We hope you are having a terrific summer!

PILI's Alumni Reception will be held at The Gage in Chicago from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, August 15th. Join the Alumni Network Leadership Council as they welcome our 2024 PILI Interns & Fellows to our Alumni Network. All are invited to attend this reception recognizing and celebrating the important work that our PILI Interns & Fellows did this summer to expand the availability of legal services for people, families and communities in need. Learn more and get your tickets today!

On June 26th, PILI held our Annual Pro Bono Reception celebrating the inspiring and life-changing pro bono work being done in Illinois through effective pro bono programs, innovative partnerships, and the unwavering dedication of individual attorneys and legal professionals. We want to especially thank our event sponsors for their support of PILI and our Pro Bono Program. We also unveiled our 2024 Pro Bono Recognition Roster and our Pro Bono Honor Roll. Read more about our event and see photos here.

PILI’s mission is to engage, inspire and empower those advancing equal access to justice. Thanks to volunteers and donors like YOU, we empower law students, lawyers, and legal professionals to advocate for others, and we empower our clients to advocate for themselves. Through PILI’s Law Student Internship Program, we empower law students to pursue careers in public interest law, serving hundreds of clients at dozens of agencies across the state every year. Through our Graduate Fellowship Program, we empower recent law school graduates to begin their legal career with a foundation built on helping others. All the while keeping them connected to PILI and the public interest law community through our Alumni Network. Through our Pro Bono Program, we empower lawyers and legal professionals to take on pro bono opportunities to meet community legal needs. And we empower law firms and corporate legal departments to build and support robust pro bono programs. Your support empowers us to achieve our mission. Can we count on your support today?

We have several exciting pro bono and educational opportunities planned for this summer. Details are below and you can always find a list of upcoming events on our website. We hope to see you over the next month!

Sincerely,

The Staff at PILI

It's award season at PILI!

We are now accepting nominations for pro bono awards through our Judicial Circuit Pro Bono Committees to be given during the celebration of Pro Bono Week in October and our annual awards will be presented at our Annual Awards Luncheon on December 11th.

Nominations are due by Friday, August 30th.

News & Updates

• PILI Receives Increased Funding from Illinois Access to Justice Grant Program. PILI is incredibly grateful for this increased support that will be used to support our work in filling the gaps in the availability of civil legal aid for low-income Illinoisans through PILI's Pro Bono Program. Read more »

• PILI celebrates the 25th anniversary of the launch of PILI's Pro Bono Initiative for the New Millennium. Established in 1999, the goal was to expand the amount and types of pro bono work being done by lawyers at both corporate legal departments and law firms. PILI celebrated this milestone at its Annual Pro Bono Reception last month. Read the history » and hear from those who were there from the beginning »

• Join us for our Alumni Reception on August 15th. All are invited to attend this reception recognizing and celebrating the important work that our PILI Interns & Fellows did this summer to expand the availability of legal services for people, families and communities in need. Learn more & get your tickets »

• Help is needed to address the immigration crisis. Volunteers are needed at clinics through August to assist those with nowhere else to turn. Data on the incredible impact the migrant assistance workshops have had since they began in November is also now available. Learn more »

• PILI's Educational Seminar Series is open to all public interest law student interns/externs/volunteers this summer. Offered through the second week of August, these weekly lunchtime seminars focus on substantive legal topics, career development strategies and skill building relevant to public interest law. Programs are held live and in person at DePaul University College of Law in Chicago, and virtual participation is also offered. Sign up »

Other Upcoming Programs & Events

• July 24th - Summer Educational Series: Public Interest Law Career Path
• July 30th - Summer Educational Series: Evaluation Session
• August 8th - PILI Alumni CLE: What's at Stake: Election 2024
• August 13th - Summer Educational Series: Incorporating Pro Bono into Your Career
• August 15th - PILI Alumni Reception
• August 17th - DuPage Expungement Clinic
• September 24th - PILI Leadership Reception
• September 27th - DeKalb Criminal Records Relief Clinic
• October 1st - Joint Law Firm & Corporation Pro Bono Roundtable
• October 21st - Tenth Judicial Circuit Celebrate Pro Bono Reception
• October 22nd - Third Judicial Circuit Celebrate Pro Bono Luncheon
• December 11th - Annual Awards Luncheon