Job o’ the Day: Public Interest Law Initiative’s Law Student Summer Internship Program
The Public Interest Law Initiative (PILI), founded in 1977, works with 57 participating agencies in Illinois to help cultivate a lifelong commitment to public interest law through the creation of opportunities for law students and lawyers to provide public interest and pro bono work throughout the state. In addition to operating a state-wide internship and fellowship program, PILI reaches out to new associates, seasoned lawyers, and senior attorneys working in every sector of the legal community – private, academic, government and nonprofit.
PILI is currently accepting applications for its Summer Law Student Internship Program. From the PSJD job listing:
PILI’s Law Student Internship Program connects first and second-year law students with legal service agencies in Illinois. Interns work 400 hours during the summer or 200 hours during the school year, with PILI ensuring quality supervision by experienced attorneys and providing supplemental educational, networking and mentoring opportunities. The result is an increase in the capacity of these legal service agencies to meet the needs of their low-income clients and an increase in the number of emerging lawyers connected and committed to public interest law.
PILI administers an online application system at www.illinoisprobono.org, through which you will be able to upload your resume and cover letter(s), along with requested applicant demographic information. After receiving your application through PILI’s online application system, the individual agencies make their own hiring decisions. For information and listing of the various agencies participating in the PILI Internship Program visit http://www.pili-law.org.
Many PILI Interns provide low-income and disenfranchised clients with critically needed direct legal assistance. Other PILI Interns conduct advocacy, policy-based work or impact litigation that enhances the health, safety and welfare of the disenfranchised. All PILI Interns gain valuable work experience that distinguishes their education and ultimately their careers.
PILI raises the funds necessary for each agency to pay its PILI Interns. PILI also ensures quality supervision by experienced agency attorneys, and provides supplemental educational, networking and mentoring opportunities. View our upcoming summer schedule.
Through PILI Internships, law students work at and learn about public interest law, and begin what PILI hopes is a lifelong commitment to public interest law and pro bono work.
The stipend for summer work is $5,000. The application deadline is March 31, 2013. For more information, view the full job listing at PSJD.org (log-in required).