In each edition of the PILI Alumni Program's quarterly e-newsletter, the PILI Alumni Connection, a former Intern and a former Fellow will be spotlighted.  Below are interviews with the former Intern and former Fellow spotlighted in the the most recent edition of the PILI Alumni Connection.  Follow the links at the bottom of this page to read the past Alumni Spotlights.

ALLISON WILLIS SINGER, 2005 PILI Fellow

PILI: Which agency hosted your PILI Fellowship? Please briefly describe the legal work you performed during your Fellowship.
AWS: I served as a PILI Fellow with Chicago Volunteer Legal Services (CVLS) in 2005. That summer, I managed a caseload of family law, probate and bankruptcy matters. My PILI Fellowship with CVLS was different than other legal work I had performed because instead of working on discrete parts of each case, I was able to work on most of my cases from start to finish. I interviewed clients, prepared pleadings, and represented clients in court.

PILI: What have you been doing since your PILI Fellowship?
AWS: I spent a little over a year as a Litigation Associate with Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal LLP. I left Sonnenschein to pursue public interest law full-time. Last year, I joined CVLS as a Staff Attorney. Now, I primarily work on the Access to Justice program, which is a partnership between the Chancery Division of the Circuit Court, the Chicago Bar Foundation, and CVLS. We get appointed by the Court to represent defendants in foreclosure cases, declaratory actions and cases on administrative review.

PILI: How have your experiences as a PILI Fellow enhanced your career as an attorney?
AWS: My experiences as a PILI Fellow literally laid the foundation for my work today. I expected to hone my research, writing, interview and trial skills, which I did during my PILI Fellowship. But I could never have anticipated that I would also be cultivating personal and professional relationships with my future employer. I feel so fortunate to have had the PILI experience!

PILI: What career skills did you develop as a PILI Fellow that you could not have obtained otherwise?
AWS: As a PILI Fellow, I learned the importance of developing rapport with a client at the earliest possible stage of representation. My PILI Fellowship helped me develop those skills much earlier in my career than I could have otherwise, given the sheer number of clients I interacted with on a daily basis.

PILI: What is your fondest memory (thus far) from participation in the PILI program?
AWS: My participation in the PILI program played a major role in getting hired at CVLS last year, and I love it here. Thank you PILI!

PILI: How has your commitment to the public interest manifested itself thus far in your legal career? How do you anticipate it will influence your career in the future?
AWS: While in private practice, I developed relationships with several of Chicago’s public interest agencies by working on pro bono cases. Ultimately, I left the private sector because I wanted to dedicate my career to working in the public interest. I am so proud to have joined CVLS, and I feel like I have found my home as a legal aid attorney.

RACHEL SHAPIRO , 2005 PILI Intern

PILI: Which agency hosted your PILI Internship? Please briefly describe the legal work you performed during your Internship.
RS: I worked during the Summer of 2005 as a PILI Intern at The Legal Assistance Foundation in the Disability Law Project. I worked on cases of foster children who were not receiving the appropriate special education services or who were facing expulsion from school. I used a wide variety of legal skills, including legal writing and research, and I also gained valuable experience in direct representation of students with disabilities at expulsion hearings and various school meetings.

PILI: What have you been doing since your PILI Internship?
RS: Since my PILI internship, I have been working as an Equal Justice Works Fellow (EJW) at Equip for Equality (EFE). My EJW Fellowship will end in August 2008, but I will continue with my project and remain at EFE beyond the fellowship termination date. I represent low-income, oftentimes minority students with disabilities who are not receiving appropriate special education services and are involved in the Cook County Juvenile Court system. I represent these students on various special education matters, including Individualized Education Program (IEP) meetings, expulsion hearings, mediations, due process hearings, and more. I also provide special education training to probation officers, public defenders, and other people who come into contact with youth with disabilities who are involved in the juvenile court system.

PILI: How have your experiences as a PILI Intern enhanced your career as an attorney?
RS: Without my summer PILI Internship, I would not have developed the necessary relationships and substantive legal knowledge to do the work I do today. I networked with numerous public interest agencies throughout the summer, ultimately with Equip for Equality, and based upon my experiences as a PILI Intern, I developed my EJW project. Since I did not go to law school in Chicago, there would have been no other way for me to meet the people who practice special education law in Chicago and develop relationships with them if I had not been a PILI Intern at LAF.

PILI: What career skills did you develop as a PILI Intern that you could not have obtained otherwise?
RS: As a PILI Intern, I developed the necessary substantive legal knowledge in special education law and the practical skills in interacting with clients so I was able to immediately begin representing clients when I started my EJW Fellowship. As a PILI Intern, I worked on a fact sheet about the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, and through that legal research, I gained a better understanding of the 2004 amendments to the law. I also gained an understanding of how to write legal fact sheets in a parent-friendly manner and how to most effectively represent students in expulsion hearings.

PILI: What is your fondest memory (thus far) from participation in the PILI program?
RS: My fondest memory would have to be the PILI luncheon seminars where I was able to interact with PILI Interns and Fellows from across the country. It was inspiring to meet so many people who were interested in working in public interest law. I am still friends with some of the other PILI Interns who worked with me at LAF.

PILI: How has your commitment to the public interest manifested itself thus far in your legal career? How do you anticipate it will influence your career in the future?
RS: I am committed to spending my legal career in the public interest field and have no intention of leaving public interest law. My goal is to continue my work at Equip for Equality, expanding my project further through the increased use of pro bono attorneys, so we can represent as many students with disabilities involved in the juvenile court system as possible.

Is there a  former PILI Inter or Fellow you think should be recognized?  If so, you can send information about that alum to us at alumni@pili-law.org  for consideration for a future Alumni Spotlight.

CLICK ON THE LINK BELOW TO READ THE PAST PILI ALUMNI SPOTLIGHTS

January 2008 PILI Alumni Spotlights

April 2008 PILI Alumni Spotlights

For more information: Contact PILI by e-mail or at 312-832-5127.