INTERNSHIP PROGRAM   |   FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM   |   EXTENDED PLACEMENT PROGRAM

The following agencies participate in the PILI Internship Program.  Click here for a description of  Internships as compared to Fellowships.

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ACCESS LIVING OF METROPOLITAN CHICAGO
115 West Chicago Avenue

Chicago, IL 60610

Contact: Kenneth M. Walden
312-640-2100 (tel.), 312.640-2102 (TTY)
Fax: 312-640-2101

Website: www.accessliving.org

Access Living of Metropolitan Chicago is a cross disability organization governed and staffed by a majority of people with disabilities. We strive to enhance the opportunities of persons with disabilities to live individualized and satisfying lives. To this end, Access Living undertakes advocacy and service programs that reach the entire spectrum of disability from hearing and sight to physical and mental disabilities. Access Living's mission includes addressing major impediments to independent living for people with disabilities, such as discrimination in housing, government services and public accommodations.

Access Living has a Civil Rights Team, which enforces federal, state and local civil rights laws -- including the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Fair Housing Act and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act -- that prohibit discrimination against persons with disabilities. Attorneys and legal assistants counsel persons with disabilities about their civil rights, advocate for systemic change within the disability rights arena, and represent persons with disabilities in cases implicating important disability rights issues.

PILI Interns interview clients, investigate cases, conduct legal research, and draft legal documents. Under the supervision of an attorney, Interns often act as the main point-person on a few cases. A concerted effort is made to integrate Interns into the day-to-day operations of the organization; hence, they participate in staff meetings, Team meetings and other relevant events.

AIDS LEGAL COUNCIL OF CHICAGO
180 N. Michigan Ave., Suite 2110
Chicago, Illinois 60601

Contact: Ruth Edwards, 312-427-8990 Fax: 312-427-8419
Website: www.aidslegal.com

The AIDS Legal Council of Chicago is the only organization in metropolitan Chicago exclusively devoted to providing legal services and legal information/advocacy to persons affected by Human Immunodeficiency Virus ("HIV"). The Council provides legal services directly and through a panel of volunteer lawyers in the following specialties of law: employment; insurance; discrimination; bankruptcy; HIV testing; confidentiality; immigration; estate planning; guardianship; and public benefits.

PILI Interns spend a substantial amount of time dealing directly with clients and handling day-to-day legal matters.  For example, Interns interview clients, counsel clients about HIV/AIDS-related legal matters, draft wills and powers of attorney, conduct legal research, draft legal memoranda and briefs, and represent clients in administrative proceedings.  Students with 711 licenses may appear in court on behalf of clients.

BUSINESS AND PROFESSIONAL PEOPLE FOR THE  PUBLIC INTEREST

25 East Washington, Suite 1515
Chicago, Illinois 60602

Contact: Adam Gross 312-641-5570 Fax: 312-641-5454
Website: www.bpichicago.org

Business and Professional People for the Public Interest (BPI), a 33 year-old public interest law center, has a diverse practice that concentrates in fair housing, community revitalization, school reform, and the environment.  BPI's mission is to improve the quality of life for residents of the metropolitan area by assisting those whose interests would otherwise be under-represented.

Our mission allows BPI to take on a broad array of projects.  For example, we have helped provide enhanced life opportunities to 25,000 victims of CHA racial discrimination, secured the largest refund in public utility history for Commonwealth Edison customers, won a landmark lawsuit halting construction of an outer suburban toll highway on environmental grounds, and encouraged the development of dozens of "small schools" in Chicago, arguably the most hopeful public education reform.

With a diverse staff of lawyers, policy analysts, and community organizers, and partnerships with community organizations, civic groups, legal advocacy groups, and other non-profits, BPI is able to adopt multifaceted strategies in most projects.  We employ a variety of tools based on a project's needs, including litigation, policy advocacy, grassroots organizing, collaboration with business and community organizations, and academic research.

PILI Interns research legal and policy issues, write memoranda, briefs, and policy papers, develop legal strategies, and participate in various aspects of our community organizing work, all in connection with the projects described above.  Occasionally, Interns and Fellows assist in trial proceedings and attend hearings.  Recent Interns have worked on desegregating public housing programs, efforts to increase the supply of inclusionary affordable housing, a comprehensive community revitalization initiative, and school reform.

