PILI January/February 2012 Newsletter

January/February 2012

Public Interest Law Initiative (PILI): cultivating a lifelong commitment to public interest law

Dear Michael,

This year, 2012, marks PILI's 35th Anniversary Year! Since our founding in 1977, PILI has cultivated a lifelong commitment to public interest law by creating opportunities for law students and attorneys to provide public interest and pro bono work in Illinois.

PILI would like to express a big thank you to all of the guests and sponsors who made our Annual Awards Luncheon in December a success! Our commendable award recipients are profiled in this issue's Alumni and Pro Bono Initiative spotlights. This issue of our newsletter has a preview of upcoming PILI Pro Bono Initiative programming for 2012. PILI is also pleased to announce a new Named Internship for the Spring of 2012, and our summer Internship positions are filling up fast - interested law students should apply now!

This and more below - we hope you find this e-newsletter informative, and we appreciate your involvement in and support of PILI.

The Staff of the Public Interest Law Initiative

Michael G. Bergmann, Executive Director

Shana Heller-Ogden, Development & Communications Associate

Julia Kepler, Office Administrator

Sheila Simhan, Program Manager

PILI News

PILI's 35th Anniversary: 1977-2012

PILI was founded in 1977 as a joint collaboration within the Chicago legal community to improve law students' awareness of the need for public interest law and to lessen the gap in the availability of legal services for the poor. On a shoestring budget, we placed 12 PILI Interns at 4 legal service agencies that first year, seeking not only to meet an immediate need for legal assistance but to cultivate in these emerging lawyers a lifelong commitment to public interest law. These 12 Interns were the first of thousands of PILI Interns and Fellows, and the clients they served in 1977 were the first of hundreds of thousands who would receive services because of PILI's work in the Illinois legal aid community. Over the years, PILI has added programs and expanded our reach into the legal community and across Illinois, but we have stayed close to our roots. As we look back on 35 years of service, we are incredibly grateful for the many people and organizations who have supported PILI through their participation, leadership and financial contributions. Thank you for all you do to support PILI! We are proud to celebrate this milestone 35th Anniversary with you. Click here to view PILI's complete history (pdf).

Thanks to our Annual Awards Luncheon Sponsors and Guests!

Chief Justice Kilbride with PILI Board President Jim Rolfes

The PILI 2011 Annual Awards Luncheon was held on December 1st. With over 400 members of the Chicago legal community in attendance to celebrate the legal profession at its best, PILI presented our Distinguished Public Service Award to Illinois Supreme Court Chief Justice Thomas L. Kilbride, our Distinguished Alumni Awards to Kathleen Clark, 1997 PILI Intern, and Justin Heather, 2001 PILI Fellow, and our Pro Bono Initiative Award to Mayer Brown LLP. Read about these award recipients below in our spotlights.

Chief Justice Kilbride was also our keynote speaker. Having begun his legal career as a legal aid attorney in Rock Island, IL, he has long been a powerful voice for the poor and disenfranchised, promoting programs and policies to support and encourage Illinois attorneys' engagement in pro bono work. PILI is proud to recognize Chief Justice Kilbride for a career that epitomizes the highest ideals of the legal profession, marked by integrity and service to others. More pictures from the event are available on our website.

New Spring 2012 PILI Named Internship: The Kay Dorris Memorial Internship

Kay Dorris was the mother of Thomas B. Dorris, a longtime member of the PILI Board of Directors and past PILI Board President. When she passed away in October at the age of 96, her family designated PILI as a recipient of memorial gifts. Together, these donations have funded a special, one-time PILI Internship in her memory for the spring of 2012. The recipient of this special Internship position was Fernando Colón, a second-year law student from Chicago-Kent serving this spring semester at the Legal Assistance Foundation where he is already busy completing intakes, meeting with clients, preparing applications for crime victim cases, and getting ready to present a witness for a case in an upcoming immigration hearing in February. Tom Dorris's own career has itself featured a commitment to the public interest, and LAF was chosen as the placement agency for the Kay Dorris Memorial Internship because of Tom's past pro bono work with the agency. PILI is honored to be a recipient of gifts in memory of Kay Dorris, and we thank Tom and the Dorris family for their thoughtfulness and generosity.

