will guide the organization’s work through August 31, 2026. The plan had been under development for months, with PILI inviting feedback and input from all of its leadership entities (Board of Directors, Alumni Network Leadership Council and Young Professionals Board) as well as the staff team. The process included a leadership retreat facilitated by Amy Wishnick of Wishnick & Associates and multiple opportunities for input from leadership throughout the development of the plan.

The strategic vision statement of the plan states: “PILI is a thriving, evolving organization known as a leader in advancing public interest law and pro bono legal services to achieve greater equity in access to justice.” The plan then focuses on four strategic areas: (1) Programs, (2) Justice, Equity, Diversity & Inclusion, (3) External Relations and (4) Infrastructure.

Each strategic area has an overarching statement that ties together the goals and tactics within that strategic area. Specifically to:

• Elevate our programmatic work to encompass more law students, law school graduates, lawyers and legal professionals to increase our statewide impact.
• Instill a deeply rooted organizational commitment to the principles and practices of justice, equity, diversity and inclusion in all that we do and how we do it.
• Amplify PILI’s mission and work to reach and engage more program participants, organizational partners, donors and ambassadors.
• Ensure an effective and well-resourced infrastructure to maximize PILI’s ability to achieve its mission and vision.

PILI Board President, Daniel Lange of Vedder Price, had this to say about the new Long Range Plan, “I am proud of the comprehensive and inclusive approach we took to developing this plan and I look forward to working with the extremely committed PILI staff team and leadership entities on implementing this plan.” As president, Lange oversaw the development of the plan with the planning efforts led by PILI Board Vice President Kyle Petersen of Seyfarth Shaw and PILI Board Secretary Lisa McCraw of Deere & Company. Members of the board’s Internal Affairs Committee, currently chaired by Ann Pille of Reed Smith, will be responsible for monitoring the plan over the next three years.

According to PILI’s Executive Director, Michael Bergmann, “This plan will help guide PILI over the next three years as we strengthen our programmatic work in furtherance of our mission, deepen our commitment to justice, equity, diversity and inclusion in all that we do, grow our community of participants, friends and supporters and ensure we have the infrastructure to support PILI now and into the future.”

Read the entire plan as adopted »

Click here to see the July 2023 PILI Post »

PILI is very grateful to the following foundations for their renewed support of our work!

ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICE OF THE ILLINOIS COURTS

PILI is excited to announce renewed and increased funding from the Administrative Office of the Illinois Courts in the amount of $20,000. This grant will support outreach to courts across the state to increase awareness and use of Illinois Free Legal Answers and Illinois Free Legal Answers for Civil Appeals. Illinois Free Legal Answers for Civil Appeals is a virtual legal advice clinic for legal issues where low-income Illinoisans who are self-represented can submit a question about their civil appeal. This program is the only appellate-specific help desk in Illinois to assist self-represented litigants with their civil appeal.

FRANCIS BEIDLER FOUNDATION

The Francis Beidler Foundation granted PILI $6,500 to support general operating expenses. This is in addition to the $9,500 the Foundation granted in support of general operations and $6,000 to fund the Alfred C. Tisdahl Memorial Internship in December. 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.

ILLINOIS ACCESS TO JUSTICE

PILI is thrilled to announce the increased support from Illinois Access to Justice, a state-wide program that seeks to mitigate the devasting consequences of all forms of detention and incarceration, resulting in crippling effects on historically marginalized communities. This support in the amount of $94,200 is for PILI’s statewide Pro Bono Program. PILI uses pro bono legal services to fill gaps in the availability of civil legal aid for low-income Illinoisans, including individuals and families impacted by incarceration who have nowhere else to turn for help. Through an innovative range of legal services and pro bono opportunities, we engage volunteers to meet unmet legal needs across the state.

ILLINOIS ARMED FORCES LEGAL AID NETWORK (IL-AFLAN)

PILI is grateful to the Illinois Equal Justice Foundation for their renewed $42,500 grant to support PILI’s ongoing participation in the Illinois Armed Forces Legal Aid Network (IL-AFLAN). IL-AFLAN provides civil legal services across Illinois to veterans, active-duty military, their spouses, and dependents. Through IL-AFLAN, PILI is responsible for accepting referrals through the Network and placing them with pro bono attorneys in 101 counties in Illinois, excluding Cook County. PILI recruits volunteer attorneys, provides training and support, and offers malpractice coverage.

JEROME MIRZA FOUNDATION

The Jerome Mirza Foundation has granted PILI $30,000 to support our efforts to promote public interest law and pro bono services in Illinois outside of Chicago. 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. This renewed grant supports PILI’s Law Student Internship Program across the state, as well as the work or our Pro Bono Program to promote and expand pro bono across Illinois.

