Pro Bono Spotlight: Illinois Homeless Youth Handbook

Posted on by

illinois homeless youth handbook

Homeless youth are no strangers to legal issues and the barriers they present. From access to housing and medical care to education, employment, and basic civil rights, legal issues can jeopardize the fundamental health, safety and wellbeing of these young people and sometimes even underlie the causes of youth homelessness. Without resources to navigate complicated and often overwhelming legal issues, homeless youth usually have nowhere to turn for help. And with nearly 60,000 students identified as homeless in Illinois last year, the need to find solutions to this problem is urgent.

That’s why attorneys from Baker & McKenzie partnered with United Airlines and the Chicago Coalition for the Homeless to create the Homeless Youth Handbook, an innovative guide to help homeless young people in Illinois better understand their legal rights and resources. Available online in a mobile-friendly format and in print, the Handbook’s 17 chapters provide comprehensive legal resources for fundamental needs like housing, public benefits, education and identification, as well as information for LGBTQ youth, pregnant and parenting youth and immigrant youth. In addition, the Handbook offers tools to address matters that might cause a young person to become homeless, including domestic violence, sexual exploitation, substance abuse and mental health issues.

“We know that when young people or those who are helping them have a question, immediate accessibility to a reliable, thoughtful and correct answer is important,” says Angela Vigil, firmwide Director of Pro Bono and Community Service for Baker & McKenzie. “That is why the handbook is a 24/7 resource on-line and accessible.”

Fifty attorneys from Baker and United in Chicago contributed over 1,100 to writing the Handbook, which was released on January 28. This is the third such publication Baker has co-authored in collaboration with corporations and local nonprofits. Previously, the firm partnered with Columbia Legal Services and the Starbucks Corporation to create a Homeless Youth Handbook for Washington, and with Ecolab Inc. and Southern Minnesota Regional Legal Services to create a Minnesota edition of the Handbook.

“We are terrifically excited to have helped make this new resource happen together with our partners at United Airlines and the Chicago Coalition for the Homeless,” Angela says. “We were proud to combine the considerable talents of the in-house legal department of United Airlines, the expert team at the Law Project of the Chicago Coalition for the a Homeless and our own committed lawyers. The result is a new resource for Chicago youth to help them move from instability to success with legal insight and answers.”

The Illinois Homeless Youth Handbook is available online at http://homelessyouth.org/illinois.

 

View all of PILI’s past Pro Bono Spotlights »

Board Member Spotlight: Judge Alison Conlon

Posted on by

conlonIn January, the Illinois Supreme Court announced the appointment of PILI Board Member Alison C. Conlon as Cook County Circuit Judge. Alison has served on PILI’s Board of Directors since 2011. Then a partner at Barnes & Thornburg LLP, she was appointed to PILI’s Board by the Chicago Bar Association’s Board of Managers for a one-year term and decided to stay on after her term expired. “I enjoy the exchange of information and ideas on PILI’s Board,” Alison says. “By serving on the Board and participating in PILI Board meetings, receptions and programming, I have come into contact with so many interesting and insightful people who think beyond themselves, are committed to ensuring that every single person has access to a fair day in court, and have new ideas about how to achieve that goal.”

Alison has been committed to pro bono work throughout her career. In addition to her board service with PILI, Alison served on the Hearing Board of the Illinois Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission and on Catholic Charities’ advisory board. While at Barnes & Thornburg, she launched an initiative to handle pro bono engagements for pro se litigants in Cook County who were nearing trial. Now as a new judge, she has continued her commitment to pro bono by volunteering on Wednesday mornings at the pro se small claims court call at 8:00 a.m. “This is a new, recent initiative in the Municipal Division,” she explains. “It allows parties to appear outside of regular business hours at 8:00 a.m. or 5:00 p.m. to accommodate work schedules.”

