PILI to Recognize Five Attorneys During Pro Bono Week

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During virtual celebrations as part of Pro Bono Week, PILI will recognize the extraordinary pro bono contributions of five attorneys through its Judicial Circuit Pro Bono Committees. PILI has a full schedule of events for its 2020 Pro Bono Week celebration, and the award presentations will be part of the virtual celebration in the respective circuit. After the video’s premiere on PILI’s Facebook page and YouTube channel, they videos will remain available for achieved viewing on the event pages.

The recipient of the Third Judicial Circuit Pro Bono Service Award is Deborah Crouse Cobb. Deborah has volunteered many hours as either a GAL in adoption cases or helping attorneys who are new to adoptions complete their cases. She has never turned down anyone who asks for help with adoptions, including judges. Deborah makes pro bono work a priority. She also helps organize the Madison County Circuit Court National Adoption Day. Deborah is a senior partner at her law firm Crouse Cobb & Bays.

The recipient of the 2020 Fifth Judicial Circuit Pro Bono Service Award is David Ryan. David has been a steady pro bono volunteer at Land of Lincoln for many years, taking on family law cases and filling some of the greatest needs in that area. He retired at the end of 2018 and was proactive about continuing his pro bono service. He’s been helping Land of Lincoln with uncontested matters in Vermilion County, allowing their attorneys to serve even more clients. David also takes plenary order of protection cases and has volunteered at the Vermilion County expungement and sealing summit.

The recipient of the 2020 Sixth Judicial Circuit Community Legal Services Award is John T. Phipps. John was one of the founders of the Land of Lincoln Legal Assistance Foundation in 1973. John served in numerous leadership capacities for the ISBA, earning him many deserving recognitions and awards. Most importantly, John loved serving his clients and the law. His name, and with it his legacy, will be honored by the renaming of the Land of Lincoln’s Champaign office as the John Phipps Community Law Center. John sadly passed away in August at the age of 82. His daughter, Anne M. Martinkus, is accepting the award on his behalf.

The recipient of the 2020 Tenth Judicial Circuit Pro Bono Service Award is Michael Fleming. Michael is known for always having a pro bono case among his regular cases. Since he started practicing in 1974, Michael has been involved with Prairie State Legal Services, having served on its board of directors, and the Peoria County Bar Association’s Pro Bono Committee, where he has served as a past chair. He also works closely with Strides for Justice, which organizes a 5K & 1 Mile Walk to support Prairie State Legal Services. Michael routinely volunteers with PILI’s self-represented litigant help desk in Peoria County.

The recipient of the 2020 Eighteenth Judicial Circuit Pro Bono Service Award is Patrick Edgerton. Patrick is an invaluable member of the DuPage County Bar Association’s Ask-A-Lawyer program, volunteering every single month for 4 hours or more and sometimes bringing his father to help too. Pat is one of the strong pillars of the program, which provides a stable foundation to offer not only legal aid to the poor but also to offer hope. Patrick is a partner at Edgerton & Edgerton in West Chicago.

Learn more about PILI’s Judicial Circuit Pro Bono Committees »

PILI Welcomes Eight Fall Semester Law Student Interns

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PILI is excited to welcome eight fall Law Student Interns who will work 200 hours during the semester at legal service agencies in Chicago.

PILI will grant $312,000 to fund 60 Law Student Interns at 30 public interest law organizations across Illinois during the 2020-21 academic year and the summer of 2021. Learn more »

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.

Four of the fall Internship placements are made possible by special funding commitments from organizational champions for public interest law:

O’BRIEN-ANDERSEN NAMED INTERN

Michael Abraham from University of Illinois College of Law is the Fall 2020 Andersen-O’Brien Named Intern at the Legal Aid Society. This Internship is generously funded by Justice Sheila M. O’Brien (Ret.) and Judge Wayne R. Andersen (Ret.) because of their strong commitment to public interest law and, specifically, to the work and mission of Legal Aid Society of Metropolitan Family Services.

