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| PILI/CBF Pro Bono Initiative
Monthly E-newsletter |
April 2008 |
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Greetings!
It is critical for agencies, law firms and corporations to recognize and honor those who make significant pro bono contributions. Such recognition draws attention to the great work being done by our pro bono attorneys as well as to the still existing need for more pro bono attorneys. One major recognition event is just around the corner. Each year, the pro bono and public service contributions by exemplary members of the legal profession are recognized at the CBA and CBF's Annual Pro Bono and Public Service Luncheon. I urge you to nominate a deserving person today and to attend this year's Luncheon on July 14th. More information on the award nominations and the Luncheon can be found in this month's newsletter, or you may click here to visit the CBF website.
For more opportunities to recognize pro bono contributions, consider joining the PBI Recognition Team. This Team will examine the various possibilities for PBI to recognize the outstanding pro bono efforts of individual attorneys, law firms, corporations and legal aid agencies throughout Illinois by nominating them for existing awards from other organizations and/or establishing new awards to be conferred by PBI. This Team will be made up of a cross-section of PBI Participants from law firms, corporations, the organized bar and legal aid organizations and will be convened as needed. PBI is currently seeking members for this and other Project Teams. Click here to learn more.
If you have any questions or if we can be of any assistance to you, please contact me at 312-832-5129 or mbergmann@pili-law.org.
Sincerely,
Michael G. Bergmann
Pro Bono Initiative Director |
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PBI & Pro Bono News
Call for Nominations for 10th Annual CBA/CBF Pro Bono and Public Service Awards
The Chicago Bar Foundation (CBF) is accepting nominations now through May 1, 2008 for the Chicago legal community's most prestigious pro bono and public service awards. These awards celebrate exemplary members of the legal profession who have used their talents and resources to improve access to justice for the less fortunate in our community. Recognizing the outstanding leadership and commitment of attorneys whose dedication to bridging the justice gap is a hallmark of their careers, the recipients will be honored on July 14, 2008 at the Tenth Annual Pro Bono and Public Service Luncheon hosted by The Chicago Bar Association and The Chicago Bar Foundation. Nomination criteria and application instructions for the awards are available at www.chicagobarfoundation.org or contact Dina Merrell at 312/554-1206 or dmerrell@chicagobar.org.
PILI Post-Graduate Summer Fellowships in Public Interest Law
Over 70 soon-to-be-graduates of the nation's law schools have already found their placements in Chicago for the summer, where they will be working 300 hours for a PILI-affiliated public interest law agency while studying for - and taking - the bar exam. If you are an agency or clinic representative still looking to hire post-graduate PILI Fellows for the summer, contact us and we will help direct interested candidates to you. Every week, we learn of new candidates who still haven't yet found their position. And remember - the working relationship that you forge this summer with your PILI Fellow can help your agency at summer's end, when your Fellow returns to his or her sponsoring form and transforms into the ideal pro bono contact.
If you work for a law firm, do you know if your firm sponsors summer PILI Fellows? A list of current law firm sponsors in the Chicago area can be found here. This program is an ideal way of engaging your incoming associates in Chicago's public interest law community, during the summer before they begin work at your firm. Along the way, they will make great contacts and develop critical legal skills while working for one of the city's premiere public interest law agencies. If you think your firm might be interested in sponsoring one or more summer Fellows, check out this information sheet and contact Susan Curry for more information. |
| Upcoming Events & Trainings
2008 PBI Spring Pro Bono Forum: "What If? Why Not?: Exploring Pro Bono Possibilities in an Imperfect World"
The next PBI Pro Bono Forum will be held on Thursday, April 24, 2008, and is entitled "What If? Why Not? Exploring Pro Bono Possibilities in an Imperfect World." The program, which will run from 3:00 to 5:00 p.m., will explore a variety of hypothetical questions and scenarios through facilitated roundtable discussions to generate ideas for improving and increasing our pro bono capacity. There will be a reception for attendees immediately following the program. Advanced registration for this complimentary program and reception must be made by Friday, April 11th by contacting PBI Director, Michael Bergmann, at mbergmann@pili-law.org, or at 312/832-5129. Click here to visit the PBI website to learn more.
CBA/CBF Annual Pro Bono and Public Service Luncheon - Save the Date
The 10th Annual CBA/CBF Pro Bono and Public Service Luncheon will be July 14, 2008, from 11:30 a.m. until 1:30 p.m. at the Fairmont Hotel. More information is available on the CBF website, or by contacting Meredith Lovell at 312-554-1207 or mlovell@chicagobar.org.
Illinois Supreme Court Justice Thomas Kilbride to Deliver Remarks at 2008 PILI "Celebrating Pro Bono" Annual Reception This year's annual PILI reception, "Celebrating Pro Bono," will be held from 5:30 until 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, June 10, 2008, at the Harold Washington Library Center's Winter Garden Room. Illinois Supreme Court Justice Thomas Kilbride, an advocate for pro bono legal services and a former legal aid attorney, will deliver remarks at this year's reception. Click here to visit the PILI website to learn more.
For a complete calendar of upcoming events and trainings sponsored by public interest law organizations throughout Illinois, visit www.IllinoisProBono.org. |
| Pro Bono Opportunities
Want to see your pro bono opportunity listed here? If you are a legal aid agency staff member and you would like to post a pro bono opportunity, please visit www.IllinoisLegalAdvocate.org. |
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Pro Bono Spotlight
Amended Supreme Court Rules to Increase Pro Bono Service Among House Counsels, and Attorneys on Retired or Inactive Status
The Illinois Supreme Court recently amended Illinois Supreme Court Rules 716 and 756 to allow attorneys registered with the Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission (ARDC) as retired, inactive or house counsel to provide pro bono legal services under certain circumstances in Illinois. The amended Rules were entered on March 26, 2008 and will become effective as of July 1, 2008. The ARDC is currently developing the procedures to implement the amendments.
Currently, a person registered as inactive or retired cannot provide any legal services or advice, or hold themselves out to be so able or engaged. The house counsel status is intended for those attorneys licensed in another state, but who are employed in Illinois as house counsel for a corporation. Under this status, the attorney may perform limited legal services in this state solely on behalf of the corporation with which they are employed. The amended Rule permits those attorneys with retired, active or house counsel status to perform pro bono legal services in Illinois.
These attorneys may provide pro bono legal services under the following circumstances: (1) without charge or expectation of a fee by the attorney; (2) to persons of limited means or to certain organizations; and (3) under the auspices of a qualified sponsoring entity. Agencies that would like to be sponsoring entities must submit an application to the Administrator of the ARDC seeking to be qualified under the Rules on an annual basis. Agencies seeking to be qualified under the Rules must provide to these attorneys appropriate training and support and malpractice insurance coverage.
In addition to any existing requirements relating to their status, attorneys with retired, inactive or house counsel status, must also seek authorization from the ARDC to provide pro bono legal services on an annual basis. Attorneys registered with the ARDC under the retired status are not required to pay an annual registration fee. Attorneys registered as inactive or house counsel remain subject to annual registration fees under the Rules.
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