Pro Bono Reporting in Upcoming Annual Attorney Registration
On June 14, 2006, Illinois became one of only five states to institute a pro bono reporting requirement in the annual attorney registration process. This information will be collected by the ARDC during the annual attorney registration process beginning with the 2007 registration. Registration materials are expected to be mailed by the ARDC in early October.

Click here to learn more about the new rule and reporting.

2006 CBA/CBF Pro Bono Week: Challenging Lawyers to Make a Difference
To honor lawyers' pro bono efforts and to educate the public and the legal community about how these lawyers are improving the lives of the less fortunate, The Chicago Bar Association (CBA) and The Chicago Bar Foundation (CBF) will co-sponsor Pro Bono Week 2006: Challenging Lawyers to Make a Difference, October 16 - 20. Pro Bono Week is also designed to inform the legal community about the wide range of pro bono opportunities that are available in the Chicago area. Pro Bono Week will feature several events to showcase these opportunities, including a kick-off event, two free CLE programs and the 13th Annual YLS Pro Bono and Community Service Fair.

Learn more about Pro Bono Week 2006.

Cook County State’s Attorney Richard Devine to Keynote at PILI Annual Awards Luncheon
Each year PILI’s Annual Award Luncheon gathers more than 450 members of the legal community to celebrate the best aspects of the profession. This year’s event will be held on December 7, 2006 at the Fairmont Hotel. The event is a forum to recognize those performing remarkable public interest and pro bono work. Several awards acknowledge those whose work epitomizes the ideal of access to justice for all. The Distinguished Public Service Award honors an individual whose commitment to public interest work has shaped a career dedicated to service. The Distinguished Alumni Awards recognize a former PILI intern and fellow for outstanding contributions of public interest and pro bono work. The Pro Bono Initiative Award acknowledges a single law firm or corporation for unprecedented pro bono work in the community.

Learn More About PILI Annual Awards Luncheon.

Each month, this newsletter will feature a selection of pro bono opportunities. To have your opportunity listed, 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.

Cabrini Green Legal Aid Seeks Volunteer Attorneys
Cabrini Green Legal Aid Clinic (CGLA) provides free legal services to Chicago’s low-income residents in the areas of criminal, family, and housing law. CGLA also helps individuals clear their criminal records by applying for expungement, sealing and executive clemency. Volunteer attorneys generally begin by conducting intake interviews or volunteering at the expungement help desk. Training is provided for each opportunity.

Intake Interviews: Interviewing potential clients about their case and presenting the cases at one of the weekly staff meetings. Interviews are scheduled in 2-hour blocks during office hours (9 a.m. - 5 p.m.). Intake meetings are on Thursdays at 2 p.m. and Fridays at 1 p.m..

Expungement Help Desk: Meeting with clients to provide information on expungement, sealing, and clemency. Volunteer attorneys read rap sheets and assist eligible individuals in completing the forms. The Help Desk is located on the 10th floor of the Daley Center and is open Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. until noon.

Other Opportunities: Jail Intakes, Case Assistance, Clemency Petitions.

For More Information: Contact Elizabeth Shelleby at 312/266-1345 or elizabethshelleby@cgla.net.

Citizen Advocacy Center Seeks Law Student and Attorney Volunteers
The Citizen Advocacy Center is a non-profit, non- partisan, community based legal organization with a mission to build democracy for the 21st Century. The Center is in need of assistance from dedicated law students and pro bono attorneys who will help to ensure that individuals and community groups have a voice in government decision-making and work to dismantle policies that deter public participation in policy making. Pro Bono assistance may involve providing representation or answering questions regarding public access to the democratic process. The Center regularly addresses issues involving the Freedom of Information Act, the Open Meetings Act, the First Amendment, Election Law, Tax Increment Financing, as well as dozens of other subjects. The Center engages in impact litigation to reform unjust policies or practices and is always interested in pro bono assistance in such cases. For more information, contact Director and Community Lawyer, Terry Pastika, at 630/833-4080, or email cac@citizenadvocacycenter.org.

Pro Bono Center for Disability and Elder Law Seeks Attorney Volunteers
Volunteers at the Pro Bono Center for Disability and Elder Law have an opportunity to work in virtually any area of law – ranging from bankruptcy to mediation to complex litigation – helping to protect and advance the legal rights of low-income elderly and persons with disabilities. Since 1984, more than 1,300 volunteers (including solos, corporate counsel, and partners at global law firms), have committed their time, counsel, and resources working with hundreds of in-need clients. Our staff works closely with you to make the best use of your time, experience, and interests. We can provide practical training, expert one to one mentoring case management and coordination, and client follow-up so your volunteer time will be client-focused, productive, and as effective as possible. In addition, we offer opportunities that will allow you to gain experience and skills that can enhance your professional development and expand your involvement with co-counsel, businesses, and legal providers. For more information, contact Jann Dragovich-Stulberg at 312/908-4463.

Chicago Volunteer Legal Services (CVLS) Seeks Volunteer Attorneys to Help Save Homes
If you’ve seen the recent Chicago Tribune series, you know that mortgage and real estate fraud is robbing thousands of Americans of their dream of home ownership. Clients are losing their only asset at unprecedented rates, and of course, the low income communities are being disproportionately impacted.

Through the Access to Justice Program, CVLS is accepting appointments from the Chancery Division Judges to represent low-income defendants in mortgage foreclosures, predatory lending, and fraudulent transfers. The Access to Justice Project is a partnership with CVLS, the Circuit Court of Cook County, the CBF and the CBA.

Please join CVLS in the fight and become an Access volunteer. We will provide training, our staff support, and an experienced mentor to get you started. Interested? Contact Patricia Nelson at 312/332-5539 or pnelson@cvls.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 complied 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 PBI constituents from firms, corporations and legal aid agencies, the new Pro Bono Manual will be released in January 2007.

Pro Bono to be the Theme of Upcoming CBA Legal Aid Committee Meeting
The CBA Legal Aid Committee meeting on Thursday, October 12th at noon at the CBA Headquarters (321 S. Plymouth Ct.) will feature a panel presentation on pro bono. The panelists will be talking about the new mandatory pro bono reporting rule, the upcoming CBA/CBF Pro Bono Week, and the expanded Pro Bono Initiative. Attendees will also hear from a law firm perspective on promoting opportunities and partnerships at law firms. The panel will include Jerry Larkin from the ARDC, Terry Norton from Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal, Mary Meg McCarthy of the National Immigrant Justice Center and Michael Bergmann from the Pro Bono Initiative. Contact Dina Merrell for more information at dmerrell@chicagobar.org. The program will also be webcast at IllinoisProBono.org.

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

Pro Bono Initiative Launches New Website
PBI has launched a new website. Check it out at www.probonoinitiative.org.

PILI Launches New Website and Online Application Process for Summer Interns
Check it out at www.pili-law.org.

This section will feature stories written by pro bono attorneys about their pro bono experiences and 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.