Last month, at our Annual Pro Bono Reception, we introduced our new mission statement: PILI engages, inspires and empowers those advancing equal access to justice. You can read about this change and check out a video we showed at the event on our website.

We are also planning our end of summer bash - the PILI Alumni Reception: Welcoming the Newest Class of Interns and Fellows on August 15th. We hope you can make it!

In this newsletter, we also have exciting announcements regarding a new Managing Attorney, changes to Illinois Free Legal Answers website and more!  As always, we hope you will stay in touch with us through Facebook , Twitter , LinkedIn , YouTube and now Instagram!

Sincerely, 

The Staff at PILI
PILI Announcements
Welcoming Elizabeth R. Boe as PILI's New Managing Attorney
Nominations are Now Open for PILI Awards Across Illinois
Announcing PILI's October 2019 Pro Bono Month Events


Congratulations to the 48 law firms and corporations named, whose substantial pro bono contributions are making a difference in addressing the legal needs of low-income and underrepresented Illinoisans!

Read more.
Volunteer Opportunities
IBF, ILAO & PILI Announce Changes to Illinois Free Legal Answers
We are excited to join with Illinois Bar Foundation and Illinois Legal Aid Online to announce our efforts to further the impact of Free Legal Answers in Illinois. As of August 1, 2019, PILI will take over the day-to-day operations of the site in Illinois. Read more.
Volunteer for Self-Represented Litigant Help Desks
Volunteers are needed in Champaign, Decatur, Peoria and Tazewell County Courthouses. Read 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.  Read more.
This is an opportunity for individuals to receive free legal consultations on their options for criminal records relief.  Read more.
July 24th - Law School Pro Bono Roundtable
July 24th - Joint First 10 & PILI Happy Hour
August 22nd - Champaign CLE: A Primer for Helping Those in Need of Legal Assistance
Thank You for Your Support!
Thank you for supporting our Annual Pro Bono Reception!
We are so grateful to our event sponsors, attendees and donors who made the 2019 Annual Pro Bono Reception such a success! Together, we raised over $85,000 to support PILI's Pro Bono Program. Thank you!  

Read more.
United Airlines Sponsors Their First Named PILI Internship
United Airlines has been a longtime supporter of PILI and this year has increased their donation to sponsor their first Named PILI Internship.  Read more.
Thank You to Foundations for Support!
PILI received funding from the following foundations: 
From Around the Web
"[A] three-year study found that when a legal aid group directed low income divorce-seekers in Philadelphia County to use self-help materials, just 5% managed to end their marriages... Those offered volunteer pro bono lawyers were five times more likely to get divorced in the same time frame."   Read more at www.law360.com.
"Today in the United States, millions of people lack access to basic legal resources for a variety of reasons. They forgo legal action because they find the system too overwhelming, for example, or because they perceive it to be too expensive. Many simply do not know when they qualify for legal services in the first place." 
"In those three minutes in front of the judge, Smith's reluctance to push back against her eviction cost her a great deal...Only one in 10 tenants comes to court with an attorney. Landlords, meanwhile, almost always have legal representation." 
PILI often is asked to pass along job postings in both the private and public sectors that might be of interest to our former Interns and Fellows from employers looking for candidates with a commitment to service. Read more.

Public Interest Law Initiative (PILI) | 312-832-5127 | info@pili.org | www.pili.org


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