| How to Apply for School-Year Internships |
The Public Interest Law Initiative (PILI) offers a School-Year Internship Program for the fall and spring semesters of each academic year. PILI recruits law students from area law schools for internships with one of seven public interest law agencies in the Chicago metropolitan area. To apply for a School-Year semester internship, you must attend a Chicago-area law school. Agencies hosting selected interns will receive $2,500 to support 200 hours of intern work. These internships are limited to second and third year law students. PILI recruits and processes the applications, ensures quality supervision at the agencies, and provides an educational program for the Interns. The application period for spring semester (January - May) 2008 school-year internships is closed. Vist this website again in late summer 2008 to learn more about school-year internhsips for the 2008-09 academic year. APPLICATION TIPS: The cover cover letter: Please individualize your cover letters. Since PILI and the agencies seek a diverse group of interns, you may include information about minority status and foreign language fluency. Getting the job: PILI does not hire Interns; the agencies do. PILI recruits applicants and hosts, funds stipends, and acts as a clearinghouse. However, here are some tips. Public interest agencies want students who are dedicated to public interest issues. Therefore, mention experiences that demonstrate your commitment, including volunteer or community work, and note any special skills, e.g., language proficiency, computer experience, etc. Agency responses: Don't be discouraged if you have applied for an Internship but have not yet had a response. Each agency has its own hiring practices. Agencies may not always acknowledge every application because many agencies have neither the staff nor the funds to do so. Some agencies will directly contact selected applicants for interviews. If you have not yet heard from you agency, you may follow up to check on the status of your application, but do so in a professional manner. How the payment works: PILI pays a $2,500 grant to the agency; the agency withholds taxes and pays the Intern for 200 hours of work. Check the agency's pay arrangements so you will know what to expect.
ELIGIBLE HOST AGENCIES FOR SPRING SEMESTER INTERNSHIPS: PILI's affiliated agencies page lists all of the 50+ host agencies at which law student Interns or post-graduate Fellows work. However, please note that School-Year Internship applicants who are interested in interning during the Spring semester of 2008 (January-May, 2008) were restricted to applying only to the 7 host agencies listed below:
American Civil Liberties Union CARPLS
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