BAKER MCKENZIE INTERN

Hasan Cetin from Northwestern Pritzker School of Law is the Fall 2020 Baker McKenzie Intern at the Center for Disability and Elder Law (CDEL). Baker McKenzie has had a special relationship with CDEL for decades, with many lawyers at the firm serving on CDEL’s Board of Directors and generously donating their time and talent on dozens of legal matters for CDEL clients. Funding a school-year Internship placement at CDEL through PILI further supports their important work.

CHICAGO BAR FOUNDATION INTERN

Lauryn Woodward from DePaul University College of Law is the Fall 2020 Chicago Bar Foundation Intern at Chicago Volunteer Legal Services. 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. Learn more about the CBF’s support of PILI’s Law Student Internship Program on their website.

LAGBAC INTERN

Fernanda Hererra Speiler from Loyola University Chicago School of Law is the Fall 2020 LAGBAC (Lesbian And Gay Bar Association of Chicago) Intern at the National Immigrant Justice Center (NIJC) in their LGBT Immigrant Rights Initiative. 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.

Click here to see the full list of Fall Interns and where they will be working this semester »

PILI to Fund $312,000 in Public Interest Law Student Internship Grants in 2020-2021

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PILI will grant $312,000 to fund 60 Law Student Interns at 30 public interest law organizations across Illinois during the 2020-21 academic year and the summer of 2021. PILI’s Law Student Internship Program connects law students from across the country with public interest law agencies in Illinois and pays them for their work.

PILI’s Law Student Internship Program connects law students from across the country with public interest law agencies in Illinois and pays them for their work. Typically, Interns receive $6,000 for working 400 hours during the summer and $3,000 for working 200 hours over a semester. Interns can also receive law school credit for their Internship if first approved by both the student’s law school and agency.

PILI ensures quality supervision by experienced attorneys while also providing supplemental programmatic, networking and educational opportunities. During the summer of 2020, Interns worked remotely and attended remote Educational Seminars offered by PILI.

Among the PILI Interns, there will be several Named and Honorary Interns, which are funded through special commitments made by individual and organizational champions for public interest law. Learn more about Named & Honorary Internships at www.pili.org/donate/named-internships.

PILI has operated its Law Student Internship Program since 1977, and it is the only program of its kind. Students apply from law schools across the country to compete for these funded public interest law internship opportunities. The Internships provide law students with invaluable legal experience, while also giving agencies much needed support to assist more clients in need.

Internships placements are currently offered in Alton, Bloomington, Chicago, East St. Louis, Champaign, Peoria and Rock Island, Illinois. See a full list of agencies at www.pili.org/internships/agencies-placements.

Celebrate Pro Bono Week with PILI

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Save the date for another Pro Bono Week celebration! Coordinated 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 lawyers throughout the nation. In 2021, Pro Bono Week will be celebrated from October 24-30 and will include both virtual and in-person events.

This initiative provides an opportunity for legal organizations across the country to collaboratively commemorate the vitally important contributions of America’s lawyers and to recruit and train the many additional volunteers required to meet the growing demand. The ABA Standing Committee on Pro Bono and Public Service undertook this initiative to provide a format for showcasing the incredible difference that pro bono lawyers make to our nation, to our system of justice, to our communities and, most of all, to the clients they serve.

In Illinois, PILI organizes a variety of event in conjunction with Pro Bono Week. Information about these events is included below and we will continue to update this information over the coming weeks. If you have any questions, please contact either Managing Attorney Abigail Causer (Southern Region) or Managing Attorney Jessica Schneider (Northern Region).

MONDAY, OCTOBER 25TH

Tenth Judicial Circuit Celebrate Pro Bono Virtual Event

The Tenth Judicial Circuit Pro Bono Committee will host this event to commemorate Pro Bono Week, recognize the efforts of local pro bono volunteers and celebrate its Pro Bono Service Award Recipient. The celebration video will premier on Monday, October 25th at 12:00 p.m.

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 26TH

Third Judicial Circuit Celebrate Pro Bono Virtual Event

The Third Judicial Circuit Pro Bono Committee will host this event to commemorate Pro Bono Week, recognize the efforts local pro bono volunteers and celebrate its Pro Bono Service Award Recipient. The celebration video will premier on Tuesday, October 26th at 12:00 p.m.

