University of Illinois College of Law

Law School Pro Bono Programs

Contact Information

Category or Type of Program

Formal Voluntary Pro Bono Program Characterized by Administrative Support for In-house and Collaborative Student Group Projects

Description of Programs

As part of the State’s land-grant university, the University of Illinois College of Law is committed to training the next generation of public interest and government lawyers. The promotion and facilitation of pro bono and public service opportunities is diverse and integrated into the College's daily activities. From loan repayment assistance, fellowships, courses, joint degrees, public interest notations and awards, specific scholarships, public interest programs, public interest student organizations, student services with public interest counseling, and a career counseling office with specific public interest counseling, the College of Law offers significant resources and support for students aspiring to careers in the public sector.

Location of Programs

As a fundamental aspect of the University of Illinois College of Law’s mission, public interest and pro bono academic and extra-curricular functions have no singular location. Faculty, administration, staff, and students work seamlessly to ensure all aspects of the College of Law are reflected in the various parts of the public interest and pro bono components of the College. The cross collaboration allows a diverse perspective and enhances the scope of every aspect of the public interest programming, ensuring a richer public interest experience for everyone at the College of Law. Course offerings, curricular planning, departmental programming, and student initiatives intersect in the manifestation of the College of Law’s public interest programming.

Staffing/Management Oversight

The Public Interest and Pro Bono programs at Illinois College of Law cross the spectrum of all department and areas at the College. Consequently, the Staffing, Management, and Oversight is dependent upon the nature of the program. Administration of the programs are a college-wide shared endeavor.

The College of Law promotes a general environment conducive to development of additional programs/opportunities.
Courses involving public interest and pro bono topics are carefully constructed by faculty, administration, and staff, as well as the students who enroll or serve as teaching and research assistants. Of particular reference, the extensive clinical and field placement offerings at Illinois College of Law have dedicated faculty who go well beyond the confines of the classroom in developing, overseeing, and assisting with programs in the public interest and pro bono areas.
Career Planning and Professional Development engages with potential employers and students identifying public interest and pro bono opportunities, in addition to other extensive programming and outreach in this area.
Faculty research and publications on public interest topics involve the faculty, staff, and student research assistants across a wide expanse of legal issues relating to matters impacting public interest and pro bono initiatives.
Fundraising efforts for public interest student awards/scholarship and stipends for related summer externships and field placements are regular forms of support provided by the Advancement Office and other supporting offices.
Outside organizations regularly contact the College of Law for support from faculty or departmental areas for various types of engagement, such as staffing, student engagement, and legal/non-legal activities. One of many recent examples of this includes a multi-year series of expungement training and corresponding expungement clinics throughout several jurisdictions.
Public and Endowed Lecture Series coordinated with the Faculty, Deans, Communications, and other administrative offices present an ongoing exposure to an exceptionally diverse range of perspectives on public interest topics.
Student Organizations continuously create opportunities for the students and other members of the College of Law to provide service of a public interest and pro bono nature. The scope and range of such endeavors fluidly reflects the current needs in the communities as well as the interest and talents of the student body and other members of the College of Law family. Three of the most enduring annual projects include the Student Legal Relief projects (fka The Katrina Project), the SBA/PILF Auction, and student-supported public interest summer grants.
The Student Records Office assists in counseling and enrolling students in academic bearing courses, promoting the Pro Bono Notation recipients in the Graduation Program, coordinates with Student Services in facilitating the §711 student law license program, and otherwise providing collaborative support with other College initiatives.
Student Services provides guidance and support for the public interest and pro bono initiatives of the student organizations, coordinates with outside organizations for inclusion of students and other College of Law members in a range of public interest and public interest initiatives, introduces public interest concepts and initiatives during New Student Orientation and a new student Law 101 series, publishes a weekly newsletter with pro bono opportunity and information, coordinates with Student Records in facilitating the §711 student law license program, counsels students and coordinates public interest scholarships awards/scholarship, and oversees the Pro Bono Notation program, and provides support to other College initiatives.

Funding

The pro bono and public interest programs at the University of Illinois College of Law are funded through a variety of sources.

Financial and administrative support for the pro bono and public interest are provided by the College of Law. The nature of the support is dependent upon the requirements of each function. Many of the initiatives are supported in whole or in part through the College’s operating budget, including through the use of departmental budgets. The College of Law faculty are provided with a professional expense allowance which can be used to satisfy their service obligations, which may involve pro bono service.

In addition to supporting the clinical and live client experiences and courses with public interest elements in the course coverage, the College also provides administrative support for the courses and the College’s other pro bono initiatives. The student organizations are provided with supplies, funding, mailing, administrative assistance and guidance, facility use, and workspaces. In addition, the Dean makes an annual financial allocation to the student organizations in support of their initiatives throughout the year.

Separately, funding for pro bono and public interest comes through the generous donations by faculty, administration, alumni, and friends of the College. These funds are made available to endow public interest scholarships, awards, and other incentivizations. Similarly, these sources also regularly make personal contributions to support student fundraising for pro bono and public interest initiatives.

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Student Run Pro Bono Groups/Specialized Law Education Projects

Various student organizations at the College of Law are created exclusively around specific pro bono/public interest goals.

