Public Interest Law Initiative (PILI) Law Student Interns and Graduate Fellows

Each year, PILI places law student Interns during the summer and school year and new law school graduate Fellows during the summer after graduation at affiliated legal aid and public interest law organizations in Chicago. Contact PILI Executive Director Michael Bergmann by e-mail or at 312-832-5129 for more information.

Pro Bono Case Pairing and Mentor Matching System
Working in partnership, Illinois Legal Aid Online (ILAO) and PILI developed the Pro Bono Case Pairing and Mentor Matching System now available at www.IllinoisProBono.org. New pro bono practitioners can use the tool to be matched with more experienced pro bono practitioners willing to serve as mentors, and pro bono volunteers can connect with other pro bono volunteers to share a case or matter. Registration is free, and the system is available to attorneys, paralegals and other legal professionals who register with the site.

Click here to see the promotional brochure for the Pro Bono Case Pairing and Mentor Matching System.

PILI Illinois Forum on Pro Bono

PILI organizes the Illinois Forum on Pro Bono to bring together pro bono leaders from law firms, corporations, legal aid agencies and law schools from around the state to discuss timely pro bono issues and share pro bono best practices. Our most recent Forum, "Improving the Pro Bono Delivery Model," was held on September 14, 2011. The ABA’s National Pro Bono Summit will be held on October 24-25 in Washington DC and will explore ways to reinvent the paradigms used in delivering pro bono legal services nation-wide; the ideas and strategies generated at the Illinois Forum on Pro Bono will contribute to the ABA Pro Bono Summit’s ultimate goal of developing a nationally coordinated action plan for improving the pro bono legal services delivery model. Click on the above link for more information about this most recent Illinois Forum on Pro Bono. You can also click here to download discussion notes.

PILI Annual Pro Bono Reception: Celebrating Pro Bono

This is PILI’s annual opportunity to spotlight our community’s pro bono relationships and successes and the work of PILI's Pro Bono Initiative. PILI's most recent Pro Bono Reception was held on June 15, 2011. Pictures and at a list of our sponsors are available at the above link. Our next Pro Bono Reception will be held on Wednesday, June 20, 2012. As always, agencies participating in PILI's Internship or Fellowship Programs will be invited to come as our guests. More information will be available in the spring of 2012.

PILI Annual Awards Luncheon

Each year PILI’s Annual Award Luncheon gathers more than 450 members of the legal community to celebrate the best aspects of the profession. Save the date for the 2011 PILI Annual Awards Luncheon on Thursday, December 1, 2011 at the Renaissance Chicago Downtown Hotel.

Directory of Pro Bono Contacts at Illinois Law Firms and Corporations

PILI has compiled a directory of the pro bono contacts at Illinois law firms and corporations. This directory is available, upon request, to CBF-funded and/or PILI-affiliated agencies only. Contact PILI Program Manager Sheila Simhan by e-mail or at 312-832-5128 for more information.

CBF & PILI's Extended Pro Bono Placements in Chicago: Background and Best Practices

PILI, working in conjunction with The Chicago Bar Foundation, played a major role in the local and national discussion about these extended placements as a response to the economic downturn. PILI also provided placement assistance to the law firms and extended placement candidates to help make successful connections with public interest law organizations. As part of these efforts, PILI and the CBF developed best practices guidelines for law firms considering such placements, which is available by clicking on the link above.

Nonprofit Legal Assessment Project (NLAP) Offers Services to Nonprofit Organizations

The Community Economic Development Law Project is launching the Nonprofit Legal Assessment Project (NLAP), to provide a range of legal analysis, representation and technical assistance to established nonprofit organizations. PILI serves as a project partner in NLAP.  Contact CEDLP's NLAP Director, Jody Adler, at 312-939-3638 or by e-mail for additional details.

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.

For more information about PILI and its Pro Bono Initiative, contact PILI's Program Manager, Sheila Simhan, by e-mail or at 312-832-5128.