In an article published in the Illinois State Bar Association’s Illinois Lawyer Now, Alison expressed her gratitude and excitement for her new appointment as Cook County Circuit Judge: “I am very honored by this appointment,” she said. “I am grateful for the confidence shown in me by the Supreme Court and by Justice Theis. Today’s appointment starts an important new chapter for me in which I look forward to serving the residents of Cook County as a circuit judge.”

Read more PILI Board Member Spotlights »

PILI Featured in Chicago Daily Law Bulletin Article on Community Law Clinic

Posted on by

The Chicago Daily Law Bulletin has published an article on PILI’s Community Law Clinic at Legal Prep Charter Academy, a joint project between the PILI Alumni Network, Legal Prep, and Chicago Volunteer Legal Services.

Read the full article here: “With law clinic, Legal Prep to broaden reach” or click here to download the pdf.

From the article:

Rather Stanton, development director and co-founder at Legal Prep, said the community law clinic is “one of the more important things that we do and are doing” for West Garfield Park and nearby neighborhoods.

“We offer a lot of different resources for the community — college training, we’ve done some financial literacy programs for adults — but I don’t know if anything we’ve done has been quite as pointed and impactful as this.”

Read more »

Learn more about PILI’s Community Law Clinic at Legal Prep Charter Academy »

Press Release: PILI Launches Community Law Clinic at Legal Prep Charter Academy

Posted on by
First Clinic 2 - Jan 2015

PILI volunteers and staff with Legal Prep’s Sam Finkelstein at our first Clinic in January

The Alumni Network Leadership Council of the Public Interest Law Initiative (PILI) has partnered with Legal Prep Charter Academy and Chicago Volunteer Legal Service (CVLS) to launch the Legal Prep Community Law Clinic, a community-based clinic for the student families and neighbors of Legal Prep in Chicago’s Garfield Park neighborhood.

Through the Community Law Clinic, Alumni of PILI’s Law Student Internship and Graduate Fellowship Programs volunteer to help families and neighbors of Legal Prep students address critical legal needs. With the support of CVLS staff, these volunteers provide pro bono services on all civil, non-fee generating, non-class action cases. Types of cases might include family law, eviction, consumer debt, foreclosure, adult/child guardianship, and more.

The Community Law Clinic is held on the second Tuesday of every month from 5:30 – 7:30 p.m. at Legal Prep. The first clinic took place in January 2015. In addition to organizing the Clinic and recruiting Alumni to volunteer, PILI has invited law firms that offer PILI’s Graduate Fellowship Program to “adopt” a Clinic session. The firm would be responsible for recruiting four to six PILI Alumni from among its attorneys (PILI currently has over 3,600 Alumni, many of whom work in Chicago) to volunteer with the Clinic for that month. Kirkland & Ellis LLP, which has sponsored the largest number of PILI Fellows of any firm, has been the first to sign on and adopt the month of November 2015.

PILI Executive Director Michael G. Bergmann expresses PILI’s enthusiasm for this new and much-needed project, saying, “PILI is very excited to partner with Legal Prep on this meaningful service opportunity for PILI Alumni to help meet the legal needs of Legal Prep’s families and neighbors.” Rather Stanton, Development Director & Co-Founder for Legal Prep, agrees with this sentiment. “Legal Prep strives to be a cornerstone for positive change in the West Garfield Park community, and we couldn’t be more pleased to partner with PILI, PILI’s Alumni Network Leadership Council, and CVLS to build another bridge between the school and the community,” he says.

About Legal Prep Charter Academy: Legal Prep is a free, legal-themed, college prep charter high school in West Garfield Park that opened in the fall of 2012. Their mission is to use their unique law themed curriculum and culture of high expectations to cultivate compassion, self-motivation, and reflection in young adults who will be prepared to succeed at outstanding four-year colleges and universities.

About PILI: PILI’s mission is to cultivate a lifelong commitment to public interest law and pro bono service within the Illinois legal community to expand the availability of legal services for people, families and communities in need.