Public Interest Law Foundation: PILF engages in various public interest activities including essential product drives for food, personal items, and other needs in addition to sponsoring summer grants for students working in the public interest.
Student Animal Legal Defense: SALDEF regularly hosts donation drives for shelter items, collect funds to help support animal shelters, and hosts a toy drive which included personally crafted dog items.
Student Legal Relief: Continuously since Hurricane Katrina, this organization has raised funds to support travel and lodging over winter break to locations in need of donated legal services. SLR works to identify host public interest placements. Volunteer students receive neither compensation nor credit.

While not primarily structured around pro bono/public interest programs, many of the College of Law student organizations include pro bono/public interest programs and activities as part of their mission. A small sampling of the plethora of pro bono/public interest activities include:

Asian Law Student Association: ALSA hosted a spring fundraiser in response to anti-Asian hate crimes. 100% of the funds raised were donated to KAN-WIN, a Chicago-based domestic violence and sexual assault services group that supports Asian American and immigrant women.
Black Law Student Association and the Student Bar Association: BLSA/SBA hosted a series of educational programs, which concluded in a virtual 5K Race for Racial Justice, with the generated funds targeted toward a local public interest organization.
Education Law and Policy Society: ELPS is committed to advancing justice through classroom education by partnering law students with various area secondary schools to teach the high school students about the law and how it impacts their lives.
National Lawyers Guild: Students, acting as legal observers, respond to request for legal observers at scheduled or ongoing protests and demonstration. Their observations of impediments and interference with the exercise of protester’s legal rights are duly recorded.
OUTLaw: OUTLaw has hosted ALLY training for members of the College of Law community.
Student Bar Association: The SBA hosts annual collections of clothing, personal needs, and a 1L food drive competition. They frequently host educational programs. At the end of every year, the SBA grants financial awards for students engaging in summer public interest placements.
Women’s Law Society: Annually, WLS hosts a judge shadowing program for College of Law student interested in learning inside perspectives directly from Judges.

In a college-wide collaborative effort, students joined with the College of Law to support several county expungement clinics throughout the past several academic periods.

Faculty and Administrative Pro Bono

There is no formal faculty policy requiring specific types of pro bono endeavors; however, the faculty are advised of the College's expectations that they become engaged in service activities within the community, which can include pro bono legal services. Many faculty and administrators engage individually in public interest and pro bono opportunities above and beyond their professional commitments to the College of Law.

The faculty and administrative professionals regularly work with the students as well as support students in their pursuit of public interest and pro bono activities. These activities include:

Identifying, promoting, and/or supervising students in pro bono legal work;
Sponsoring student scholarships to help provide better access to legal education;
Sponsoring a robust inventory of donations, including faculty/student events, for example, at the annual SBA/PILF auction, which proceeds are utilized to support summer grants for students engaged in summer public interest work;
Academic engagements such as Moot Court preparations and development; and
Supporting countless student organization charitable public interest fundraisers.

Awards/Recognition

Class of 1996 Public Interest Award
The Class of 1996 endowed an award for a student who participates in a summer legal pro-bono opportunity each year. Students are selected for this award primarily on their personal statement regarding their public interest goals.

David Schulman Student Engagement Award
This annual award for a 3L student is intended to reward students who have been fully engaged in both academic and extra-curricular offerings at the College of Law. The recipient must have maximized their opportunities for growth in the legal community by actively engaging in multiple academic and extra-curricular activities including, but not limited to, legal journals, moot court and other skills competitions, clinics and field placements, College of Law student government, College of Law faculty/student committees, public interest, and officer-level leadership in student organizations. Additional legal engagement, such as volunteering legal services to non-profits, is also be considered.

Larry Travis Bushong Student Award
This award arises from an annual writing competition which results in the selection of the best student written article or paper dedicated to presenting topics relating to gay and lesbian legal rights issues.

Pro Bono Notation
The College of Law offers an optional Pro Bono Notation on its transcripts for students who perform at least 60 hours of pro bono service during their three years of law school. The notation appears on the official and unofficial transcripts of qualified students. It also appears on the students’ grade report for the semester in which the Pro Bono Notation is earned. Earned Pro Bono Notations are also listed for each qualified student, as one of the limited student awards listed in the Graduation Program.

Rickert Award for Excellence in Service
One of several awards established in memory of Joseph W. Rickert, a distinguished local lawyer, recognizes annually the achievements of third year students who have demonstrated an outstanding degree of commitment and excellence in providing Public Service or Service to the College of Law. Up to eight awards may be issued each year. Rickert Award winners are honored at a dinner where their individual accomplishments are acknowledged, identified in the graduation program, and given monetary and commemorative recognition of their achievements.

Public Interest Law Foundation Summer Public Interest Grants
Funded in part by the proceeds of the SBA/PILF Auction, the Public Interest Law Foundation annually issues multiple awards for students engaged in government or public interest summer work. Public interest opportunities include direct legal work for government placements (e.g. public defender, judicial externship, EPA, etc.), and non-profit organizations. A primary part of the selection criteria is the applicant’s demonstrated commitment to a career in public interest.

SBA Leadership & Engagement Grants
Funded by the proceeds of the SBA/PILF Auction, the Engagement and Leadership Grant Program is an SBA initiative to assist College of Law students who will spend their summers providing legal work in government or public interest positions for little or no compensation. Additionally, the grants are designed to recognize students who have demonstrated engagement or leadership which has contributed to the College of Law.