CABRINI GREEN LEGAL AID
740 N. Milwaukee Avenue
Chicago, Illinois 60642

Contact: Andy Dougherty

312-738-2452  Fax: 312-850-4783
Website: www.cgla.net

Cabrini Green Legal Aid (CGLA) provides high-impact, free legal services to low-income Chicagoans in four areas of law: family, housing, criminal records, and criminal defense. We actively integrate legal and social services in order to improve our legal outcomes and extend our impact beyond crisis support.

Our purpose is to answer God's call to seek justice and mercy by providing legal services to the poorest of the poor. Our vision is for our clients to leave us strong than they came. We believe that justice is more than a verdict. It's an opportunity to build bridges and strengthen lives.

PILI Interns participate in all phases of litigation, including drafting pleadings, discovery and motions, assisting with trials and post-trial motions. They also investigate complaints, conduct intake interviews, research and write memoranda, and represent clients at various types of administrative hearings.

CARPLS
Coordinated Advice and Referral Program for Legal Services
17 N. State Street, Suite 1850
Chicago, Illinois  60602

Contact:  Pat Wrona, Legal Director
312-738-9494  Fax: 312-223-1522
Website: www.carpls.org

CARPLS is a legal aid hotline that provides advice, information, and referrals to low-income residents of Cook County. Our mission is to increase access to the legal system for low-income people through our hotline work, as well as through our Self-Help Projects, which include written and web-based pro se and client education materials, and our court-based advice desks, which prepare clients to represent themselves on pro se matters.

CARPLS' services are provided by both staff attorneys and volunteers. We will train PILI Interns in three substantive legal areas (consumer/bankruptcy, landlord/tenant and divorce law) and have the Interns join our hotline staff in advising clients over the telephone under supervision. In addition, we will train the PILI Intern to assist in staffing our Domestic Relations Advice Desk, our post judgment Collections Desk, and our Municipal Court Advice Desk. Interns will also assist in researching and drafting self-help materials, drafting pleadings for pro se litigants, and assisting with special projects and other research projects.

CHICAGO LAWYERS' COMMITTEE FOR  CIVIL RIGHTS UNDER LAW, INC.
100 North La Salle Street, Suite 600
Chicago, Illinois 60602

Contact:  Clyde Murphy 
312-630-9744, ext. 226  Fax: 312-630-1127
Website: www.clccrul.org

The Chicago Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law is a non-profit law and advocacy organization, whose mission is to promote and protect the civil rights of poor, minority, and disadvantaged people in order to facilitate their participation in the social, economic, and political systems of our community and nation.  Committee staff with PILI Interns and Fellows engage in both litigation and community advocacy in four substantive areas: 1) the Employment Opportunity Project, which represents women and minorities in mediation and in litigation as they attempt to find and retain employment; 2) the Project to Combat Bias Violence, which is the only comprehensive resource center on hate crime prevention and response in the Midwest; 3) the Fair Housing Project, which promotes fair housing through testing, education and litigation, as well as through helping increase the availability of affordable, integrated and safe housing in the Chicago area; and 4) the Community Economic Development Opportunity Law project, which helps non profit groups with their efforts to revitalize low income city neighborhoods, and also helps low income people start their own businesses.  The Committee also occasionally takes on other issues that don't fall neatly into these categories, such as legislative redistricting and enforcement of the Freedom of Information Act, as they intersect with our mission.

In addition to assignments requiring legal research, memos, draft motions and briefs, PILI Interns may attend court hearings, depositions, and meetings with other advocacy and community organizations, and may participate in intake interviews and any other activities in which Committee lawyers are engaged.  The goal of the Committee's program is to provide participants with a challenging civil rights learning experience, while obtaining high quality work product in order to fulfill the Committee's goal of equal justice for all.  APPLICATION INFORMATION: Priority is given to 2L applicants. 

CHICAGO LEGAL CLINIC, Inc.

Contact: Veda Dmitrovich, Director of Volunteer Services
773-731-1762  Fax: 773-731-4264
Website: www.clclaw.org

Founded in 1981 by Edward Grossman (Executive Director) and the Most Rev. Thomas Paprocki (President), the Chicago Legal Clinic, Inc. provides low-cost and free legal services to low-income individuals in the Chicago area. The Clinic’s four offices are located in the communities of South Chicago, Pilsen, Austin and Downtown. Clinic attorneys provide representation in the following areas of law: family law, domestic violence, social security disability, guardianships of disabled adults, decedents’ estates, immigration, collection defense, bankruptcy, landlord/tenant, real estate, contracts, ex-offender advocacy and environmental issues. Intern applicants who speak Spanish are preferred for the Clinic’s Pilsen Office (Immigration Program).