[button href=”/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/Press-Release-3-4-15-Legal-Prep-Community-Law-Clinic.pdf”]Download the Press Release »[/button]

 

PILI Alumna and Board Member Reena Bajowala Receives Leadership Award

Posted on by

Bajowala_Reena-_COLORReena Bajowala, partner at Jenner & Block LLP, has been named a 2015 recipient of Womenetics’ POW! Awards, which honor women who demonstrate business leadership and community impact. Reena served as both a PILI Intern and a PILI Fellow, and is now a member of PILI’s Board of Directors, having previously served on our Alumni Network Leadership Council. An outstanding attorney and dedicated pro bono practitioner, Reena is being recognized for her leadership in the legal profession and her service to the community. From the Womenetics website:

“Reena Bajowala relied on her confidence and the unyielding desire to right a wrong as she battled to seek restitution and then payment for a victim of human trafficking…. After years of tenacious legal pursuit, Reena finally presented her client a six-figure restitution check. “Delivering this check meant so much – she would have a steady place to live, pay for medical treatments that were withheld by her from her traffickers and start planning for a life she had not yet begun living.” As part of Jenner & Block’s pro bono program, Reena represented her client without charge.”

Read more about Reena on the Womenetics website »

Congratulations to Reena on this very well-deserved award, and thank you for your dedicated service!

Calling All DC-Area PILI Alumni!

Posted on by

blackfinn 2014Did you know that there are over 3,600 Alumni of our Internship & Fellowship Programs around the world? It’s perhaps then not surprising to hear that we’ve got quite a critical mass of Alumni in our nation’s capital!

PILI’s Executive Director, Michael Bergmann, will be in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday, March 4 and will be hosting a Happy Hour for DC-area PILI Alumni and friends. We hope you will join Michael and your fellow Alumni to network with one another and to learn about what’s new with PILI!

The happy hour will be at BlackFinn American Salon from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. To assist us in our planning, please be sure to register for this event in advance. We hope to see you there!

[button href=”https://pili.org/events/event/pili-alumni-network-reception-for-dc-based-alumni”]Sign up now »[/button]

 

 

Volunteers needed for the Legal Prep Community Law Clinic in February!

Posted on by

legal prep logoThe PILI Alumni Network is partnering with Legal Prep Charter Academies and Chicago Volunteer Legal Services to offer the Legal Prep Community Law Clinic,  a community-based clinic for the student families of Legal Prep in the Garfield Park neighborhood.

PILI Alumni can help families of Garfield Park and Legal Prep students address critical legal needs like eviction, consumer debt, foreclosure, adult/child guardianship, and more. With the support of CVLS staff, PILI Alumni volunteers will have the opportunity to provide pro bono services on all civil, non-fee generating, non-class action cases.

Sign up here to volunteer at the next Clinic on Tuesday, February 10th.

 

For more information or to find out more ways to get involved in the PILI Alumni Network, please contact PILI Program Manager, Katie Pieper by e-mail or by phone at 312-832-5128.

PILI Board Member Allison Conlon Appointed Cook County Circuit Judge

Posted on by

conlonLast week, Illinois Supreme Court and Justice Mary Jane Theis announced the appointment of Alison C. Conlon as Cook County Circuit Judge. Her appointment will fill the at-large vacancy created by the retirement of Judge Thomas Hogan on December 31, 2014.

Alison has served on PILI’s Board of Directors since 2012, and has been committed to pro bono work throughout her career. In addition to her board service with PILI, Alison currently serves on the Hearing Board of the Illinois Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission and on Catholic Charities’ advisory board.

In an article published in Illinois Lawyer Now, Alison said expressed her gratitude:

“I am very honored by this appointment,” Ms. Conlon said. “I am grateful for the confidence shown in me by the Supreme Court and by Justice Theis. Today’s appointment starts an important new chapter for me in which I look forward to serving the residents of Cook County as a circuit judge.”