Outside Public Service Awards
Countless other outside public service awards are promoted to the College of Law students through a weekly newsletter, intranet postings, and through separate promotional emails sent directly to students.

Community Service

Members of the College of Law participate in a wide variety of community service in the Champaign-Urbana area on both individual and organizational levels. Faculty, administration, staff, and students engage in a plethora of community service throughout the academic year. Just a small sampling of such activities include tutoring at local schools, providing time and financial support for women and child centers, organizing blood drives and countless food/clothing/essential items drives, serving on charitable boards, with Park Districts, Retirement Homes, Big Brothers/Sisters programs, and serving the community in countless other ways.

Law School Public Interest Programs

Contact Information

Virginia M. Vermillion, JD
Dean of Students and Assistant Dean for Academic Administration
University of Illinois College of Law
504 E. Pennsylvania Ave.
Champaign, IL 61820
(217) 333-1097
[email protected]

Certificate/Curriculum Programs

While there is no specific public interest curriculum or certificate programs, the College of Law offers a variety of courses that focus on legal areas and skills of use and interest to the public interest-minded student. In addition, there are many individual courses on issues applicable to public interest practice, including doctrinal courses, journals, clinics, and experiential/field placements. The joint-degree options also provide a cluster of academic options relating to public interest fields.

Illinois College of Law also offers a Pro Bono Notation program for pro bono work completed by students. After a student has completed 60 hours of pro bono service, Illinois College of Law awards a Pro Bono Notation to the student. The notation appears on the official and unofficial transcripts of qualified students. It also appears on the students’ grade report for the semester in which the Pro Bono Notation is earned. Earned Pro Bono Notations are also listed for each qualified student, as one of the limited student awards listed in the Graduation Program

Public Interest Centers

The integrated approach of the University of Illinois College of Law’s public interest and pro bono programs are not restricted to a singular formal public interest/pro bono center. Instead, each of the College of Law departments and programs have ownership and primarily lead over the public interest aspects in their domain as well as collaborative roles with the programs in other areas.

Public Interest Clinics

Family Advocacy Clinic
Students in the Family Advocacy Clinic represent parents and children involved in the juvenile abuse and neglect system under the supervision of an experienced attorney. Students are responsible for all aspects of the legal representation of their clients including challenging adjudicatory allegations in court, establishing visitation rights for the parents, and developing appropriate plans for reconciliation. Students learn the substantive and procedural law associated with abuse and neglect proceedings. In addition, students are trained and gain experience in skills such as interviewing, counseling, case planning and strategy, fact investigation, negotiating, research, drafting, motion practice, oral advocacy, and trial work.

Federal Civil Rights Clinic
Students working in pairs are assigned to represent pro se litigants in federal civil rights trials in the United States Courthouse in Urbana. The students are selected on the basis of spring tryouts and approved by the U.S. District Court Judge sitting in Urbana, and are provisionally admitted to the trial bar pursuant to Rule 83.5 (A) of the Local Rules of the U.S. District Court for the Central District of Illinois. Working under Federal Clinical faculty supervision, these students will work with their actual clients to prepare and try a civil jury trial during the enrolled academic year. Availability of this opportunity is limited based on the District Court's docket, the interest of student attorneys, and the consent of pro se litigants. It is expected that up to ten students will be selected. They will meet in a seminar class once per week in the fall semester and as needed at all other times, including the spring semester.

Immigration Law Clinic
In the Immigration Law Clinic, students receive intensive instruction in the substantive law, procedures, and concepts required to represent clients in a multitude of immigration matters, including: affirmative applications to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services for immigrant victims of crimes and/or persecution, for abused, abandoned or neglected children, defense in removal proceedings before the Executive Office of Immigration Review; appeals before the Board of Immigration Appeals; and for individuals seeking permanent residence status or naturalization. Authorized by federal regulation, second- and third-year law students engage in representation of real clients in immigration matters. Students complete these direct services under the supervision of clinic faculty to ensure representation consistent with best practices. Students may appear in court and in non-adversarial administrative interviews. Students gain experience in client interviewing and counseling, factual investigation, trial preparation, advocacy, persuasive writing, and other work relevant to representation of immigrant clients. Students will also hone oral advocacy skills as they present to their classmates and to community members on topics in immigration law.

Intellectual Property Clinic
The IP Clinic provides students with real-world trademark and patent prosecution experience and is intended as a capstone class for those entering the practice of trademark or patent law. The IP Clinic includes a Patent Track and a Trademark Track.

Trademark Track: Student companies desiring trademark assistance are referred to the IP Clinic by the Technology Entrepreneur Center (TEC) at The Grainger College of Engineering. Each clinic participant is assigned five companies and meets with the companies to advise them on the selection of trademarkable matter, performs trademark searching for the selected trademarks and prepares trademark applications. Completed trademark applications are provided to the companies for filing with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (PTO).
Patent Track: Student-innovators with potentially patentable inventions are referred to the IP Clinic by the TEC. The clinic participants then review the innovations, search the relevant prior art, select an innovation, and work with the inventors to draft a patent application for their innovation in consultation with the instructor. Completed patent applications are provided to the inventors for filing with the PTO. Participation in the Patent Track requires successful completion of LAW 797 Patent Prosecution.

