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Making a Difference

3/5/2009 7:01:03 AM EST

Public Interest Law Initiative (PILI): cultivating a lifelong commitment to public interest law

By Michael G. Bergmann, Pro Bono Initiative Director

Posted by Michael G. Bergmann

For thirty years, the Public Interest Law Initiative (PILI) has cultivated a lifelong commitment to public interest law by creating opportunities for law students and lawyers to provide public interest and pro bono work in Illinois. PILI pursues its mission by engaging attorneys in public interest work at every stage in their professional careers – from law student, to new associate, to in-house counsel or firm partner, to retired attorney. Through its programs, PILI provides law students and attorneys with meaningful opportunities for public interest law and pro bono work.

PILI’s four major programs include:

Internship Program: PILI Interns (first or second year law students) work at, and learn about, legal institutions serving the public interest. PILI raises the funds necessary to support dozens of student Internships ($5,000 per full-time summer intern) at our affiliated agencies.

Fellowship Program: Graduate Fellows (recent law school graduates) are sponsored by one of nearly two dozen Chicago law firms, each of which absorbs the salary costs of their new associates who choose to work as PILI Fellows. PILI Fellows have the scheduling flexibility that allows them to participate in formal bar review and take the bar examination during their Fellowships.

PILI Alumni Program: PILI recently established an Alumni Program for its over 3,000 former PILI Interns and Fellows in an effort to ensure their lifelong commitment to public interest law.

Pro Bono Initiative Program: PILI’s Pro Bono Initiative is your pro bono resource for establishing or enhancing a law firm or corporate pro bono program in Illinois. We also work with individual attorneys and special pro bono user groups such as law students, government attorneys, paralegals and senior lawyers to broaden their pro bono experience. PBI also works with legal aid and public interest law organizations to promote and enhance their pro bono opportunities.

By encouraging these attorneys to keep the public interest paramount in their legal careers, by helping attorneys build professional relationships into working partnerships, by leveraging legal resources into thousands of hours of legal assistance each year, PILI is able to build and foster a culture of service in the legal profession. This culture of service helps law students and lawyers change lives and open opportunities for the poor and disenfranchised of our communities.

For more information about PILI and its programs, visit our website at www.pili-law.org.

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