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 27TH

Twentieth Judicial Circuit Celebrate Pro Bono Virtual Event

The Twentieth Judicial Circuit Pro Bono Committee will host this event to commemorate Pro Bono Week, recognize the commitment of local pro bono volunteers and celebrate the Land of Lincoln Pro Bono Award recipient. The celebration video will premier on Wednesday, October 27th at 12:00 p.m.

First Judicial Circuit Celebrate the Pro Bono Virtual CLE

The First Judicial Circuit Pro Bono Committee will host this CLE program as part of the Pro Bono Week celebration to increase awareness about the need for pro bono legal services and how volunteers can help in the First Judicial Circuit. This event is a virtual/live CLE program that will begin at 4:00 p.m.

Eleventh Judicial Circuit Celebrate Virtual/Live Reception

The Eleventh Judicial Circuit Pro Bono Committee will host this event to commemorate Pro Bono Week and recognize the commitment of local pro bono volunteers in increasing access to justice. This event is a virtual/live reception that will begin at 4:30.

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 28TH

Eighteenth Judicial Circuit Celebrate Pro Bono Virtual Event

The Eighteenth Judicial Circuit Pro Bono Committee will host this event to commemorate Pro Bono Week, recognize the commitment of local pro bono volunteers and celebrate the Pro Bono Services award recipient. The celebration video will premier on Thursday, October 28th at 12:00 p.m.

Sixth Judicial Circuit Virtual/Live CLE & Awards Presentation

The Sixth Judicial Circuit Pro Bono Committee will co-host this CLE program with the Champaign County Bar Association and the Decatur Bar Association. The event will commemorate Pro Bono Week, recognize the commitment of local pro bono volunteers and celebrate the Community Legal Services Award recipient. This is a virtual/live event on Thursday, October 28th at 12:00 p.m.

PILI Alumni & YPB Illinois Free Legal Answers Clinic

Join us for a demonstration of how to use the Illinois Free Legal Answers site and answer 1-2 questions for those in need through this discrete pro bono opportunity at this virtual legal clinic hosted by PILI’s Alumni Network Leadership Council and Young Professionals Board. This is a virtual event on Thursday, October 28th at 5:00p.m.

Fifth Judicial Circuit Celebrate Bono Week Dinner 

The Fifth Judicial Circuit Pro Bono Committee hosts this event to commemorate Pro Bono Week, recognize the commitment of local pro bono volunteers and to celebrate the Pro Bono Service Award Recipients. This in-person event will be held on Thursday, October 28th at Danville Country Club at 5:30 p.m.

FRIDAY, October 30th

PILI’s 2021 Pro Bono Week Wrap Up

On Friday, October 29th, PILI will wrap up its 2021 Pro Bono Week celebration with a special video presentation.

FRIDAY, November 4th 

Fourteenth Judicial Circuit Celebrate Pro Bono Reception 

The Fourteenth Judicial Circuit Pro Bono Committee, in partnership with the Rock Island County Bar Association, will host this event to commemorate Pro Bono Week and recognize the efforts of local pro bono volunteers whose work has helped to expand and enhance access to justice in the Fourteenth Judicial Circuit. This in-person event will be held beginning at 5:30 p.m. at the Oakwood Country Club.

 

Seeking Volunteer Attorneys for New Appellate Pro Bono Opportunity

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Self-represented litigants in the Illinois Appellate Court face many unique challenges without adequate resources to help them through the appeals process. A new pro bono opportunity, Illinois Free Legal Answers for Civil Appeals, is now providing them with more legal assistance. Illinois Free Legal Answers for Civil Appeals was developed in partnership with the Administrative Office of the Illinois Courts, Illinois Supreme Court Commission on Access to Justice, the American Bar Association and the Public Interest Law Initiative (PILI).

“The creation of a statewide virtual help desk for civil appeals is a vital and timely resource. This initiative will not only fill a much-needed gap in appellate resources and assistance for SRLs, it will also help lessen some of the barriers they face in understanding the requirements necessary to complete their appeal,” Illinois Supreme Court Chief Justice Anne M. Burke said.

This is the first-ever legal help desk for civil appeals in Illinois, which allows self-represented litigants to submit questions about their appeal through the Illinois Free Legal Answers platform for which PILI is the state administrator. The program was created to address the pressing need to provide assistance to self-represented litigants, who account for 41% of civil appeals filed in the state. Volunteer attorneys can log on to answer questions at their convenience and will remain anonymous through the online platform.