The Clinic supervises the Chancery Advice Desk located in the Daley Center and also supervises the Expedited Child Support and Paternity Advice Desk located at 32 W. Randolph Street.

PILI Interns research legal issues, draft correspondence, pleadings, and motions, directly communicate with clients, and represent clients in court pursuant to Illinois Supreme Court Rule 711.

Address letters to: Veda Dmitrovich, Chicago Legal Clinic, Inc., 2938 E. 91st Street, Chicago, IL 60617.

CHICAGO VOLUNTEER LEGAL SERVICES FOUNDATION
100 North La Salle Street, Suite 900
Chicago, Illinois 60602

Contact: Phillip J. Mohr, Fax: 312-332-1460
Website: www.cvls.org

With more than 44 years of experience, Chicago Volunteer Legal Services (CVLS) is the first and pre-eminent pro bono civil legal aid provider in Chicago. With its pool of nearly 2,500 volunteer attorneys, CVLS is unique in its ability to offer a wide range of totally free civil legal aid to the poor and working poor on an individual basis. Leading the way in litigation, family law and guardianship, it is recognized as the most comprehensive, most efficient and most cost-effective civil legal aid provider in Chicago. To ensure that its long-standing commitment to equal access to justice will endure, CVLS actively seeks volunteer attorneys to join in their programs, providing them with support, training and the opportunity to participate in a wide variety of civil legal matters. CVLS also reaches out to the community with 20 clinics that bring its dedication and expertise to benefit the lives of many.

With the oversight of staff attorneys, PILI Interns assist the staff and volunteer attorneys and their clients appearing in the Circuit Court of Cook County and before various administrative agencies. Duties will include legal and factual research, interviewing, and the preparation of briefs, pleadings and documents. Additionally, each Intern and Fellow will be given his/her own client caseload. Those Interns eligible to receive an Illinois Supreme Court Rule 711 license, will, under supervision, appear in court to conduct all pretrial, trial and post-trial proceedings for their clients.

Please note: Contact by mail only.

CITIZEN ADVOCACY CENTER
238 N. York Rd.

Elmhurst, Illinois 60126

Contact: Ms. Terry Pastika, 630-833-4080  Fax: 630-833-4083
Website: www.citizenadvocacycenter.org

The Citizen Advocacy Center builds democracy for the 21st century by strengthening public participation in community affairs.  The Center believes in developing self-government.  Three principal features distinguish us from other public interest and community organizations:  1) we are involved in a wide range of community issues; 2) we are not a legal intake office, but provide free assistance to individuals and community groups on issues of public concern; and 3) we litigate when necessary, but emphasize non-litigation approaches to strengthen the democratic process and to empower all citizens.

The Center promotes individual and community efforts to resolve contemporary societal problems in the western and far western suburbs of Chicago; we further public knowledge of democratic tools -- open government laws, voter initiative and referendum, and access to the airwaves and the electronic networks;  we stimulate citizen awareness and involvement in the community; we help citizens act on issues of public significance by guiding them through the maze of laws, rules, regulations and red tape; and we litigate on behalf of select citizen causes to confront undemocratic abuses of local power.  The Center also monitors local governments at the local levels.

PILI Interns work on a wide range of advocacy, from writing letters to the editor to all aspects of litigation.  They gain significant experience in public speaking, community organizing, legal research and writing, teaching, and shaping legal strategy.

 ENVIRONMENTAL LAW AND POLICY CENTER  OF THE MIDWEST
35 East Wacker Drive, Suite 1300
Chicago, Illinois  60601-2208

Contact:  Meleah Geertsma, Senior Attorney 312-673-6500
Fax: 312-795-3730
Website:  www.elpc.org

The Environmental Law and Policy Center (ELPC), the Midwest's leading public interest environmental advocacy and eco-business innovation organization, seeks to hire PILI Interns. Our Interns support ELPC's state and federal litigation and policy work throughout the Midwest.

