Jones Day Launches Pro Bono Fellowship Program

Emma Salustro, a May 2007 DePaul University College of Law graduate, was fortunate to receive an offer from Jones Day in the same year that the firm was launching a Pro Bono Fellowship Program for newly hired associates.  The Jones Day Pro Bono Fellowship Program places a newly hired associate at a legal services agency for one year, allowing the new attorney to gain valuable experience while helping ensure equal access to justice.  The Jones Day Pro Bono Fellowship Program is modeled after a similar program instituted by Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP in 2004. 

Rather than take her new office at the firm, Emma opted to participate in the Jones Day Pro Bono Fellowship Program and spend her first year of practice with the Legal Assistance Foundation of Metropolitan Chicago.  Over the next year, Emma will be working primarily in LAF's Family Law practice and on their Disability Project. As a family law attorney, Emma represents low-income clients in cases involving divorce, custody, orders of protection, and child support. Through her work with the LAF Disability Project, she represents foster children in Cook County who are in need of special education services or are being expelled from public schools.

Lee Ann Russo, Partner and Pro Bono Coordinator at Jones Day, explained how Jones Day’s Pro Bono Fellowship Program came about and what the firm was hoping to achieve:

“We owe our decision to offer the fellowship to the Pro Bono Initiative. Several years ago, I was a member of a PBI working group exploring ways to increase pro bono involvement by Chicago lawyers that learned of a model employed by Philadelphia law firms like that now used by Katten and Jones Day. The group promoted the model to PBI. Katten was the first to offer the fellowship, Jones Day the second, and we hope there will be many others.

We view the fellowship as a way to expand the Jones Day Chicago office's pro bono commitment, to increase the awareness among our Chicago lawyers of the need to volunteer pro bono legal services, and to assist wonderful public interest organizations like LAF in meeting the overwhelming demand for their services.”

Diana White, Executive Director of the Legal Assistance Foundation had this to say about the Jones Day Pro Bono Fellowship Program:

“Both of Emma’s supervisors praise her initiative, determination, creativity, and hard work. She is co-counseling several divorce cases, and handling others on her own. In the special education arena, she recently talked a Chicago charter school out of expelling a child with epilepsy and obtained 3,000 minutes worth of compensatory services to make up for the excessive number of days the student had been suspended.

LAF is grateful to Jones Day for making it possible for Emma to spend a full year with us – and to PILI for promoting the idea of such firm-sponsored internships.”

Below is an interview with Emma:

PILI:   Why did you choose to participate in the Jones Day Pro Bono Fellowship Program?

Emma: How could I not do this Program? The Program allows me to experience the best of two legal worlds. At LAF, I have direct client interaction and intensive courtroom experiences. The work is extremely meaningful and satisfying. At the same time, I am paid well and can repay my student loans.

Next year I will be welcomed to a big firm, Jones Day, as a second-year associate, and will receive commensurate pay. As far as I saw, there was no downside to doing the Pro Bono Fellowship Program.

PILI:   How has your experience in the Program been?

Emma: The Pro Bono Fellowship Program has been fabulous. Even though I was only sworn in a few weeks ago, I already have six Family Law clients, and sixteen education law clients. I am either lead counsel or co-counsel on all of these cases. It's thrilling to have such responsibility so early in my career. I also love having direct interaction with my clients every day.

PILI:   Would you recommend others to do a Fellowship?

Emma: Absolutely! The Pro Bono Fellowship Program is perfect for anyone seeking intensive client and courtroom experience early in a legal career and wants to make a difference in the community. It also allows young lawyers to try out different areas of public interest law before heading to a larger private firm.

We will be adding more information about Law Firm Rotation and Fellowship Programs to this page in the coming weeks.  In the meantime, contact PILI Executive Director, Susan J. Curry, by e-mail or at 312-832-5128, or PILI/CBF Pro Bono Initiative Diretor, Michael G. Bergmann, at 312-832-5129 or by e-mail for additional information.