More About the Expanded PILI/CBF Pro Bono Initiative and How to Get Involved
The expanded PILI/CBF Pro Bono Initiative is now six months old. PBI is undertaking a variety of projects to achieve its goals. Learn more about these projects and how PBI Participants from law firms, corporate legal departments and legal aid and public interest law organizations can get involved with the work of PBI.

Read more.

Each month, this newsletter will feature a selection of pro bono opportunities. To list your opportunity, send it electronically to mbergmann@pili-law.org. Please limit descriptions to 150 words. Opportunities must be submitted by the 20th of the month to appear in the next month's e-newsletter.

Volunteer Lawyers Program of the Lake County Bar Foundation Seeks Pro Bono Attorneys
The Volunteer Lawyers Program has volunteer opportunities for pro bono attorneys willing to represent low income clients in family law, consumer law, Chapter 7 bankruptcy, and preparation of wills. A joint effort of the Lake County Illinois Bar Association and Prairie State Legal Services’ Waukegan office, the Volunteer Lawyers Program has a strong demand for Spanish-speaking lawyers, for volunteers willing to represent domestic violence victims in divorces, and attorneys willing to advocate on behalf of clients who have had rental security deposits improperly withheld. For further information, please contact Susan Perlman at 847/662-6925 ext. 2334 or e-mail her at sperlman@pslegal.org.

Prairie State Legal Services Seeks Attorney Volunteers Prairie State Legal Services, Inc., Peoria office, has volunteer opportunities in the areas of family law, consumer law, collections, real estate foreclosure, bankruptcy and preparation of wills. The Peoria office serves Marshall, Peoria, Tazewell, Stark and Woodford Counties. There is a particular need for family law attorneys in Tazewell County. For further information, please contact Sandra Crow at 309/674-9831 or via e-mail at scrow@pslegal.org.

CVLS Seeks Attorney Volunteers for Guardian Ad Litem for Minors Program in Probate Court
A Guardian Ad Litem (GAL) is appointed by the Probate Court to represent the best interests of a child involved in a contested or problematic minor guardianship. The GAL investigates the people and issues and makes a written report to the Court. The GAL also represents the child in court proceedings. GALs meet with the parties and the child and may also interview other interested adults, review the child’s school and medical records, and, occasionally consult with mental health professionals and social workers. Some GAL cases resolve quickly and easily and require only one or two court appearances. Others take months. New GALs are assigned to CVLS staff attorneys for one-to-one training and support throughout the case. In addition, a detailed written training manual and sample materials are available. These cases call upon your skills as a negotiator and counselor as much as your legal abilities. If you are interested, contact Alecia Wartowski at 312/332-1916 or awartowski@cvls.org.

Loyola School of Law Business Law Clinic Seeks Attorney Volunteers
The Business Law Clinic at Loyola is seeking experienced attorney volunteers to assist 3rd year law students who staff the clinic. The students represent real clients with business matters in the for profit and not for profit sectors. The clinic does not provide litigation assistance to its clients. The volunteer lawyers mentor the students and meet with their clients and supervise the student's work product. It is a great opportunity to teach aspiring lawyers the correct way to practice law. Attorneys must commit to a minimum of one half day each week at the clinic. If you would like additional information, call Professor Joe Stone at 312/915-7130 or e-mail him at jstone3@luc.edu.

Community Economic Development Law Project Seeks Transactional Attorney Volunteers
The Community Economic Development Law Project (CEDLP) is one of several programs of the Chicago Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law. CEDLP provides pro bono legal services to community organizations and has expanded its program to provide pro bono legal services to low–income entrepreneurs as well as providing pro bono attorneys for residential real estate closings to Housing Choice Voucher holders under the “Choose To Own” Program. The staff at CEDLP works with its clients to identify their specific transactional legal needs and recruits volunteer attorneys to work with the clients. If you are a transactional attorney looking for an opportunity to use your legal skills, contact CEDLP to learn about opportunities to work on corporate, tax, employment, intellectual property, finance, zoning, residential real estate and commercial real estate law issues. Interested volunteers may contact CEDLP by email at cedlp@cedlp.org.