About ELPC: ELPC's major program areas include: promoting clean energy development strategies that reduce environmental degradation and climate change by supporting energy efficiency and renewable resource alternatives to coal and nuclear plants; developing innovative transportation approaches, such as the Midwest high-speed railroad network, that will lead to cleaner air and more jobs, and proposing "smart growth" alternatives to sprawl-inducing new road projects; and developing sound environmental management practices that preserve natural resources and improve the quality of life in our communities, especially with respect to water and forests. One of ELPC's premises is that environmental progress and economic development can be achieved together. ELPC's multidisciplinary professional staff includes attorneys, M.B.A.'s, public policy advocates, and communications specialists. ELPC was established in 1993. Please see ELPC's website for more information at www.elpc.org.

Responsibilities: PILI Interns work with ELPC attorneys and other professional staff on ELPC policy, legislative and general advocacy issues, and on federal and state court litigation. Job activities may include legal and legislative research, litigation and pre-litigation support, developing case strategies, legislative drafting, clean energy business development, grass roots advocacy work, and special projects. Interns also may attend meetings with state and federal agencies, legislators and concerned citizens, and participate in depositions and other litigation activities. Interns assume a significant level of responsibility commensurate with their interests and abilities.

Qualifications: Applicants should have a strong academic record, excellent writing and analytical skills, and a demonstrated interest in and commitment to public interest and environmental advocacy. Because we intend to hire all Interns by February, we encourage application through PILI as early as possible in the Fall. Please, no telephone inquiries.

EQUIP FOR EQUALITY
20 North Michigan Avenue, Suite 300
Chicago, Illinois  60602

Contact: Barry Taylor 312-341-0022 Fax:  312-341-0295

TTY: 800-610-2779
Website:  www.equipforequality.org

Equip for Equality, Inc. is a private nonprofit, statewide organization whose mission is to advance the human and civil rights of people with disabilities by promoting the principles of equality, self-determination, and dignity.  The five substantive priority areas of Equip for Equality are discrimination, community integration, safety from abuse and neglect, special education and self-determination.

Equip for Equality has a Legal Department that engages in a wide range of services for people with disabilities including information and referral, self advocacy assistance, legal advice, negotiation, and direct representation.  The direct representation includes representation in administrative, state and federal forums.  The Legal Department balances the requests for direct legal services with pro-active, impact litigation seeking systemic change. 

Equip for Equality also has a Public Policy Department that works to achieve changes in state legislation, public policies, and programs to safeguard individual rights.  Program personnel draft and secure passage of state legislation and participate in state regulatory and policy-making processes. 

Equip for Equality provides students with a comprehensive legal experience in traditional legal research and writing, as well as significant opportunities in the practical aspects of disability legal and public policy work.  Students are assigned to ongoing cases and have the opportunity to participate and observe all stages of litigation.

LAMBDA LEGAL
11 East Adams, Suite 1008
Chicago, Illinois  60603

Contact: Christopher Clark 312-663-4413 Fax: 312-663-4307
Website:  www.lambdalegal.org

Lambda Legal is a national organization committed to achieving full recognition of the civil right of lesbians, gay men, bisexuals, transgender people and those with HIV, through impact litigation, education, and public policy work. Founded in 1973 and headquartered in New York City, Lambda Legal has regional offices in Los Angeles, Chicago, Atlanta, and Dallas. Lambda Legal's docket consists of test cases in a wide range of areas, including federal and state constitutional law such as first amendment and equal protection challenges; discrimination in employment rights, benefits, housing, insurance, schools, and other areas; prevention of anti-gay harassment and violence; anti-gay ballot initiatives; access to healthcare and HIV-related treatments; child custody, visitation and adoption; and sodomy law reform. The Midwest Regional Office has three attorneys. Interns and Fellows work closely with the staff on developing and litigating matters.

LAW PROJECT OF THE CHICAGO COALITION FOR THE HOMELESS
1325 South Wabash Avenue, Suite 205
Chicago, Illinois 60605

Contact: Laurene Heybach 312-435-4548 Fax: 312-435-0198
Website: www.chicagohomeless.org

All applicants should submit a detailed cover letter explaining why he or she is interested in serving the legal needs of people experiencing homelessness.  Also, CCH is interested in any personal experience of the candidate with poverty or injustice.