PILI Life Director Jay A. Miller Passes Away at 83
Jay A. Miller, a longtime member of the PILI Board of Directors, passed away on January 5 at the age of 83. A retired executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois, where he had worked from 1965-2000, Jay dedicated his career to advancing civil rights for all. Click here to read an article about Jay Miller from the Chicago Sun-Times. PILI is grateful for Jay's years of service and would like to express condolences to the Miller family.

PILI Law Student Internship & Graduate Fellowship Programs

PILI Interns (first or second year law students) and PILI Fellows (recent law school graduates) work in and learn about public interest law, and begin what PILI hopes is a lifelong commitment to public interest law and pro bono work. Below is the latest news about PILI's Internship and Fellowship Programs. Visit PILI's website to learn more about the Internship and Fellowship Programs.

More PILI Interns in the 2012 Spring Semester

Cynthia Herrera, at the PILI Annual Awards Luncheon, is interning this spring at the ACLU.

Agencies participating in PILI's Law Student Internship Program have told us they need more PILI Interns during the school year, and we listened. This spring, PILI has 9 school-year Interns working at 7 legal service agencies in Chicago, an increase in both Interns and agencies served. School-year PILI Interns receive stipends to work part-time for 200 hours over 10 weeks during a semester. This spring's 9 PILI Interns are working at the Chicago Legal Clinic, Chicago Volunteer Legal Services (CVLS), CARPLS, Lawyers' Committee for Better Housing (LCBH), Legal Assistance Foundation, MALDEF, and the Roger Baldwin Foundation of the ACLU.

Application Period for Summer 2012 Internships
The application period is still open for Summer 2012 PILI Internships; however, many agencies are filling their positions and closing their applications. The application process will remain open through March 31, 2012, or until all participating agencies have completed their hiring. Visit our website to learn more about PILI Internships and How to Apply.

PILI Alumni Program

Today, over 3,000 law students and graduates have participated in PILI's Internship and Fellowship Programs. The Alumni Program maintains the connection between these lawyers, PILI and the public interest law community. Below is the latest news about PILI's Alumni Program. Visit PILI's website to learn more about our Alumni Program.

PILI Launches Alumni Network Leadership Council
At over 3,000 strong, PILI's Alumni community spans the globe and the legal profession. To better engage PILI Alumni in our leadership and program planning, PILI has newly developed and launched the PILI Alumni Network Leadership Council. The Leadership Council includes a Chair and Vice-Chair, liaisons to the PILI Board and Board committees, and leaders for an Alumni Fundraising Team, an Alumni Program Planning Team, and an Alumni Outreach Team. More information will be coming soon! Any PILI Alumni interested in being involved in the Leadership Council should contact PILI Program Manager Sheila Simhan.

Alumni Spotlight: Kathleen Clark, 1997 PILI Intern

Kathy Clark accepting the Distinguished Alumni Award from PILI Board Member Jennifer Nijman

At our 2011 Annual Awards Luncheon PILI presented a Distinguished Alumni Award to Kathleen K. Clark, Executive Director of Lawyers' Committee for Better Housing, who served as a PILI Intern in the spring and fall of 1997 at the Roger Baldwin Foundation of the ACLU and at the Chicago Coalition for the Homeless. Kathy was a non-traditional law student, having decided to go to law school after 20 years working in family and community services. She graduated cum laude from the John Marshall Law School, and practiced fair housing and civil rights law, joining LCBH in 2000. LCBH believes that all persons have a right to safe, decent, and affordable housing on a non-discriminatory basis, and they work to promote the availability of and access to such housing in Chicago through legal representation, individual and public advocacy, supportive social services and education. The day of the 2011 PILI Annual Awards Luncheon marked Kathy's 11 year anniversary as their executive director, and several members of LCBH's staff and board of directors were in attendance to congratulate Kathy and celebrate with her. Click here to read more.

Alumni Spotlight: Justin Heather, 2001 PILI Fellow

PILI Board Secretary Dick O'Malley presents the Distinguished Alumni Award to Justin Heather

Justin Lee Heather received PILI's Distinguished Alumni Award at our 2011 Annual Awards Luncheon in recognition of his remarkable pro bono achievements. Justin served as a PILI Fellow in 2001 at Northwestern University School of Law's Bluhm Legal Clinic, having received his J.C. cum laude from Northwestern that year. Sponsored by Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meager & Flom LLP, he spent his Fellowship working on behalf of the wrongfully convicted in both federal habeas and state post-conviction proceedings. Justin went on to work at Skadden for several years as a complex commercial litigator, and recently founded his own full-service firm, Korey Cotter Heather & Richardson, LLC. In his 11 years of practice, Justin has logged an overwhelming 5,700 pro bono hours. Click here to read more.

