Law Student Pro Bono: Cultivating a Lifelong Commitment to Public Interest Law

Published by PILI, this informative brochure details information and resources about law student pro bono.

PILI Internship and Fellowships for Law Students and Graduates

PILI offers Internship and Fellowship programs for law students and new law school graduates, respectively, to work at public interest law agencies in Chicago.

Annual CBA YLS Pro Bono and Community Service Fair

Each year, the Young Lawyers Section of The Chicago Bar Association holds the Pro Bono and Community Service Fair as part of the CBA/CBF Pro Bono Week.  The Fair is an opportunity for attorneys to learn about the variety of legal aid, public interest law and community service organizations that have available pro bono and community services opportunities.  This year's Fair is being held on Thursday, October 29, 2009 from 5:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m. at the law firm of Kirkland & Ellis.  Contact the YLS by e-mail or phone at 312-554-2032 for more information about this event.

PILI and Illinois Legal Aid Online Launch New Customized Home Pages for Law Students, Paralegals, and Retired and Federal Government Attorneys

PILI has been working with Illinois Legal Aid Online (ILAO) to develop additional resources for specialized pro bono groups, including: paralegals, law students, senior/retired attorney, corporate attorneys and federal government attorneys. These resources have been developed as part of Illinois' premier web-based resource for pro bono attorneys, www.IllinoisProBono.org. Customized home pages were developed for each group with content and pro bono opportunities specifically focused on that group. Three of the sites also feature videos featuring active pro bono volunteers from the group explaining their connection to pro bono. These sites were developed in conjunction with ILAO by PILI's Pro Bono Opportunities Advisory Team and were launched by ILAO as of August 4, 2008. Check out the new sites today by following the links below:

Paralegals: http://paralegals.illinoisprobono.org

Law Students: http://lawstudents.illinoisprobono.org
Senior Attorneys: http://seniorattorneys.illinoisprobono.org

Corporate Attorneys: http://corporatecounsel.illinoisprobono.org

Federal Government Attorneys: http://governmentattorneys.illinoisprobono.org

Amended Supreme Court Rule to Increase Pro Bono Service Among House Counsels, and Attorneys on Retired or Inactive Status
The Illinois Supreme Court recently amended Illinois Supreme Court Rule 756 to allow attorneys registered with the Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission (ARDC) as retired, inactive or house counsel to provide pro bono legal services under certain circumstances in Illinois. The amended Rule was entered on March 26, 2008 and became effective as of July 1, 2008.

Pro Bono Opportunities for Attorneys in the Chicago Area

The Chicago Bar Foundation publishes information about volunteer opportunities in a guide entitled, “Pro Bono Volunteer Opportunities for Attorneys in the Chicago Area.”  This publication is also available in print by e-mailing PILI.

Website Helps Attorneys Find and Do Pro Bono Work
Since 2002, thousands of Illinois lawyers and legal professionals who do pro bono legal work have turned to www.IllinoisProBono.org to help them find and do volunteer work. In April 2007, the website received a complete overhaul. PILI also worked with the staff of IllinoisProBono.org to develop special user group home pages for law students, senior attorneys, corporate attorneys and government attorneys and paralegals.  Visit IllinoisProBono.org today to learn more.

Directory of Pro Bono Projects for Summer Associates

On a triennial basis, PBI collects information on pro bono projects that summer associates have participated in at Chicago's law firms and publishes that information in the PBI Directory of Pro Bono Projects for Summer Associates. In 2006, thirty one Chicago law firms responded to our survey and are included in the current directory. 

For more information about the PILI and its Pro Bono Initiative, contact PILI's Pro Bono Initiative Director, Michael Bergmann, by e-mail or at 312-832-5129.