Externships/Internships

Corporate Counsel - Field Placement
This field placement complements the classroom Corporate Counsel Seminar component by providing students with the opportunity to work in a general counsel’s office, including placements at public interest and service organizations. As part of their placements, students may conduct legal research, write memoranda, review, and/or draft contracts, sit in on meetings or negotiations among other responsibilities. Hands on experience and the opportunity to observe a general counsel’s office in action affords students with a unique educational opportunity that provides a context for the legal concepts taught in the classroom.

COVID-19 Practicum
The COVID-19 Practicum examined issues arising from the unpredictable consequences arising from the pandemic through a short session course. The students were then paired with the with legal aid organizations across Illinois in addressing the societal effects of COVID-19 through the College of Law’s externship program. The classroom component of the Practicum addressed issues relating to constitutional law, employment law, contract formation and interpretation, tort liability, elder law implication, health law, and bankruptcy. The classroom portion of the course featured a team-teaching approach led by College of Law faculty members and select guest speakers. Students were also provided with generous grants to provide the participating students with the necessary financial resources to engage in the summer externship program.

Legal Externships
Externships are designed to expose 2L and 3L students to practical aspects of lawyering by allowing students to earn academic credit for performing uncompensated legal work, under the supervision of lawyers at approved non-profit organizations, governmental agencies, or judges. Students will complete assignments such as interviewing clients and witnesses; researching legal questions; preparing pleadings, discovery motions, and briefs; and, in some instances, trying cases.

Racial Justice Practicum
This one-week intensive course surveys issues of race and inequality in several substantive legal areas: civil rights, employment discrimination, immigration, housing, healthcare, criminal justice and more. Each topic is taught as a module by a guest lecturer who is an expert in the field. With a focus on both legal doctrine and policy, this course is designed to prepare students for the range of issues they will encounter in their summer placements and future careers as agents of socio-legal and racial justice. Followed by a tailored externship placement tailed to the racial justice issues. Students were also provided with generous grants to provide the participating students with the necessary financial resources to engage in the summer externship program.

State Appellate Prosecutor
Students in this course will each prepare a brief to the Illinois Appellate Court in a criminal case on behalf of the People of the State of Illinois. An attorney from the Champaign County State's Attorney's Office, in collaboration with the Office of the State's Attorneys Appellate Prosecutor, will advise and supervise students in the preparation of the briefs. Initial class sessions will include instruction on and discussion of Illinois appellate procedure and brief-writing. In later weeks of the class, students will meet individually with the instructor to discuss issues arising in the preparation of their individual briefs.

Classes with a Public Service Component

A plethora of courses at the University of Illinois College of Law address public interest and service aspects of the law in significant part or as a portion of the course coverage. The listing below addresses those courses that also specifically include a Public Service Component as an actual part of the course requirements.

Clinical Courses:

Family Advocacy Clinic
Students in the Family Advocacy Clinic represent parents and children involved in the juvenile abuse and neglect system under the supervision of an experienced attorney. Students are responsible for all aspects of the legal representation of their clients including challenging adjudicatory allegations in court, establishing visitation rights for the parents, and developing appropriate plans for reconciliation. Students learn the substantive and procedural law associated with abuse and neglect proceedings. In addition, students are trained and gain experience in skills such as interviewing, counseling, case planning and strategy, fact investigation, negotiating, research, drafting, motion practice, oral advocacy, and trial work.

Federal Civil Rights Clinic
Students working in pairs are assigned to represent pro se litigants in federal civil rights trials in the United States Courthouse in Urbana. The students are selected on the basis of spring tryouts and approved by the U.S. District Court Judge sitting in Urbana, and are provisionally admitted to the trial bar pursuant to Rule 83.5 (A) of the Local Rules of the U.S. District Court for the Central District of Illinois. Working under Federal Clinical faculty supervision, these students will work with their actual clients to prepare and try a civil jury trial during the enrolled academic year. Availability of this opportunity is limited based on the District Court's docket, the interest of student attorneys, and the consent of pro se litigants. It is expected that up to ten students will be selected. They will meet in a seminar class once per week in the fall semester and as needed at all other times, including the spring semester.

Immigration Law Clinic

In the Immigration Law Clinic, students receive intensive instruction in the substantive law, procedures, and concepts required to represent clients in a multitude of immigration matters, including: affirmative applications to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services for immigrant victims of crimes and/or persecution, for abused, abandoned or neglected children, defense in removal proceedings before the Executive Office of Immigration Review; appeals before the Board of Immigration Appeals; and for individuals seeking permanent residence status or naturalization. Authorized by federal regulation, second- and third-year law students engage in representation of real clients in immigration matters. Students complete these direct services under the supervision of clinic faculty to ensure representation consistent with best practices. Students may appear in court and in non-adversarial administrative interviews. Students gain experience in client interviewing and counseling, factual investigation, trial preparation, advocacy, persuasive writing, and other work relevant to representation of immigrant clients. Students will also hone oral advocacy skills as they present to their classmates and to community members on topics in immigration law. Intellectual Property Clinic
The IP Clinic provides students with real-world trademark and patent prosecution experience and is intended as a capstone class for those entering the practice of trademark or patent law. The IP Clinic includes a Patent Track and a Trademark Track.