“We are proud of this partnership in developing this new and much-needed resource for self-represented Illinoisans in civil appeals,” said Michael Bergmann, Executive Director of PILI. “Thanks to the ABA, the Free Legal Answers platform is available to help those who likely have nowhere else to turn for assistance from a lawyer.”

A project of the American Bar Association, Free Legal Answers was created to increase access to advice and information about non-criminal legal matters for those who cannot afford legal assistance. It is now active in 41 jurisdictions within the United States, including Illinois. This is the first time in which the system has been adapted to include a civil appeals component, with the hope that it will be a replicable model to apply in other jurisdictions. The ABA also provides malpractice coverage to volunteer attorneys of Free Legal Answers.

“This new Illinois appellate initiative expands into a new legal arena the free and affordable civil legal services developed through ABA Free Legal Services,” said ABA President Patricia Lee Refo. “The ABA is delighted to work with our partners in Illinois to incorporate a civil appeals component that will provide assistance to additional persons, and we encourage others to consider this model.”

Clients must meet financial eligibility guidelines, not be currently incarcerated, and not be requesting assistance with criminal appeals. Before users are allowed to request legal advice, they will be asked questions to establish eligibility.

Any lawyer who is registered as active and authorized to practice with the ARDC, including those with house counsel status, can volunteer by registering at: il.freelegalanswers.org. Retired or Inactive attorneys as well as out of state licensed attorneys can also volunteer, subject to Supreme Court Rules 756(k). For Illinois Free Legal Answers for Civil Appeals, PILI is seeking attorneys with appellate experience to start answering questions. PILI has resources for volunteer attorneys and can assist in setting up clinics for groups of lawyers to volunteer.

If you are an experienced appellate lawyer, after registering, you can now start answering questions through this program by visiting il.freelegalanswers.org. You can filter for questions in the “Civil Appeals” category or sign up to receive notifications when Civil Appeal questions are asked under the “Manage Subscriptions” tab.

For more information or if you have any questions about Illinois Free Legal Answers, or if you would like to set up a virtual Illinois Free Legal Answers clinic, contact Brent Page by email or at 312-832-5128.

Introducing New Board of Directors Leadership and Members for FY2021

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Newly installed President of the PILI Board of Directors, John J. Bourke, with PILI’s  Executive Director Michael G. Bergmann

PILI’s Board of Directors elected John J. Bourke for a two-year term as Board President beginning on September 1, 2020. John brings a wide range of corporate legal and business experience gained from Chicago financial institutions including The Northern Trust Company, (JPMorgan Chase predecessors) First Chicago Corporation, First Chicago NBD, Bank One and Aon. Outside of PILI, John focuses on corporate transactions in the cyber risk, security and technology space.  He has served on PILI’s board since 2010 and has been serving as Board Vice President for the last two years.

Additionally, the board elected Daniel Lange of Vedder Price to the position of Vice President, Kyle Petersen of Seyfarth Shaw to the position of Secretary, and Traci Braun of Exelon to the position of Treasurer. Sarah Bernstein of Barack Ferrazzano will serve as Immediate Past President.

The board has also elected the following new board members:

  • Perry Browder, Simmons Hanley Conroy
  • Charles Golbert, Cook County Public Guardian
  • Culyer Robinson, Charles River Associates
  • Barry Taylor, Equip for Equality
  • Judge Lisa Wilson, Tenth Judicial Cirucit

Additionally, the board elected Juan Morado Jr. of Benesch, Friedlander, Coplan & Aronoff, LLP and Trisha M. Rich of Holland & Knight LLP each to one-year terms as a representatives from the Chicago Bar Association Board of Managers.

We are very grateful to directors Arthur Don, Federico Rodriguez, Kaarina Salovaara and Kris Swanson, whose terms ended on August 31st, for their leadership of and service to PILI.

Meet the rest of PILI’s Board of Directors »

Introducing New Alumni Council and YPB Leadership

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On September 1, 2020 PILI started a new fiscal year and welcomed new officers for two of our leadership bodies.

