McDermott & AABA Host Illinois Free Legal Answers Clinic Day

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Thank you to the Asian American Bar Association and McDermott Will & Emery for hosting the Illinois Free Legal Answers Clinic on January 30th and answering 19 legal questions from people in need!

A project of the American Bar Association, Free Legal Answers is a secure website where low-income Illinoisans can ask a lawyer for help with a civil legal issue. Volunteer lawyers then log onto the site at their convenience and answer questions waiting in the queue. It is a virtual walk-in legal clinic. PILI is the state administrator for Free Legal Answers in Illinois.

Each month, PILI highlights the firms and corporations that host Illinois Free Legal Answers Clinic. Learn more about hosting or contact Brent Page about hosting a clinic.

Jerome Mirza Foundation Awards Special Grant for Upcoming Summit

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PILI is grateful to the Jerome Mirza Foundation for providing a special $5,000 grant to cover the cost of the upcoming Judicial Circuit Pro Bono Committees Summit. This summit will be hosted in Springfield on May 13th to 14th to bring together the chairs of the eight pro bono committees and other partners to discuss how to increase and enhance pro bono across Illinois. PILI has hosted this invitation-only summit every three years since 2014.

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. The Mirza Foundation has provided funding for PILI’s Judicial Circuit Pro Bono Committee activities and a Named Internship since 2015.

We are so incredibly grateful to the Jerome Mirza Foundation for its continued support of our work, and for their generosity in helping make this important event a success.

View a list of supporters here »

PILI Welcomes Eight Spring Semester Law Student Interns

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

In 2020, PILI will grant a total of $333,000 to fund 64 Law Student Interns at 30 public interest law organizations across Illinois. 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 spring Internship placements are made possible by special funding commitments from organizational champions for public interest law:

BAKER MCKENZIE INTERN

Nadia Woods from Loyola University Chicago School of Law is the Baker McKenzie Intern at Cabrini Green Legal Aid (CGLA). Baker McKenzie has a longstanding commitment to ensuring access to justice for all of those in need, and funding a school-year Internship placement at Cabrini Green Legal Aid through PILI further supports this tradition of service.

CHICAGO BAR FOUNDATION INTERN

Alexandra O’Hehir from The UIC John Marshall Law School is the Chicago Bar Foundation Intern at Chicago Legal Clinic. 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.

LAGBAC INTERN

Joey Carrillo from Chicago-Kent College of Law is the 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.

MARY C. RUSSO MEMORIAL INTERN

Diana Arroyo from Loyola University Chicago School of Law is the Mary C. Russo Memorial Intern at Legal Aid Chicago. This Internship is funded by Mary’s children to honor the memory of their mother who died in 2014. Mary was the consummate volunteer, contributing to her community in many ways, including forming the Office of Volunteer Resources for her city, Virginia Beach, Virginia. She served as Director of this office for 37 years, and also chaired many volunteer initiatives focused on education, mental health, drug abuse, and the court system, among others.

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

Our Chicago Office Has Moved!

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PILI’s Chicago office has moved to a new address in downtown Chicago:

Public Interest Law Initiative (PILI)
105 West Madison Street, Suite 610
Chicago, IL 60602

PILI’s Chicago office had been housed at the offices of Foley & Lardner for over 15 years. We are so grateful to them for their very significant generosity and hospitality during that time, and for their gracious assistance during the move and transition to a new office.

All staff phone numbers and emails remain the same. Meet our staff here »

PILI Alumni Spotlight: Nora Cygan, 2019 Law Student Intern

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PILI is excited to welcome Nora Cygan to our Board of Directors as the 2019 Law Student Intern Alumni Representative. Each year, PILI appoints one Intern and one Fellow from the most recent class to serve on the board for a two-year term.

Last summer, Nora was an Intern at Equip for Equality where she worked within the Abuse Investigation Unit, navigating the complex system of institutions that house individuals with developmental disabilities and mental illness. She worked closely with issues of neglect and abuse, and examined systemic issues that are faced by people living with disabilities.

“PILI gifted me with invaluable legal and communication skills that will forever help me as an attorney,” said Nora. “Since my Internship has ended, I am more eager than ever to work hard to help clients achieve the best possible representation.”

In the fall, Nora started her 2L year at Northwestern Pritzker School of Law. She continues to pursue pro bono work through Wills for Heroes, works at a civil rights clinic and volunteers at the Women’s Treatment Center. “PILI taught me about the importance of continuing legal education and social awareness,” said Nora.