Trademark Track: Student companies desiring trademark assistance are referred to the IP Clinic by the Technology Entrepreneur Center (TEC) at The Grainger College of Engineering. Each clinic participant is assigned five companies and meets with the companies to advise them on the selection of trademarkable matter, performs trademark searching for the selected trademarks and prepares trademark applications. Completed trademark applications are provided to the companies for filing with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (PTO).
Patent Track: Student-innovators with potentially patentable inventions are referred to the IP Clinic by the TEC. The clinic participants then review the innovations, search the relevant prior art, select an innovation, and work with the inventors to draft a patent application for their innovation in consultation with the instructor. Completed patent applications are provided to the inventors for filing with the PTO. Participation in the Patent Track requires successful completion of LAW 797 Patent Prosecution.

Medical Legal Partnership Clinic
The Medical Legal Partnership Clinic is hosted by Land of Lincoln Legal Aid in partnership with Carle Foundation Hospital. Students learn about the medical-legal partnership model, social determinants of health, and how access to justice can improve health outcomes. Under the supervision of a Land of Lincoln experienced attorney, students assist clients with a variety of legal issues such as family matters, public benefit appeals, guardianship petitions, and advance directives. Students gain experience in client interviewing and counseling, investigation, negotiation, research, advocacy, drafting pleadings, and court and administrative appearances.

Veterans Legal Clinic
The Veterans Legal Clinic (VLC) offers students the opportunity to learn holistic, client-centered lawyering through representing military veterans in a broad array of civil legal matters. While some of the cases the VLC will handle are specific to this client population, such as discharge upgrades, the majority of the clinic's cases involve broader civil legal issues, including family law, housing, consumer disputes, public benefits, disability, employment, etc. The clinic seeks to foster in its students a strong professional identity, advocacy skills, and consistent engagement in reflective, intentional practice while providing excellent legal services to a severely underserved population. Students will take the lead in all aspects of their cases, including client interviews, pleading drafting, fact investigation, discovery, negotiation, and court hearings. Students will also be able to interact professionally with a wide variety of social service, medical, mental health, and other providers in the effort to meet their client needs.

Field Placements and Practicums:

COVID-19 Practicum
The COVID-19 Practicum examined issues arising from the unpredictable consequences arising from the pandemic through a short session course. The students were then paired with the with legal aid organizations across Illinois in addressing the societal effects of COVID-19 through the College of Law’s externship program. The classroom component of the Practicum addressed issues relating to constitutional law, employment law, contract formation and interpretation, tort liability, elder law implication, health law, and bankruptcy. The classroom portion of the course featured a team-teaching approach led by College of Law faculty members and select guest speakers. Students were also provided with generous grants to provide the participating students with the necessary financial resources to engage in the summer externship program.

Legal Externships
Externships are designed to expose 2L and 3L students to practical aspects of lawyering by allowing students to earn academic credit for performing uncompensated legal work, under the supervision of lawyers at approved non-profit organizations, governmental agencies, or judges. Students will complete assignments such as interviewing clients and witnesses; researching legal questions; preparing pleadings, discovery motions, and briefs; and, in some instances, trying cases.

Racial Justice Practicum
This one-week intensive course surveys issues of race and inequality in several substantive legal areas: civil rights, employment discrimination, immigration, housing, healthcare, criminal justice and more. Each topic is taught as a module by a guest lecturer who is an expert in the field. With a focus on both legal doctrine and policy, this course is designed to prepare students for the range of issues they will encounter in their summer placements and future careers as agents of socio-legal and racial justice. Followed by a tailored externship placement tailed to the racial justice issues. Students were also provided with generous grants to provide the participating students with the necessary financial resources to engage in the summer externship program.

State Appellate Prosecutor
Students in this course will each prepare a brief to the Illinois Appellate Court in a criminal case on behalf of the People of the State of Illinois. An attorney from the Champaign County State's Attorney's Office, in collaboration with the Office of the State's Attorneys Appellate Prosecutor, will advise and supervise students in the preparation of the briefs. Initial class sessions will include instruction on and discussion of Illinois appellate procedure and brief-writing. In later weeks of the class, students will meet individually with the instructor to discuss issues arising in the preparation of their individual briefs.

Public Interest Journals

The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign College of Law has a rich history of scholarly publications addressing an extensive array of public interest discourse.

Comparative Labor Law & Policy Journal
The Journal was founded in 1976 to provide a venue for the very best scholarship in the comparative analysis of labor law and employment policy, and social security issues. With an extensive world-wide circulation, the Journal has become a major international forum for research, theoretical and applied, in an area of growing importance to the developed and in the developing world.

The Elder Law Journal
The Elder Law Journal is the oldest scholarly publication in the country dedicated to addressing elder law issues. This academic publication is published bi-annually by the students at the University of Illinois College of Law. The journal publishes manuscripts which not only address policy decisions, but also guide practicing attorneys. Thus, the scope of The Elder Law Journal makes it the perfect addition to the libraries of attorneys who advise clients on estate planning, living wills, arrangements for long-term care, qualifying for Medicaid, as well as other areas of law pertinent to the elderly. Additionally, articles in The Elder Law Journal are of interest to scholars and professionals in fields such as social work, gerontology, ethics, and medicine.