PILI Pro Bono Initiative Program

Through our Pro Bono Initiative, PILI works collaboratively with law firms, corporations, public interest law agencies and law schools to create and promote work environments, programs and opportunities that help new associates and seasoned attorneys actualize their commitment to pro bono work. Below is the latest news about PILI's Pro Bono Initiative. Visit PILI's website to learn more about our Pro Bono Initiative Program.

Save the Date: Corporate Pro Bono Roundtable - Wednesday, March 14

PILI hosts an annual Corporate Pro Bono Roundtable to bring together corporate pro bono leaders from around Illinois to discuss the unique pro bono challenges facing corporate attorneys and to share best practices and strategies for successful corporate pro bono programs. This year's Corporate Pro Bono Roundtable will be held on Wednesday, March 14 from 12:00 to 1:30 p.m. at United Air Lines, Inc. in Chicago. Corporate pro bono leaders are invited to participate in this complimentary program either in person or by phone. Lunch will be provided for those attending in person. Information about this program will be e-mailed to corporate pro bono leaders and is available on our website.

PILI Pro Bono Initiative Programs for 2012

PILI's Pro Bono Initiative Program is looking forward to an exciting year with a packed line-up of program offerings. In 2012, PILI will again host the PILI Illinois Forum on Pro Bono, bringing together pro bono leaders from all sectors of the legal profession and from across Illinois to collaborate and strategize. In addition to this Forum, PILI will also organize several area-specific Roundtables for corporations, law firms, law schools and legal service agencies. Moreover, PILI will continue to work on Judicial Circuit Pro Bono Committees, a project launched in 2011 in partnership with Prairie State Legal Services and Land of Lincoln Legal Assistance Foundation to encourage and expand pro bono opportunities throughout the state. Information about these upcoming programs will be available on our website - check back for more information as it becomes available.

Save the Date: Annual Pro Bono Reception - Celebrating Pro Bono

Guests at the 2011 Pro Bono Reception

On June 20, PILI will host our Annual Pro Bono Reception from 5:30-7:30 pm at The Ivy Room at Tree Studios, 12 East Ohio Street. The Annual Pro Bono Reception is PILI's opportunity to spotlight the community's pro bono relationships and successes and the work of PILI's Pro Bono Initiative Program. This Reception features appetizers and refreshments, conversation and networking, a brief program, and the unveiling of our 2012 Pro Bono Recognition Roster. Visit our website to learn more, or contact us for information about sponsorship opportunities. We hope to see you there!

Call for Nominations: The John C. McAndrews Pro Bono Service Award

The Illinois State Bar Association Committee on Delivery of Legal Services is seeking nominations for the 2011-2012 ISBA John C. McAndrews Pro Bono Service Award, which honors the extraordinary commitment of individuals, bar associations, or law firm/corporate legal departments to providing free legal services or expanding the availability of legal services to the income-eligible in Illinois. The award is named in memory of Rock Island attorney John McAndrews, who chaired the ISBA Committee on Delivery of Legal Services. Visit www.isba.org/awards/mcandrews for more information about how to make a nomination.

Pro Bono Initiative Spotlight: Mayer Brown LLP

PILI Board Secretary Lee Ann Russo with Marc Kadish, who accepted the Pro Bono Initiative Award on behalf of Mayer Brown

The recipient of the 2011 PILI Pro Bono Initiative Award, Mayer Brown LLP has a long and pioneering history in pro bono work, both in Chicago and around the world. They were one of the first major Chicago law firms to develop and implement a pro bono strategic plan and to create a full-time pro bono director position. Their innovative programs not only engage new associates, but also encourage senior lawyers to undertake significant pro bono and public interest work. Accepting the Pro Bono Initiative Award on behalf of Mayer Brown was Marc R. Kadish, Director of Pro Bono Activities and Litigation Training. Click here to read more.

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