Nora’s experience last summer is informing her education and service endeavors going forward. “PILI has given me a unique lens to apply to my continuing legal studies and work,” said Nora. “The time and memories have reinforced the importance of service in my future work and established my commitment to pro bono work and to strive to be educated on social issues and advocate for others.”

Read more PILI Alumni spotlights »

PILI Alumni Spotlight: Shenna Johnson, 2019 Graduate Fellow

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PILI is excited to welcome Shenna Johnson of Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP to our Board of Directors as the 2019 Graduate Fellow Alumni Representative. Each year, PILI appoints one Intern and one Fellow from the most recent class to serve on the board for a two-year term.

Last summer, Shenna did her PILI Fellowship at the Chicago Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights where she worked on the Housing Opportunity Project, which focuses on systemic litigation and advocacy to combat housing discrimination and barriers to opportunity. Additionally, she assisted with the Committee’s Voting Rights Project, where she had an opportunity to research and write memoranda concerning voting rights and voter suppression issues to aid in the Committee’s mission to enforce and defend strong election laws.

“Having the opportunity to work alongside individuals who work tirelessly every day to serve as a voice for the voiceless and are passionate advocates who dedicate their lives to promoting justice and equality was truly an unforgettable and awe-inspiring experience,” said Shenna.

Shenna received her J.D. from Howard University School of Law in 2019, her M.PA. degree in 2013 and her B.S. degree in 2009 from Old Dominion University.  As a law student, Shenna served as a student attorney in Howard’s Human and Civil Rights Clinic and a senior editor on the Howard Human and Civil Rights Law Review.

Since finishing her Fellowship, Shenna began working at Skadden as a first-year associate in its corporate group. She took and passed the bar exam and became the first attorney in her family. She has consistently engaged in various pro bono matters and is currently helping a woman from Mexico who is seeking asylum.

Shenna credits her PILI Fellowship at the Lawyers’ Committee for giving her a head start in her legal career. Specifically, she learned how to plan, prepare, file and defend lawsuits intended to effect societal change. “Although I may have otherwise obtained this type of experience gradually throughout my career, by working on various pro bono matters, the Lawyers’ Committee gave me a head start and provided an opportunity for me to hone these skills on a daily basis throughout my Fellowship,” said Shenna. “I know that as a result I have developed a well-rounded skill set.”

Shenna intends to keep pro bono work a priority throughout her career. “My PILI Fellowship further solidified my desire to stay committed to service and use the skills and tools I have acquired to continue supporting underserved and marginalized communities,” she said. “I will ensure that pro bono is not an afterthought, but rather, a consistent component of my practice.”

Read more PILI Alumni spotlights »

Report on PILI’s Fall 2019 Interns

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Who where they?

[ezcol_1half]In fall 2019, there were 9 Law Student Interns:

  • 2 were 2Ls and 7 were 3Ls
  • 5 identified as female and 4 as male
  • 5 identified as racially or ethnically diverse and 1 identified as LGBTQ
  • 2 were double PILIs[/ezcol_1half]

[ezcol_1half_end]

Interns came from the following Law Schools:

  • 3 from Chicago-Kent College of Law
  • 4 from Loyola University Chicago School of law
  • 1 from DePaul University School of Law
  • 1 from UIC John Marshall Law School[/ezcol_1half_end]

What did they do?

[ezcol_1half]Interns worked at the following agencies:

  • CARPLS
  • Center for Disability and Elder Law
  • Chicago Legal Clinic
  • Chicago Volunteer Legal Services
  • Equip for Equality
  • Legal Aid Society
  • Legal Aid Chicago
  • National Immigrant Justice Center
  • Shriver Center on Poverty Law[/ezcol_1half]

[ezcol_1half_end]Interns worked in the following practice areas:

  • Civil Rights
  • Disability
  • Domestic Violence
  • Employment Law
  • Family Law
  • Guardianship & Estates
  • Housing Law[/ezcol_1half_end]

Interns report on their impact:

 “The look on all of our client’s faces when we finish their case has impacted me significantly. It makes me realize how necessary this work is for the greater good and health of our justice system.“

“In my capacity as an Intern, I was able to empower people to advocate for themselves, advocate on their behalf when necessary, and overall provide a voice to those who go unheard sometimes.  Interning has further affirmed my desire to work in this field.”

