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Resources for PILI Intern & Fellow Supervisors

Welcome PILI Intern and Fellow Supervisors!

Thanks to your agency's participation, PILI Interns and Fellows provide over forty thousand hours of service across Illinois each year. We are confident you will find your PILI Intern and/or Fellow another welcome addition to your staff. Below is a list of helpful information and resources for PILI Intern & Fellow Supervisors, including some frequently asked questions.

Should any problems or questions arise, please contact PILI's Attorney Program Manager Arthur Surratt by email or at 312-832-5130.

PILI's Programs:

About PILI's Law Student Internship Program

PILI’s Law Student Internship Program connects law students from across the country with legal service agencies in Illinois. Interns work 400 hours full-time during the summer or 200 hours part-time during the school year. Learn more »

About PILI's Graduate Fellowship Program

PILI’s Graduate Fellowship Program places new associates from Chicago law firms at legal service agencies, where they work 300 hours during the summer or fall before starting at their firms. Learn more »

Events & Opportunities:

PILI Intern and Fellow Orientation

PILI will host a full-day orientation for PILI Interns & Fellows. This orientation will be a valuable learning experience and provide a solid foundation from which Interns and Fellows can better serve you and your clients this summer. The program was created based on feedback we received from past Interns and Fellows and their supervisors, and will include topics such as best practices for working with legal aid clients, legal writing for public interest law attorneys, conflict management and more. Please encourage you PILI Interns & Fellows to take part in Orientation. Their attendance at this program counts towards their hour requirement.

Educational Seminar Series

PILI offers a weekly Educational Seminar Series for Interns and Fellows that focuses on substantive legal topics, career development ideas and skill building strategies relevant to public interest law. Please encourage your PILI Interns & Fellows to attend. Their attendance at these programs counts towards their hour requirement.

PILI also invites all law student interns or fellows working in public interest law this summer to attend our seminars, whether or not they're receiving PILI funding. They can sign up here to receive updates about summer programming, or you can email us their contact information.

Check out PILI's 2023 Summer Educational Programming »

PILI Advising Program

PILI Interns and Fellows can opt to participate in PILI’s Advising Program and be matched with a member of PILI’s Board of Directors or Alumni Network, which is made up of former Interns and Fellows. Learn more about our Intern and Fellow Advising Program.

Other PILI Events

We hope that you will join PILI and your Interns and Fellows at our Annual Pro Bono Reception this summer. This is a fundraising event for PILI that is usually attended by over 250 attorneys from law firms, corporations, legal service agencies, the judiciary and law schools across the state. All PILI Interns and Fellows are invited to attend this event for free, and we provide two complimentary admissions to all of our Participating Agencies. You will receive more information in the coming weeks.

Intern & Fellow Supervisor Resources:

Resources

Service Tracking Forms and Program Evaluation

PILI requires all Interns and Fellows to complete service tracking forms and evaluations. PILI relies heavily on this information to improve our programs, and to provide required information to many of our funders. Learn more about the Intern and Fellow evaluation, and please encourage your Interns and Fellows to complete them.

PILI also asks all of our Supervisors to complete an evaluation at the conclusion of the summer. This evaluation is sent via email just after Labor Day. Your feedback is extremely important to our program evaluation and ongoing efforts to improve our Internship Program. Please look for and fill out this evaluation when you receive it.

Alumni Network

PILI's Alumni Network is made up of over 4,000 Interns dating back to 1977 and Fellows dating back to 1983.  Your Interns and Fellows are encouraged to participate in programming which connects them to this distinguished network within the Illinois public interest law community.  Click here for more information on the PILI Alumni Network.

Legal Service Agency Roundtable

PILI hosts the Legal Service Agency Roundtable each year in the spring to bring together public interest lawyers from a wide range of organizations and discuss best practices, strategies for successful programs and opportunities for collaboration. Click here to find out more information and view past Legal Service Agency Roundtable materials.

Important Dates for Interns & Fellows:

Intern & Fellow Orientation
PILI’s Annual Pro Bono Reception

Application Dates:

All applicants to the PILI Internship & Fellowship Programs must apply through our online application system.

  • Fall Interns: August 1st
  • Spring Interns: October 15th
  • Summer Interns: November 1st  for 2Ls and November 15th for 1Ls
  • PILI Fellows: October 15th

Frequently Asked Questions by PILI Supervisors

What is the difference between a PILI Intern and a PILI Fellow?

PILI Interns are current law students who receive $6,500 for working 400 hours during the summer or $3,250 for working 200 hours over a semester. PILI Fellow are recent graduates who are incoming associates at Chicago law firms and work 300 hours at public interest law agencies in Illinois, and are typically paid by their hiring firm.

What’s the process for hiring a PILI Intern or Fellow?
Each agency oversees their own hiring process. PILI accepts applications through our website and then sends email alerts to each agency when someone applies. Agencies then review the applications they receive, conduct interviews and hire applicants. Agencies then need to alert PILI that they have made a hire, so that they can be removed from the application system and not receive further applications. Technically there is no deadline for hiring, but hiring needs to be completed before the summer or semester starts so that an Intern or Fellow can complete their hours. With summer PILI Interns, most agencies hire by April. Regarding PILI Fellows, agencies can sometimes find there is competition to secure a PILI Fellow as there are more possible positions than potential Fellows each year, so it is recommended to complete hiring early.

Can I hire the same person more than once?
Yes. Agencies can hire the same Intern for multiple summers or semesters and even hire a former PILI Intern as their PILI Fellow.

When does the placement begin and end?
PILI leaves it up to the agency to set a start date and schedule with their PILI Intern or Fellow.

Can students receive school credit for a PILI Internship?
Yes. Interns can also receive law school credit for their PILI Internship, although they must first receive approval from both their law school and you, their agency.

When can PILI Fellows start at the agency?
PILI leaves it to agencies to set a start date and end date with their PILI Fellows. PILI does allow Fellows to start before they officially graduate, but we typically request at least half of their 300 hours be completed after the Fellow graduates.

Questions:

If you have any questions about PILI's Law Student Internship or Graduate Fellowship Programs, contact Arthur Surratt by email or by phone at 312-832-5130. We hope you have a terrific summer, and we are here if you need us!