PILI Alum Rachel Brady Receives Prestigious Skadden Fellowship

Posted on by

brady-rachelRachel Brady is one of 28 recipients of a 2015 Skadden Fellowship, a prestigious public interest law fellowship sponsored by the law firm of Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP. A 2013 graduate of Chicago-Kent College of Law, Rachel was a PILI Intern in 2012 at the ACLU of Illinois. Currently, she serves as a staff clerk in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit.

For her fellowship, Rachel will work at Equip for Equality, a Chicago-based nonprofit that works to advance the human and civil rights of people with disabilities in Illinois. Her project focuses on representing youth with disabilities in, or transitioning out of, Illinois juvenile justice facilities and Chicago’s alternative schools. In a press release from Chicago-Kent College of Law, Rachel explained the need for this type of work:

“Half of incarcerated youth in Illinois have disabilities and do not receive appropriate educational services while they are in prison, and then do not always have access to appropriate services when they transition back into their community schools…. This project has the potential to reach hundreds of at-risk youth, giving them access to the educations they need and deserve.”

Congratulations to Rachel and all of the 2015 Skadden Fellows! We look forward to hearing about the great work you will accomplish, and we thank you for your service to low-income and underrepresented communities in need.

About the Skadden Fellowship Program: The Skadden Fellowship Program, described as “a legal Peace Corps,” was established in 1988 in recognition of the dire need for greater funding for graduating law students who wish to devote their professional lives to providing legal services to the poor (including the working poor), the elderly, the homeless and the disabled, as well as those deprived of their civil or human rights. Fellowships are awarded for two years, with Skadden providing each Fellow a salary and paying all fringe benefits to which an employee of the sponsoring organization would be entitled. The 2015 class of Fellows brings to 733 the number of academically outstanding law school graduates and judicial clerks the firm has funded to work full-time for legal and advocacy organizations. Learn more at www.skaddenfellowships.org.

Board Member Spotlight: Lee Ann Russo

Posted on by

Public Interest Law Initiative (PILI) | Awards LuncheonThe immediate past president of PILI’s Board of Directors is Lee Ann Russo, partner at Jones Day, who has long been a champion for PILI and for pro bono work. She first got involved with PILI when our Pro Bono Initiative Program was just beginning. “I became such a believer in the ability of the Pro Bono Initiative to facilitate the growth of pro bono work by law firms, corporations and law schools that I quickly became a PILI fan,” she recounts. Lee Ann soon joined PILI’s Board of Directors, where she could continue to support this program as well as PILI’s Internship, Fellowship and Alumni Programs.

Through her work and leadership on PILI’s Board, Lee Ann has gotten to see first-hand the impact PILI has on expanding pro bono in Chicago and across the state. “I consider PILI to be a pro bono “hub” for which the agencies, firms, corporate law departments and law schools are the spokes and wheel,” she explains. “To the extent that I, like other Board members, have helped to guide PILI through membership in planning committees and have provided other means of support, I’ve received multiple returns on my time investment. It’s such a personal reward to see PILI’s influence on Chicago and now Illinois pro bono grow so steadily.”

Lee Ann’s own pro bono work doesn’t stop with PILI. As the Public Service Coordinator for Jones Day’s Chicago office, she helps facilitate all of the pro bono legal and public service work the office does. And they do a lot of it! “We have a remarkable group of pro bono agencies with which the office partners,” Lee Ann says. “I, in particular, work closely with the National Immigrant Justice Center and supervise most of the associates in our office who work on asylum cases.” Lee Ann also serves on NIJC’s Leadership Board. In 2013, Lee Ann’s pro bono work took her all the way to Liberia through Lawyers Without Borders. “We trained judges, private lawyers, prosecutors and police how to preside over, prosecute and investigate, respectively, human trafficking cases,” she explains. “It was one of my favorite pro bono activities.”

Read more PILI Board Member Spotlights »