Additional Publications
Other well-respected publications at the College of Law which often include topics of interest in the public interest and public policy fields include:

University of Illinois Law Review
This journal is generally regarded as one of the preeminent law reviews in the country, the University of Illinois Law Review, which dates back to 1917 in various former iterations, is an academic publication published five times per year by the students of the University of Illinois College of Law. The Law Review provides practitioners, judges, professors, and law students with cogent analyses of important topics in the law. This journal often includes written work which provides cutting edge analyses of topics of critical public interest value.

Journal of Law, Technology, and Policy
For the past twenty years, the peer-reviewed Journal of Law, Technology and Policy has featured cutting-edge articles on technological innovation, policy, and the field of intellectual property. The Journal's mission is to feature articles on new technologies that raise important policy questions in both foreign and domestic jurisdictions and to discuss the laws, regulations, and policies that affect technological development and innovation. The articles included in JLTP present interesting perspectives on the intersection of public interest and technology.

Illinois Law Update
College of Law students author a regular column focusing on recent developments in Illinois law, published monthly in the Illinois Bar Journal and read by thousands of practicing lawyers throughout the state. These students are chosen from among the top legal writing students in the College. The Illinois Law Update, which traces its history at the University of Illinois College of Law back to approximately 1932, frequently address emerging issues and critical analysis of laws relevant to the field of public interest.

Other Recognized Public Interest Scholarships

Larry Travis Bushong Student Award
This award arises from an annual writing competition which results in the selection of the best student written article or paper dedicated to presenting topics relating to gay and lesbian legal rights issues.

Rickert Award for Excellence in Legal Writing
The Rickert Award for Excellence in Legal Writing recognizes the top 8 student articles chosen from the graduating class members’ written work while at the College of Law. Only faculty members may nominate a paper, and such factors as the importance of the student’s topic, the depth of the student’s research, the originality of the student’s ideas and the felicity of the student’s expression are considered.

Student Authored Publications
Students at the University of Illinois College of Law often submit their written work from courses or other opportunities for publications. While the decision to publish the submitted student work is made by various outside organizations, College of Law student work receives publication status, and related recognition and awards. On occasion, this type of work includes public interest or public policy content.

PI Career Support Center

The Office of Career Planning & Professional Development is dedicated to assisting students in their pursuits of public interest opportunities. Whether the student is genuinely committed, generally interested, or even just curious, the Office is available to assist in providing information, tools, resources, and options for consideration and use by students and alumni. In addition to membership in public interest programs such as Equal Justice Works, some of the primary resources include:

An Attorney-Counselor Dedicated to Serving Public Interest-Minded Students
One of the attorney-counselors in the Office of Career Planning and Professional Development is dedicated to counseling students focused on government and public interest careers. The attorney counselor gets to know each student to learn their interests and to provide advice that is tailored to the individual student based on their goals and interests and maintains a working relationship with students throughout their years in law school. Students have the option to schedule in-person, one-on-one meetings with the attorney-counselor, to meet over the internet or by phone, or to have questions answered over email. The attorney counselor will also assist with interview preparation including mock interview practice and provides services to improve the students’ written application materials from resumes to cover letters to fellowship applications.
Illinois Law’s Symplicity Account: Job Posting Board & Networking Tool
The Office of Career Planning & Professional Development solicits and receives information regarding part-time, summer, or full-time positions. These job openings are listed on the College of Law’s Symplicity account. One of Symplicity’s functions is to work as a job posting board where opportunities can be sorted by type, including public interest and government positions. Further, the Symplicity account also features a database of alumni called “Illini Connect” that is searchable in several ways including by employer type and employer name.
Programs, Panels, and Workshops
Throughout the year, the Office of Career Planning & Professional Development hosts a wide array of programs on public interest practice and navigating the public interest job search process. Speakers often are practitioners and other experts involved in the public sector. These programs provide students with opportunities to learn about the legal profession, network, and enhance their employability. Programs have included topics such as pro bono work in the legal field, legal aid and clinics, environmental law, criminal justice, government practice, and summer internship panels. The Office also holds an annual event called an “Evening in Public Service” that brings together dozens of students and alumni who practice in public interest and government fields in a comfortable and relaxed setting. The Public Interest Informational Interview Program matches students with alumni from across the country for one-on-one informational interviews that are conducted over Zoom.
The Public Interest Resource Guide
The Office of Career Planning & Professional development writes and publishes a Public Interest Resource Guide. This guide includes an introduction into public interest law, general job search resources, web-based job resources, names and contact information of alumni in public-interest fields, and tips for locating and securing public interest employment.

Career Fairs and Conferences
Career fairs and conferences provide opportunities to learn about legal fields, network with employers, and sometimes interview for jobs. There are an endless number of public interest career fairs and conferences that occur each year. A few examples of career fairs that College of Law students are invited to include:

University of Illinois College of Law Alumni-Student Career Conference
At this annual event, approximately sixty alumni come to campus to discuss a wide variety of career issues including public interest related opportunities. Usually held in February, this event provides students with excellent opportunities for networking and advice.
Equal Justice Works Public Interest Career Fair
Each year in the Fall Equal Justice Works hosts an annual public interest law conference, career fair, and awards dinner to broaden, support, and recognize the efforts and participation of public interest minded law students, lawyers, and advocates. Students are given the opportunity to interview with employers and to chat formally with practitioners representing a variety of interests.
Midwest Public Interest Law Career Conference
This career fair, typically conducted in late January, brings together law students and public sector employers. Opportunities for formal interviews and "table talk" are available. This program has been described as the way to get a public interest job in the Midwest.

