Founded in the 1960's, the Legal Assistance Foundation of Metropolitan Chicago (LAF) has grown to become the largest and most comprehensive agency in Cook County providing free legal aid in non-criminal matters. The majority of its clients reside in the poorest, most segregated, and most disadvantaged communities in Cook County. LAF maintains a staff of over 90 experienced and dedicated attorneys, supported by over 30 paralegals and pro bono attorneys, to address a spectrum of legal areas and issues. LAF's clients include families making the welfare-to-work transition, elderly homeowners facing foreclosure, public housing tenants facing eviction, women and children being victimized by physical and sexual abuse, persons living with HIV/AIDS, and persons with disabilities. The free legal assistance LAF provides to its low-income clients gives them a greater measure of self-reliance, productivity, and dignity.  In 2007, long-time LAF Executive Director, Sheldon Roodman, retired and was succeeded by former Deputy Director, Diana C. White.

Since 1979, PILI has placed over 300 Interns and Fellows at LAF, generating over 100,000 hours of legal assistance to those in need. This summer alone, eight PILI Fellows and ten PILI-funded Interns are serving at LAF's downtown and neighborhood offices.  Last month, PILI Board President, Kimball R. Anderson, and his wife, Karen Gatsis Anderson, received LAF's Lifetime Achievement Award for successfully mobilizing the resources of the private bar to ensure a steady supply of talented and committed legal aid attorneys to address the unmet legal needs of the most vulnerable people in out community.

PILI also notes the recent retirement of Wallace C. Winter (pictured left), and salutes his nearly 40 years of distinguished service to LAF and his clients. Most recently, Wally served as Supervisory Attorney of LAF's Disability Law Project, representing hundreds of DCFS wards in special education and school expulsion cases. Among his numerous career achievements, Wally initiated litigation that led to the closure of Dixon Developmental Center and allowed 3,300 developmentally disabled adults to transfer from nursing homes to small community-based group homes. Wally also helped LAF launch its new Veterans' Rights Project, which helps veterans, active-duty service members, and their families receive the benefits to which they are entitled. Over the years, Wally supervised and mentored dozens of PILI Interns and Fellows. A former member of PILI's Board of Directors and the epitome of a career public interest lawyer, Wally received PILI's Distinguished Public Service Award in 2004.

Several pro bono volunteer opportunities are currently available at LAF: (1) to serve as co-counsel in complex litigation matters; (2) to represent disabled children seeking Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits through the Children's SSI Termination Project; (3) to assist senior homeowners who face the possible loss of their home through the Foreclosure Defense Project; (4) to assist abused spouses and children of U.S. citizens or lawful permanent residents with citizenship self-petitions under the Violence Against Women Act ("VAWA"); (5) to provide telephone advocacy on behalf of individuals in need of Medicaid and food stamp recipients who are having problems receiving their food stamps; (6) to provide information on filing requirements, procedural issues, and substantive law, as well as general advice on self representation, through the Federal Court Help Desk; (7) to interview scheduled clients through the Evening Intake Assistance Project. For more information about these and other pro bono opportunities, please visit www.lafchicago.org and www.IllinoisProBono.org.