PILI Interns work under the supervision of attorney Laurene (Rene) Heybach, Director of the Law Project, and Patricia Nix-Hodes, senior staff attorney.  He/she is expected to carry a manageable work load which includes some of the following (depending in part, on the expressed interests of the PILI Interns): research and writing of memos on legal issues, client interviewing, community outreach, drafting motions and court submissions, advocacy with state and local agencies related to public benefits, housing, child welfare services and education, assistance with preparation for and appearances at hearings where appropriate.

If we initiate new litigation, we would involve PILI Interns.  Supervision would include daily interaction with the supervisor, review of all written work, observation and feedback on non-written work, direction regarding any tasks not previously learned or performed, and two periodic evaluations.

LAWYERS' COMMITTEE FOR BETTER HOUSING
100 West Monroe, Suite 1800
Chicago, Illinois  60603 

Contact:  Caitlin Ewing

312-784-3530  Fax: 312-347-7604
website:www.lcbh.org

Lawyers’ Committee for Better Housing has been providing legal services to low-income tenants in Chicago for 29 years. Two core programs, the Affordable Housing Preservation Program, which works with groups of tenants to preserve affordable housing, and the Attorney of the Day Eviction Defense Program, remain in place. LCBH also now offers Fair Housing Training and Enforcement, as well as the Tenant Advocacy Project, which provides pre-litigation advocacy for tenants experiencing emergencies such as lockouts or utility shutoffs. Our new Tenants in Foreclosure Intervention Project was formed in September 2008 in response to the current housing crisis which is affecting more tenants than homeowners and works to keep foreclosed buildings habitable and operational. LCBH provides training in landlord-tenant law and fair housing and responds to tenant calls with referrals and brief services. The work of LCBH staff is augmented by attorneys who volunteer in eviction, security deposit, and fair housing cases.

PILI Interns work in our various programs under the supervision of staff attorneys and the legal support team. PILI Interns at LCBH will assist low-income tenants facing poor building conditions, utility taps and shut-offs, illegal lockouts, retaliatory conduct by their landlords and evictions. Duties include legal and policy research, drafting pleadings and legal memoranda, negotiating settlements and, if eligible, appearing in court pursuant to Illinois Supreme Court Rule 711.

LEGAL AID BUREAU
Metropolitan Family Services
One North Dearborn, 10th Floor
Chicago, Illinois 60602

Contact: Grace Lim 312-986-4011  Fax: 312-986-4016

Website:  http://www.metrofamily.org/programs-and-services/legal-aid/default.aspx

The Legal Aid Bureau was established in 1886 and works with its seven social service centers to bring a variety of legal services to Chicago's most vulnerable citizens in the communities where they live. The Domestic Violence Team focuses on issues related to family law, including domestic violence, divorces, and child support issues, and our Elder Law Team focuses on elder abuse and financial exploitation of senior citizens. The Poverty Law Project represents clients in landlord/tenant and consumer cases and is available at Metropolitan's Midway and Calumet community centers, located on Chicago's South and Southwest sides.

Volunteers and Interns are critical in assisting LAB's attorneys in client advice and representation, and community education. A PILI Intern will have a wide range of litigation exposure, including client interviewing and counseling, negotiation, research and drafting pleadings, and court representation (if 711-licensed).

LEGAL ASSISTANCE FOUNDATION OF METROPOLITAN CHICAGO
111 West Jackson Blvd., 3rd Floor
Chicago, Illinois 60604

Contact: (for Graduate Fellows and for Summer Interns) Dan Lindsey
Contact: (for School-Year Interns) Lisa Palumbo
312-341-1070  Fax: 312-341-1041
Website:  www.lafchicago.org

Through its six intake offices (four in Chicago, one in Evanston, and one in South Holland), and various projects and teams, the Legal Assistance Foundation of Metropolitan Chicago's lawyers provide a full range of civil legal assistance to low-income residents of Chicago, including providing advice and counsel, litigation, and community education.

LAFMC's size and diversity usually allow it to match the interest of each PILI Intern or Fellow with a particular office or area of the law.  LAFMC's handles a wide spectrum of civil cases, including those involving public benefits, housing issues, rights of the homeless, women's rights, family law, children's rights, senior legal services, employment and race discrimination, migrant workers' rights, immigration, and rights of the disabled, including persons with HIV/AIDS.