Loan Repayment Assistance Programs (LRAP)

The University of Illinois College of Law is committed to encouraging its graduates to pursue public interest careers. The burden of law school debt can hinder students from choosing meaningful, low paying careers in public service, government, and nonprofit organizations, and the Loan Repayment Assistance Program (LRAP) gives graduates more flexibility in career selection by offering partial loan forgiveness to qualifying applicants. All graduates who choose qualifying work are eligible to apply through the annual application process.

Post-Graduate Fellowships/Awards

Law School Funded:

College of Law Post-Graduate Fellowship Program
To assist students in building government and public-interest careers, the University of Illinois College of Law has developed an innovative Public Interest Post-Graduate Fellowship Program. Fellowships range from six to twelve months and offer new graduates unique opportunities to pursue careers as prosecutors, public defenders, assistant attorneys general, municipal law attorneys, and legal aid attorneys across the United States. Fellows build important skills while serving fellow citizens.

Loan Repayment Assistance Program (LRAP)
The University of Illinois College of Law is committed to encouraging its graduates to pursue public interest careers. The burden of law school debt can hinder students from choosing meaningful, low paying careers in public service, government, and nonprofit organizations, and the Loan Repayment Assistance Program (LRAP) gives graduates more flexibility in career selection by offering partial loan forgiveness to qualifying applicants. All graduates who choose qualifying work are eligible to apply through the annual application process.

Graduate Student Funded:

None

Other Funding Sources:

College of Law graduates have been successful in securing two-year public interest placements with prestigious fellowship programs, including the Skadden Fellowship and the Equal Justice Works programs.

Term Time Fellowships/ Scholarships

Law School Funded:

Public Interest Law Initiative’s (PILI) Law Student Internship Program
While the majority of PILI Law Student Internship awards are issued during the summer term, PILI awards are also available for students who elect to do an internship during the Fall or Spring semesters. Selected interns are eligible to receive both academic credit and the financial award.

Graduate Student Funded:

None

Other Funding Sources:

Summer Fellowships

Law School Funded:

Course Work with Funding or Funding Opportunities

COVID-19 Practicum
The COVID-19 Practicum examined issues arising from the unpredictable consequences arising from the pandemic through a short session course. The students were then paired with the with legal aid organizations across Illinois in addressing the societal effects of COVID-19 through the College of Law’s externship program. The classroom component of the Practicum addressed issues relating to constitutional law, employment law, contract formation and interpretation, tort liability, elder law implication, health law, and bankruptcy. The classroom portion of the course featured a team-teaching approach led by College of Law faculty members and select guest speakers. Students were also provided with generous grants to provide the participating students with the necessary financial resources to engage in the summer externship program.

Legal Externships
Externships are designed to expose 2L and 3L students to practical aspects of lawyering by allowing students to earn academic credit for performing uncompensated legal work, under the supervision of lawyers at approved non-profit organizations, governmental agencies, or judges. Students will complete assignments such as interviewing clients and witnesses; researching legal questions; preparing pleadings, discovery motions, and briefs; and, in some instances, trying cases.

Racial Justice Practicum
This one-week intensive course surveys issues of race and inequality in several substantive legal areas: civil rights, employment discrimination, immigration, housing, healthcare, criminal justice and more. Each topic is taught as a module by a guest lecturer who is an expert in the field. With a focus on both legal doctrine and policy, this course is designed to prepare students for the range of issues they will encounter in their summer placements and future careers as agents of socio-legal and racial justice. Followed by a tailored externship placement tailed to the racial justice issues. Students were also provided with generous grants to provide the participating students with the necessary financial resources to engage in the summer externship program.

Jerome Mirza Foundation Grants
Exclusive to the College of Law, students are paired with public interest agencies and organizations located in central Illinois. These placements are eligible for externship credit for the summer work. Additionally, those who are selected for the Mirza Foundation grants also receive a generous summer stipend for their public interest work at the externship.

Anderson Fellowship Grants
Also exclusive to the College of Law, the Anderson Summer Fellowships are targeted for students who are paired with selected public interest agencies and organizations located in the Chicago area. These placements are eligible for externship credit for the summer work. Additionally, those who are selected for the Anderson Fellowship grants also receive a generous summer stipend for their public interest work at the externship.

Public Interest Law Initiative’s (PILI) Law Student Internship Program
College of Law students are encouraged to participate in the PILI Law Student Internship Program during the summer term. Students are paired with PILI partner public interest agencies, where they engage in direct client services across a wide scope of legal activities, all under the supervision of a PILI partner attorney. Selected interns are eligible to receive both academic credit and the financial award.

Scholarships and Awards with Summer Public Interest/Pro Bono Requirements

¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬Class of 1996 Public Interest Award
The Class of 1996 endowed an award for a student who participates in a summer legal pro-bono opportunity each year. Students are selected for this award primarily on their personal statement regarding their public interest goals.