Date Set for Annual PBI Pro Bono Celebration
Mark your calendars for Tuesday, June 5, 2007 for the annual PBI Pro Bono Celebration. The event will be from 6:00 until 8:00 p.m. and will be held in the Winter Garden Room at the Harold Washington Library. Additional details will be available shortly on PBI's website.

Nominations Sought for Pro Bono Attorney of the Month
Illinois Legal Aid Online is now accepting nominations for the first Pro Bono Attorney of the Month to be featured on the new IllinoisProBono.org. The website is being completely redesigned and will be launched on March 31, 2007. Each month the homepage of the new IllinoisProBono.org will feature a short video clip of an attorney who is doing exemplary pro bono work. Please nominate a deserving pro bono attorney by e-mailing his/her name and a couple of sentences why he/she should be selected to Lisa Colpoys at lcolpoys@illinoislegalaid.org. The deadline is January 31st.

Save the Date for the CBF/CBA Pro Bono and Public Service Luncheon
The 9th Annual CBF/CBA Pro Bono and Public Service Luncheon will be held on July 9, 2007 from 11:30 a.m. until 1:30 p.m. at the Renaissance Hotel. More information is available from the CBF.

Conference Being Planned to Increase Pro Bono Outside of Cook County
The Illinois Coalition for Equal Justice is planning a pro bono conference to be held in Springfield. The conference will be held June 14-15, 2007, and will present an opportunity to assess and maximize resources for pro bono outside of Cook County. If you would like more information about this conference, contact ICEJ Director, Joe Dailing at 815/962-9050 or e-mail him at jdailing@icfej.org.

PBI to Revise Pro Bono Manual
PBI has developed a collection of model pro bono policies from law firms and in-house legal departments, basic forms (including retainer agreements, procedures for opening pro bono files, and conflicts of interest checks), and information on malpractice insurance. This information is compiled in the PBI Pro Bono Manual and is available to firms and corporations looking to start or remodel a pro bono program. PBI is now in the process of updating this valuable resource. If you have comments or suggestions as to how to improve the Pro Bono Manual, please contact PBI Director, Michael Bergmann. With the help of several PBI Participants, the new Pro Bono Manual will be released in March, 2007.

Directory of Summer Associate Pro Bono Opportunities Now Available
The 2006 Directory of Summer Associate Pro Bono Opportunities at Chicago Law Firms is now available for download.

View the Directory.

Past PBI E-newsletters Now Available Online
Did you miss a previous edition of the PBI e-newsletter? Past editions are now available on-line at the "News" page of the PBI website.

Past PBI E-newsletters

PBI Website Updated
New content has been added to the PBI website. Check it out today.

Another Inspiring Pro Bono Story Featured During the 2006 CBA/CBF Pro Bono Week
J., a working single mom with three daughters, had always dreamed of owning her own home. As a housing voucher recipient J. qualified for the Choose To Own initiative – a program that permits current Housing Choice Voucher holders to apply their subsidies to mortgage payments. As a first time home buyer, she found the process overwhelming. J. contacted the Community Economic Development Law Project, which matched her with Marianne Raimondi, a volunteer real estate attorney who is an associate with DLA Piper. Marianne walked J. through every step of the process, including resolution of post-closing issues. J. said that Marianne made her “feel at ease” and that everything went “perfectly.” J. and her daughters are now living in their first home. According to Marianne, using her real estate experience to secure a home for someone who cannot afford an attorney is the best way “to actually make a difference in someone’s life.”

________________________________
In each edition, this section features stories written by pro bono attorneys about their pro bono experiences as well as perspectives from firms, corporations and legal aid agencies. Please consider submitting an article for an upcoming e-newsletter. Articles should be no more than 300 words and may be submitted electronically to mbergmann@pili-law.org.