2024 is quickly coming to an end, completing another year of PILI's work advancing equal access to justice. From PILI Law Student Interns and Graduate Fellows providing 36,500 hours of legal services, to volunteers answering over 3,000 civil legal questions on Illinois Free Legal Answers, to celebrating 25 years of Pro Bono at PILI, the PILI community has dedicated so much time and talent to serving those in need through public interest law and pro bono service.

None of this would be possible without the support and involvement of the Illinois legal community for which we are so thankful. We are ready to stand for justice in 2025, and we hope that you'll join us.

Before we ring in the new year, we hope you will make a year-end gift to support or join us in our work to engage, inspire and empower those advancing equal access to justice. Make a year-end gift to support PILI, answer a question on Illinois Free Legal Answers, or find other ways to get involved.

Our thanks again for all your support this year. May you and yours have a wonderful holiday season and Happy New Year!

Sincerely,

The Staff at PILI

On December 11th, nearly 450 members of the Illinois legal community gathered together to celebrate the very best aspects of the legal profession. Thank you to all who joined us to celebrate PILI and our work to make equal access to justice a reality.

Thanks to the support of 55 law firms, corporations and law school sponsors as well as individual donors and supporters, we raised over $252,437 through the event to support PILI’s work to engage, inspire and empower those advancing equal access to justice.

Read more and check out the photo album from the event »

News & Updates

Now is the time to make a year-end gift to support PILI! PILI plays an essential role in fulfilling the promise of equal access to justice, and in the coming years, the work we do will be more urgent and necessary than ever. We’re ready to stand for justice in 2025, and we hope that you’ll join us by making a donation today. Read more »

PILI welcomes new 2024 Representatives to our Alumni Network Leadership Council. Ivana Bailey-Muñoz and Claire Ramsey have been selected to join our Alumni Network Leadership Council as the 2024 Intern and Fellow Alumni Representatives. Ivana is currently a 2L at Chicago-Kent College of Law and served as a 2024 PILI Law Student Intern at the ACLU of Illinois. Claire is an Associate at Sidley Austin LLP and was a PILI Graduate Fellow in 2024 at Ascend Justice. Read more »

PILI welcomes new 2024 Representatives to our Board of Directors. Neekita Bhatia and Benjamin Halom have been selected to join our PILI Board of Directors as Representatives from this past year's class. Neekita is an associate at Sidley Austin LLP and served as a Graduate Fellow at Lawyers for the Creative Arts. Benjamin is an associate at Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP and served as a Graduate Fellow at the Legal Aid Society of Metropolitan Family Services. Read more »

Check out PILI's Year in Review Preview. At PILI, we draw on all the resources of the Illinois legal community to fill in the gaps in the delivery of legal services. To do so, we empower law students, lawyers and legal professionals to advocate for others. And we empower our clients to advocate for themselves. Read more »

Thank You to those who took our "5 for 5 Pledge" on Illinois Free Legal Answers! To celebrate the 5th Anniversary for PILI as the Illinois Free Legal Answers State Administrator, we invited volunteers from across the state to take our 5 for 5 Pledge and commit to answers five civil legal questions from those in need of help through Illinois Free Legal Answers. Read more »

Intern & Fellow Application System is Open! Agencies are still hiring Law Student Interns for Spring Semester 2025. 2L and 1L law students can also apply for Summer 2025 Law Student Internships. And those interested in Graduate Fellowships next summer can apply now as well. Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis until all agencies have completed their hiring. Read more »

Other Upcoming Programs & Events

• January 24th - Spring Intern Welcome Program
• April 16th - Arcade for Legal Aid
• June 25th - Annual Pro Bono Reception
• December 10th - Annual Awards Luncheon

PILI Spotlight