David Scriven-Young of Pecker Abramson has been named Chair of the Alumni Network Leadership Council. He served as a PILI Graduate Fellow at the Alliance for the Great Lakes after graduating from law school. Martin Cozzola of Chicago Volunteer Legal Services has been named Chair-Elect and Marlow Svatek of Sidley Austin has been named Vice Chair. Jessica Schneider, who now works at PILI, will serve as Immediate Past President.

Themi Rush of Berkeley Research Group has been named Chair of the Young Professionals Board. Michael Whalen of Paul Hastings has been named Chair-Elect and Judy He of Haynes and Boone has been named Vice Chair. Steve Trubac of Bryan Cave will serve as Immediate Past President.

Thank you to all of our volunteers who serve on these leadership bodies to support PILI!

 

Meet the rest of PILI’s leadership »

Pro Bono in a Crisis: Highlights from the 2020 Law Firm Pro Bono Roundtable

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On September 15th, law firm pro bono leaders met remotely for the Law Firm Pro Bono Roundtable. This year, the group discussed the impact of pro bono in a crisis.

Exploring PILI’s Illinois Free Legal Answers Program

To start out, Jessica Schneider, PILI’s Managing Attorney, talked about Illinois Free Legal Answers. She explained how this had been a good pro bono opportunity during the pandemic and how firms and corporations were hosting virtual clinics to answer questions. Sara Ghadiri from Chapman and Cutler and Michael Whalen from Paul Hastings shared how their firms have volunteered with Illinois Free Legal Answers.

Responding to Today’s and Preparing for the Next Crisis

David Sudzus of Faegre Drinker talked with the group about pro bono during a crisis. He discussed how there were fears around pro bono and job security. He offered that flexibility around pro bono could help combat some of the fears and that it is a good idea to have strong alliances with legal aid agencies already in place to lean on during a crisis. He also emphasized the need for self care, and the group discussed how to approach pro bono and build strong programs to withstand crises.

Balancing the Desire for Systemic Change with the Everyday Needs of Legal Aid Clients

Rachel Jennings of Neal Gerber discussed how pro bono professionals within law firms are often driving systemic change within the firm since they are leading the charge in pro bono. The group discussed how the initiatives that pro bono leaders care about are typically are the ones that the firms take on. Attendees agreed that their partners in legal aid were leading the charge for systemic change but the best way for law firms to make an impact may be to support them from beside and behind. Attendees also discussed the importance to strategically plan for your pro bono program, just as you would plan strategically firm-wide.

Overcoming Challenges of Remote Pro Bono Service

Shehnaz Mensuri of Mayer Brown explained the obstacles pro bono leaders had faced by moving to virtual programs. The group discussed how trainings have shifted as well as pro bono opportunities. Attendees discussed how they had been able to replicate clinics and other pro bono projects in the virtual space. The group discussed how there had been some surprising positive outcomes from this and how some projects might do well with a hybrid virtual and in-person model going forward.

Thank you to everyone who participated in the Law Firm Pro Bono Roundtable. We look forward to seeing everyone at our Illinois Forum on Pro Bono on November 18th, which will bring together pro bono leaders from law firms, corporations, agencies and law schools.

View more resources for agencies »

Learn more about PILI’s Roundtables and Forums »

PILI Receives Renewed Foundation Support for Our Internship & Pro Bono Programs

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This past summer, PILI received renewed funding from several longtime funders in support of its Law Student Internship Program. These funders included the Chicago Bar Foundation, the LAGBAC Foundation, the Illinois State Bar Association Young Lawyers Division and the Polk Bros. Foundation. We are thankful for these steadfast supporters of PILI’s Law Student Internship Program.

PILI is grateful to the Illinois Equal Justice Foundation for their renewed 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.

PILI received renewed funding from the Illinois Bar Foundation to support its role as the state administrator for Illinois Free Legal Answers. The Illinois Bar Foundation has been the primary funder of Illinois Free Legal Answers since its inception in the state, and this renewed funding coincides with PILI’s second year as the state administrator. PILI is incredibly grateful to the Illinois Bar Foundation for its longstanding and generous support of PILI.

Thank you to these and all of our supporters!