PILI Interns and Fellows Complete Summer at Chicago Legal Service Agencies

PILI Interns and Fellows at an educational program this summer

This summer, 35 PILI Interns and 40 PILI Fellows together contributed thousands of hours to Illinois legal service agencies. Interns spent their summers drafting pleadings, interviewing clients, writing briefs, and going to court, among other activities. One PILI Intern at Chicago Volunteer Legal Services told us, "I strongly believe the work of CVLS and the mediation program is absolutely vital to the continued health of Chicago, and I am honored to have been a part of that work." Fellows, for their part, conducted legal research and document reviews, in addition to discussing strategies and other legal work. Said one PILI Fellow, "This was a fantastic use of my post-law school, pre-law firm time!" Supervisors reported that PILI Interns and Fellows increased the number of clients they are able to serve, increased the quality of their representation, increased their capacity to take on complicated cases, expanded the range of services they were able to provide, and reduced their waiting lists. Congratulations to all of you on completing your Internship or Fellowship, and thank you for your contributions to legal aid!

Upcoming Application Periods

Application periods for PILI 2012 Spring and Summer Internships are opening soon:

• the application period for Spring 2012 PILI Internships will open on November 1 for all applicants, and
• the application period for Summer 2012 PILI Internships will open on October 15th for 2Ls and on December 1st for 1Ls.

Applicants must register on IllinoisProBono.org and submit a resume and cover letter. Visit our website for more information. 

 

PILI Alumni Reunion Reception - Last Chance to Buy Tickets!

PILI's second annual Alumni Reunion Reception is coming up in less than one week on October 5! The reception will be an International Wine and Cheese Tasting at Bin 36, 339 North Dearborn Street from 5:30-7:30 pm. Reconnect with your fellow PILI Alumni and help us celebrate PILI's Internship and Fellowship Programs with drinks, appetizers and great company! Proceeds from the event will support a PILI Alumni Named Internship for the summer of 2012. Tickets and individual sponsorships are available, and PILI is pleased to offer a special discounted ticket price for Alumni who are currently in law school, recent grads, or working in public interest. Visit our website or contact PILI Development & Communications Associate Shana Heller-Ogden for more information. We hope to see you there!

Keeping in Touch with PILI Alumni

As another class of PILI Summer Interns and Fellows completes their work at legal service agencies, PILI would like to remind you to make sure we have your most recent contact information. By staying in touch with PILI, you can ensure that you get information about upcoming programs and events, like the "Serving on a Nonprofit Board of Directors" program we held in August, or the Reunion Reception coming up next week. You can fill out this form online or send us an e-mail to make sure our records are up-to-date. Thank you!

PILI Hosts Alumni Evening Program and Networking Reception: Serving on a Nonprofit Board of Directors

PILI Alumni at the Board Service program on August 23

On August 23, PILI hosted a program for our Alumni entitled "Serving on a Nonprofit Board of Directors." Attorneys from The Law Project did an interactive segment on the dynamics of board service for attorneys, and Brian Whitlock, Tax Partner at Blackman Kallick, presented a segment on understanding nonprofit financial statements. The event, hosted by Kirkland & Ellis, wrapped up with a networking reception. We also distributed a list of the latest board service and pro bono opportunities available within Chicago's public interest law community to attendees. If you are a PILI Alum interested in nonprofit board service, or if you are interested in learning about upcoming PILI Alumni programs, contact PILI Program Manager Sheila Simhan or visit our website.

PILI Alumni Spotlight: Kate Pomper, 2006 Intern

Kate Pomper's career has been marked by a commitment to public interest law at every stage. A current Assistant Attorney General with the Office of the Illinois Attorney General, Kate got her first experience working in public interest law as a PILI Intern at the Sargent Shriver National Center on Poverty Law. She spent most of her summer there working on a lawsuit to enforce a contract for Section 8 housing for elderly and disabled individuals. The following summer she interned at the Legal Assistance Foundation of Metropolitan Chicago in their South Side office, and in 2008, after receiving degrees from the University of Michigan's Law School and Ford School of Public Policy, she was awarded a Polikoff-Gautreaux Fellowship at Business and Professional People for the Public Interest (BPI). Click here to read the rest of Kate's spotlight.

PILI Alumni Spotlight: John Thurmond, 2002 Fellow

John Thurmond was a PILI Fellow at the Legal Assistance Foundation of Metropolitan Chicago in the summer and fall of 2002. Working with Richard Wheelock in LAF's Housing Law Initiative, he helped provide high-quality civil legal services to low-income and disadvantaged people and communities. "The highlight of my time at the LAFMC was helping a single mother move from the Cabrini Green housing project to 'scattered site' housing elsewhere in the city," recounts John. "It was a wonderfully educational and rewarding experience!" After completing his PILI Fellowship, John worked in private practice with a specialty in transactional real estate law for several years at Kirkland & Ellis LLP and SNR Denton LLP; he is now a legal recruiter for Lateral Link, placing highly qualified associate and partner level attorneys in law firms and corporate legal departments. Click here to read the rest of John's spotlight.