MEXICAN AMERICAN LEGAL DEFENSE AND EDUCATIONAL FUND
11 East Adams, Suite 700
Chicago, Illinois 60603

Contact: Virginia Martinez 312-427-0701  
Fax: 312-427-0691
Website: www.maldef.org

The Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF) is a national Latino civil rights advocacy organization dedicated to preserving and expanding civil rights in employment, education, immigrant rights, political access and public resource equity for Latinos.

PILI Interns will work on class action matters concerning immigrant rights, employment discrimination, voters' rights, political access and education.  MALDEF deals with cases which have the greatest impact on the Latino community.

Interns will get experience in case development, legal research, developing strategies for successful litigation, client contact, expert witnesses and preparation of initial pleadings.  Interns and Fellows are given the opportunity to become involved in all facets of litigation. 

Applicants note:  Spanish-speaking ability or knowledge of the Spanish language is NOT required.

NATIONAL IMMIGRANT JUSTICE CENTER

(formerly Midwest Immigrant & Human Rights Center)
208 South La Salle Street, Suite 1818
Chicago, Illinois  60604

Contact: Pearl Pickett, 312-660-1326
Fax: 312-660-1505
Website: www.nationalimmigrantjusticecenter.org/

The National Immigrant Justice Center (NIJC), formerly known as Midwest & Immigrant Human Rights, is a program of Heartland Alliance for Human Needs & Human Rights. It provides direct legal services to and advocates for low-income and impoverished immigrants, refugees and asylum seekers. NIJC strives to advance rights and protections for these populations and empower them to participate fully in public life by monitoring and responding to human rights conditions and abuses at the local, regional, national and international levels, and leveraging its expertise to influence public policy and effect legislative and regulatory change.

PILI Interns work on a wide variety of projects, including asylum applications and hearings, deportation hearings and appeals, immigrant visa petitions, issues related to unaccompanied immigrant children, detained immigrant assistance, and related matters.  Students work closely with clients from many different countries and cultures, and will have an opportunity to appear in court.  Fluency in a relevant second language is strongly preferred.

THE ROGER BALDWIN FOUNDATION

of the AMERICAN CIVIL LIBERTIES UNION OF ILLINOIS, Inc.
180 North Michigan Avenue, Suite 2300
Chicago, Illinois 60601-1287

Contact: Adam Schwartz  312-201-9740 Fax: 312-288-5225
Website: www.aclu-il.org

The ACLU is devoted to protecting and expanding the civil liberties and civil rights of all Americans.  The Roger Baldwin Foundation is the litigation arm of the ACLU of Illinois.

We have an active docket of over 40 cases in federal and state trial and appellate courts, including the Illinois and U.S. Supreme Courts.  Our cases raise issues of freedom of religion, police practices, education, and discrimination.  We have special projects addressing AIDS and civil liberties, gay and lesbian rights, the rights of children and institutionalized persons, reproductive rights, and race and poverty.  Our office has six full-time and one part-time attorney, making it one of the largest ACLU offices in the country.

Interns in our summer program work closely with experienced ACLU staff attorneys in all phases of litigation, including initial factual and legal investigations, drafting of pleadings and supporting documents for discovery and trial, and appellate proceedings.  Projects are assigned depending upon the needs of the caseload and the students' personal interests.

APPLICATION INFORMATION:

Contact attorney is Adam Schwartz. In addition to submitting the PILI applications, applicants should consider sending a resume, writing sample, transcript, reference list, and cover letter to the address above. Please apply as early as possible; applications are considered through March, and offers are extended as qualified people apply. Priority is given to law students who have completed their second year of law school. A limited number of funded positions are available. Students who can arrange their own funding should so indicate. We are an affirmative action employer. Women, people of color, people differently abled, and gay men and lesbians are especially encouraged to apply.

SARGENT SHRIVER NATIONAL CENTER ON POVERTY LAW
50 East Washington, Suite 500
Chicago, Illinois  60602

Contacts: Dan Lesser 312-368-2005

Raj Nayak 312-263-3830, ext. 243
Fax: 312-263-3846
Website: www.povertylaw.org

The National Center on Poverty Law provides free legal representation to low-income persons and groups in Illinois on public policy issues involving welfare and subsidized housing.  The Center represents clients before legislative bodies and administrative agencies, in class actions, and in individual cases with broader policy implications.  In its welfare work, the Center addresses issues involving public benefits and services, including cash assistance, welfare-to-work, food stamps, medical assistance, community investment, child support, child care, domestic violence, and rights of non-citizens.  Its housing work concentrates on representing public and subsidized housing tenants.

