Hello!

Earlier this month, we met (virtually!) with members of our Alumni Leadership to discuss the Alumni Network and upcoming programming. We're excited to share more about these projects with you in the coming year!

The PILI Alumni Network works to keep PILI Alumni engaged in public interest and pro bono work throughout their careers. More than 4,000 law students and graduates have participated in PILI’s Law Student Internship and Graduate Fellowship Programs. These lawyers span the globe and the profession: they are law firm and corporate attorneys, members of the judiciary and government sector, and members of the public interest law and higher education communities. If you are a PILI Alumni - be sure to update your whereabouts here!

As is our Valentine's Day tradition, we also did a spotlight on one of our PILI Alumni Couples - two PILI Alumni who went on to get married! They share how pro bono and service have played a role in their life.

Read the rest of our newsletter to read about opportunities to work at PILI, our Black History Month spotlights and other exciting news at PILI!

Sincerely, 
To recognize Black History Month, PILI will be spotlighting a few of the many Black attorneys who had a significant impact on equal access to justice in the United States. We hope you will join us in recognizing the life, work, and legacies of Charlotte E. Ray, Ferdinand Lee Barnett, Jane Bolin, and Charles Hamilton Houston. Read more.
Illinois Free Legal Answers is a virtual legal clinic where low-income Illinois residents can submit a question online to ask a lawyer for help with a legal issue. We're seeing an increase in questions during the COVID-19 Pandemic and need more volunteers to answer questions. Learn more.

Self-represented litigants in the Illinois Appellate Court face many unique challenges without adequate resources to assist them through the appellate process. This platform is the first-ever virtual legal advice clinic for civil appeals in Illinois. Volunteer lawyers with appellate experience are needed! Learn more. 

IL-AFLAN provides civil legal services across Illinois to veterans, active duty military and their spouses and dependents and PILI refers pro bono matters in the 101 counties outside of Cook County. Help us serve those who have served us!  Learn more.
Happy Valentine’s Day! We spoke with one of our PILI Alumni Couples, Sarah Schultes and Ndjuoh MehChu, about their experience as PILIs and how their commitment to service plays a role in their relationships.


The Public Interest Law Initiative (PILI) is pleased to announce that we have been chosen as one of 80 inaugural grant recipients for Illinois’ Restore, Reinvest, Renew (R3) Program. Through this grant of $29,805, PILI will bring more pro bono legal services to low-income people in Southern Illinois. Read more.

Thanks to the R3 grant and other funding, PILI is now hiring an additional Managing Attorney. Under the leadership and supervision of the Senior Managing Attorney, this is a full-time position that can be based anywhere in Illinois. The Managing Attorney will serve as a member of PILI’s Programs Team, with responsibility for helping to manage PILI’s statewide efforts to expand and enhance pro bono. This is a dynamic position that requires both the ability to organize and coordinate at a high level, while also being actively engaged in administration and implementation. The ability to do regular and significant statewide travel, and limited national travel, is required.
Have you ever hesitated in accepting a pro bono matter that you believe would require significant research in order for you to help? Perhaps it is an area of law that you do not regularly practice, or the case includes a complex legal issue, or you’re just short on time. The Public Interest Law Initiative (PILI) recently launched the Illinois Pro Bono Research Alliance to provide support for just such occasions. Read more.

PILI seeks to sponsor applicants for Equal Justice Works, Skadden and/or another legal post-graduate fellowship beginning in September 2022. PILI plans to select applicants for sponsorship by August 2021. Read more.
In Illinois, PILI is the gateway through which the legal community serves. PILI converts gifts of time and money into system-wide positive impact—together, we not only directly serve those who need legal help, but also engage, inspire and empower those advancing equal access to justice.