“My biggest accomplishment was settling a case that was originally set for a two-week trial. The child went home to his loving parents, who were able to care for him and could not wait to have him back home.”

[ezcol_1half]

Direct & Brief Legal Services

Interns provided direct legal services to 208 clients and brief legal services to 536 clients for a total of 744 clients served. Of those clients:

  • 72% were people of color
  • 63% were people over 50
  • 53% identified as women
  • 27% were people with disabilities
  • 15% were veterans
  • 10% were immigrants
  • 6% identified as LGBTQ
  • 3% were children [/ezcol_1half]

[ezcol_1half_end]

Other Legal Services

All of those who responded provided other legal services as well, including:

  • Legal or policy research/writing (7)
  • Administrative and legal support work (intake, case paperwork and filing) (6)
  • Class actions/impact litigation (2)
  • Drafting/reviewing legislation (1)
  • Community outreach/education (1)[/ezcol_1half_end]

Overall feedback from Interns:

Overall rating of PILI experience:

On a scale of 1 to 5, with 1 being “very poor” and 5 being “very good,” Interns rated the program a 4.9 overall.

Quality of Experience

Please indicate the extent to which you agree or disagree with the following statements:

5 = Strongly Agree, 4 = Agree, 3 = Neutral, 2 = Disagree, 1 = Strongly Disagree

Average
The work I performed was challenging and stimulating. 4.7
I was given the opportunity to see a reasonable range of my agency’s workload. 4.4
I was provided levels of responsibility consistent with my ability throughout the semester. 4.6
I was satisfied with my agency’s efforts to provide me with an educational experience. 4.4
My agency helped me develop an understanding of the practice of public interest law. 4.8
I received enough training and assistance to understand the legal work asked of me. 4.6
Most of the work I was assigned was legal or law-related. 4.8

 

Impact on Career

Please indicate the extent to which you agree or disagree with the following statements:

5 = Strongly Agree, 4 = Agree, 3 = Neutral, 2 = Disagree, 1 = Strongly Disagree

Average
Even before doing this Internship, I had intended to pursue a career in public interest law. 4.4
As a result of my Internship, I am able to make a more informed decision about a career in public interest law. 4.7
As a result of my Internship, I am more likely to integrate public interest/pro bono law into my future practice. 4.7
As a result of my Internship, I am more likely to seek a job in public interest law. 4.3
As a result of my Internship, I have developed new legal skills. 5

Quotes from Interns

“Between the practical experience and educational seminar, the PILI internship program is a great extension of my legal education.”

“The PILI network is a strong one and I’ve met many amazing people through it. Working without pay throughout the semester is not feasible for me, so PILI allowed me with the funding I needed to be able to pursue the work I wanted to.”

“Through PILI, I got a much stronger client-based work experience than my fellow classmates at their internships in other types of firms.”

“It has given me incredible work experience including actual litigation experience as a law student that many of my colleagues at school have yet to experience. This will give me an edge when I go to apply for my first job out of law school.”

“PILI has absolutely opened doors not only at this agency but others as well given its well respected reputation.”

Learn more about the Law Student Internship Program »

Robert E. Gallagher Charitable Trust Renews Support of PILI Law Student Internship Program

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The Robert E. Gallagher Charitable Trust has renewed its support of PILI with a $13,000 grant in 2020, which will be used to fully fund two summer Law Student Internships.

The trust was established by Robert E. Gallagher, a distinguished leader and innovator in the insurance industry who was also renowned for his many community and charitable endeavors. Mr. Gallagher served as CEO of the Arthur J. Gallagher & Co., one of the world’s largest insurance brokerage firms, until 1995 and remained Chairman until his death in 2006. He was the father of Anne Gallagher O’Malley, wife of longtime PILI board member and current Life Director, Richard F. O’Malley, Jr.

PILI is grateful to the Robert E. Gallagher Charitable Trust for their continued support!

See a list of all our supporters »

Learn more about ways to support PILI »

Francis Beidler Foundation Renews Support of PILI

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The Francis Beidler Foundation granted PILI $13,000 grant to support general operating expenses as well as to fund the Alfred C. Tisdahl Memorial Internship. This is in addition to the $19,000 the Foundation granted in support of general operations in June. 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. PILI is grateful for the Beidler Foundation’s longstanding support of our work and vision.

View a list of our supporters »