The Center often works in coalition with other groups.  The Center's attorneys write substantive articles for the Center's bimonthly journal of poverty law and policy, CLEARINGHOUSE REVIEW, a monthly newsletter, Illinois Welfare News, and a periodic broadcast fax on issues affecting low-income women, WomanView.  PILI Interns work closely with Center attorneys on legislative and administrative advocacy activities, litigation, publications, and community work.

U. S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH & HUMAN SERVICES

OFFICE OF THE GENERAL COUNSEL & OFFICE OF CIVIL RIGHTS
Office of the Chief Counsel, Region V
233 N. Michigan Ave, Suite 700
Chicago, Illinois 60601-5502

Contact: Jerome B. Meites, Chief Civil Rights Counsel, Region V
Voice: 312-886-1706
Fax: 312-886-1718

Website: www.hhs.gov/ogc

With over 400 attorneys nationwide located in nine headquarters offices and ten regional offices, the Office of the General Counsel (OGC) of the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) provides a full range of legal services to HHS, the federal government’s principal agency for protecting the health of all Americans and providing essential human services, especially for those who are least able to help themselves. Our work presents complex and challenging social, economic, scientific, ethical and legal issues, issues that affect the lives of virtually all Americans.

The Office of the Chief Counsel for Region V, an area that encompasses Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio and Wisconsin, provides advice and representation to the Secretary of HHS and to the component agencies of the Department, primarily the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, (Medicare and Medicaid programs, with a special initiative on enforcement of health and safety standards in nursing homes), the Administration for Children & Families (Head Start, foster care and adoption assistance programs, welfare reform), the Indian Health Service (Native American health services through federal and tribal programs), Health Resources and Services Administration (health clinics, migrant health), the Office of Public Health and Science (women’s and minority health, public health preparedness), and the Office for Civil Rights (enforcing civil rights laws among recipients of HHS funds, including placement of disabled persons in the “most integrated” setting, investigating racial health disparities, examining child welfare issues, and providing services to persons with limited English proficiency). The legal services OGC provides involve both the administration of the Department’s myriad programs and internal matters like employment relations and ethics.

A PILI Intern would fill a 'general law' intern position, which places an emphasis on health law matters. The intern will work with a number of attorneys in OGC-V on a variety of issues and programs, most probably including administrative or court-conducted litigation involving Medicare or Medicaid issues. The intern may also have an opportunity to work on government grant and contract issues involving agencies such as the Administration for Children and Families and the Indian Health Service. The intern will have a mentor, will work closely with the OGC attorneys to whom the matters to which the intern is assigned and will attend strategy sessions and meetings with program clients.

Office of Civil Rights (OCR)
233 N. Michigan Ave, Suite 240
Chicago, Illinois 60601

Contact: Kurt Temple, Equal Opportunity Specialist, Office of Civil Rights, Region V
Voice: 312-886-5893
Fax: 312-886-1807

Website: www.hhs.gov/ocr

The U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) is the federal government’s principal agency for protecting the health of all Americans and providing essential human services, especially for those who are least able to help themselves. Our work presents complex and challenging social, economic, scientific, ethical and legal issues, issues that affect the lives of virtually all Americans. Law student interns with the Department’s Office of Civil Rights (OCR) will be involved in investigations of discrimination claims, will conduct research regarding state and federal programs and policies, and will research issues pertaining to the medical Privacy Rule. The civil rights intern will attend meetings of OCR’s disability rights and racial health disparities teams and off-site meetings with state and local government agencies or advocacy organizations. Our civil rights attorney will act as the intern’s mentor and will closely evaluate all written work. In recent years, our civil rights work in Region V has included: the first ever major enforcement action under the Multiethnic Placement Act which prohibits discrimination in the placement of children for adoption or foster care by public child welfare agencies; a series of successful negotiations resulting in the placement of disabled persons in the “most integrated setting;” and an investigation and preparation of a major report regarding racial disparities in the treatment of end stage renal disease in the Chicago area.  Interns at OCR will have the opportunity to do rewarding and fascinating public service and public interest law in a collegial and cooperative atmosphere where attorneys are encouraged to share and benefit from the experience and analysis of their colleagues.