This summer, 27 Law Student Interns hold Honorary, Memorial or Named Internship positions, which are created and funded by individuals and groups dedicated to promoting public interest law service. We are grateful to the individuals and groups who make it possible for Interns to provide legal services for people, families and communities in need.

Our summer 2023 Honorary, Memorial or Named Internships include:

• Chapman and Cutler LLP Named Intern
• Chicago Bar Foundation Named Interns (3)
• Jerome Gilson Honorary Intern (funded by Crowell & Moring LLP)
• Christopher J. Horsch Memorial Intern
• Illinois State Bar Association Young Lawyers Division Named Intern
• Justice Thomas L. Kilbride (Ret.) Honorary Interns (4 funded by Lawyers Trust Fund of Illinois)
• LAGBAC Foundation Named Interns (3)
• Roslyn C. Lieb Honorary Intern
• Florence Miller Memorial Interns (2)
• Jerome Mirza Memorial Interns (2)
• Justice Sheila O’Brien (Ret.) Intern
• PILI Alumni Named Intern
• Polk Bros. Foundation Named Intern
• Simmons Hanly Conroy Named Intern
• Nikki Will Stein Honorary Intern (funded by Polk Bros. Foundation)
• Alfred C. Tisdahl Memorial Intern (funded by the Francis Beidler Foundation)
• United Airlines Named Intern
• Zurich North America Named Intern

Learn about our current Honorary, Memorial & Named Interns »

Learn more about supporting a Honorary, Memorial or Named Intern through PILI »

Click here to see the June 2023 PILI Post »

Pride Month is a celebration of the many contributions made by the LGBTQ+ community to society and history as well as a reinvigoration of advocacy and efforts towards equality. Pride is celebrated throughout the month of June each year in commemoration of its roots in the Stonewall Riots of June 1969. The Stonewall Riots occurred when the NYPD raided Stonewall Inn, a gay club located in Greenwich Village in New York City. This raid sparked days of riots and violent clashes with police. This event is considered a catalyst for the gay rights movement in the United States and across the world. In the 1960s, it was illegal to engage in “gay behavior” in public and until 1966, the New York State Liquor Authority penalized and shut down establishments that served alcohol to known or suspected LGBT individuals. Read more about Stonewall and history of the gay rights movement here.

To commemorate Pride Month in 2023, PILI wants to recognize some of our Participating Agencies – those organizations at which we place our Law Student Interns & Graduate Fellows – that fight for equal rights for the LGBTQ+ community. Each one of these organizations is integral to the fight for equity across Illinois as well as the country. While Illinois legislature may not be actively promoting anti-LGBTQ+ legislation as in other parts of the country, the fight for equality and acceptance is ongoing everywhere. Pride is a symbol of hope, solidarity, and pride for the LGBTQ+ community and its allies.

ACLU of Illinois works to fight mass incarceration and racism in the criminal and juvenile legal systems, to promote full equality for LGBTQ people, to challenge dangerous immigration detention conditions, to battle racially biased and abusive policing, to advance gender justice and reproductive rights, to advocate for children in the foster system and people with disabilities, and to defend people from government abuse and overreach. Learn more about ACLU Illinois here.

National Immigrant Justice Center is a program of Heartland Alliance for Human Needs & Human Rights that is dedicated to ensuring human rights protections and access to justice for all immigrants, refugees and asylum seekers. NIJC’s LGBTQ Immigrant Rights Initiative provides legal services to low-income immigrants who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or queer (LGBTQ) and those who are living with HIV. Learn more about the National Immigrant Justice Center here.

Chicago House’s TransLegal program provides direct legal services to transgender and gender expansive individuals and is part of the TransLife Care Program, which provides comprehensive programming and support to people in those communities. Chicago House has been supporting individuals and families impacted by HIV since 1985 with housing, health, and employment services. Learn more about Chicago House here.

Lambda Legal has worked to address the highest priority needs for members of the LGBTQ+ community and those living with HIV for over 50 years. Lamda Legal does this through impact litigation, education programs and public policy advocacy. Lambda Legal has helped to effect dramatic social change through historic courtroom victories and policy work over the years, including landmark cases such as Obergefell v. Hodges (2015), which made gay marriage federally legal. Read more about Lambda Legal’s work here.

Legal Council for Health Justice was founded as AIDS Legal Council of Chicago in 1987 in response to the unique and urgent legal needs among people diagnosed with HIV, the agency broadened its focus beyond single-disease advocacy and changed its name to Legal Council for Health Justice in 2014. Legal Council for Health Justice uses the power of the law to secure dignity, opportunity, and well-being for people facing barriers due to illness or disability. Learn more about the Legal Council for Health Justice here.