Public Interest Law Foundation Summer Public Interest Grants
Funded in part by the proceeds of the SBA/PILF Auction, the Public Interest Law Foundation annually issues multiple awards for students engaged in government or public interest summer work. Public interest opportunities include direct legal work for government placements (e.g. public defender, judicial externship, EPA, etc.), and non-profit organizations. A primary part of the selection criteria is the applicant’s demonstrated commitment to a career in public interest.

SBA Leadership & Engagement Grants
Funded by the proceeds of the SBA/PILF Auction, the Engagement and Leadership Grant Program is an SBA initiative to assist College of Law students who will spend their summers providing legal work in government or public interest positions for little or no compensation. Additionally, the grants are designed to recognize students who have demonstrated engagement or leadership which has contributed to the College of Law.

Graduate Student Funded:

Other Funding Sources:

Extracurricular and Co-Curricular Programs

Numerous public interest and pro bono extracurricular and co-curricular programs are available throughout the year at Illinois College of Law.

Courses involving public interest and pro bono topics are carefully constructed by faculty, administration, and staff, as well as the students who enroll or serve as teaching and research assistants. Of particular reference, the extensive clinical and field placement offerings at Illinois College of Law have dedicated faculty who go well beyond the confines of the classroom in developing, overseeing, and assisting with programs in the public interest and pro bono areas. Whenever possible, stipends are generated but internally and externally to support outside placements.
Career Planning and Professional Development engages with potential employers and students identifying public interest and pro bono opportunities, in addition to other extensive programming and outreach in this area.
Faculty research and publications on public interest topics involve the faculty, staff, and student research assistants across a wide expanse of legal issues relating to matters impacting public interest and pro bono initiatives.
Journals at the Illinois College of Law have a rich history of scholarly publications addressing an extensive array of public interest discourse—Comparative Labor Law & Policy Journal, The Elder Law Journal, University of Illinois Law Review, Journal of Law, Technology, & Policy, as well as the Illinois Law Update.
Outside organizations regularly contact the College of Law for support from faculty or departmental areas for various types of engagement, such as staffing, student engagement, and legal/non-legal activities. One of many recent examples of this includes a multi-year series of expungement training and corresponding expungement clinics throughout several jurisdictions.
Public and Endowed Lecture Series coordinated through the Faculty, Deans, and Communications, and other administrative support present robust and ongoing exposure to an exceptionally diverse range of perspectives on public interest topics.
Student Organizations continuously create opportunities for the students and other members of the College of Law to provide service of a public interest and pro bono nature. The scope and range of such endeavors fluidly reflects the current needs in the communities as well as the interest and talents of the student body and other members of the College of Law family. Three of the most enduring annual projects include the Student Legal Relief projects (fka The Katrina Project), the SBA/PILF Auction, and student supported public interest summer grants.
The Student Records Office assists in counseling and enrolling students in academic bearing courses, promoting the Pro Bono Notation recipients in the Graduation Program, coordinates with Student Services in facilitating the §711 student law license program, and otherwise providing collaborative support with other College initiatives.
Student Services provides guidance and support for the public interest and pro bono initiatives of the student organizations, coordinates with outside organizations for inclusion of students and other College of Law members in a range of public interest and public interest initiatives, introduces public interest concepts and initiatives during New Student Orientation and a new student Law 101 series, publishes a weekly newsletter with pro bono opportunity and information, coordinates with Student Records in facilitating the §711 student law license program, counsels students in coordinates public interest scholarships awards/scholarship, oversees the Pro Bono Notation program, and provides support to other College initiatives.

Specific Student Organization Pro Bono/Public Interest Projects
Various student organizations at the College of Law are created exclusively around specific pro bono/public interest goals.

Public Interest Law Foundation: PILF engages in various public interest activities including essential product drives for food, personal items, and other needs in addition to sponsoring summer grants for students working in the public interest.
Student Animal Legal Defense: SALDEF regularly hosts donation drives for shelter items, collect funds to help support animal shelters, and hosts a toy drive which included personally crafted dog items.
Student Legal Relief: Continuously since Hurricane Katrina, this organization has raised funds to support travel and lodging over winter break to locations in need of donated legal services. SLR works to identify host public interest placements. Volunteer students receive neither compensation nor credit.

Asian Law Student Association: ALSA hosted a spring fundraiser in response to anti-Asian hate crimes. 100% of the funds raised were donated to KAN-WIN, a Chicago-based domestic violence and sexual assault services group that supports Asian American and immigrant women.
Black Law Student Association and the Student Bar Association: BLSA/SBA hosted a series of educational programs, which concluded in a virtual 5K Race for Racial Justice, with the generated funds targeted toward a local public interest organization.
Educational Law and Policy Society: ELPS is committed to advancing justice through classroom education by partnering law students with various area secondary schools to teach the high school students about the law and how it impacts their lives
National Lawyers Guild: Students, acting as legal observers, respond to request for legal observers at scheduled or ongoing protests and demonstration. Their observations of impediments and interference with the exercise of protester’s legal rights are duly recorded.
OUTLaw: OUTLaw has hosted ALLY training for members of the College of Law community.
Student Bar Association: The SBA hosts annual collections of clothing, personal needs, and a 1L food drive competition. They frequently host educational programs. At the end of every year, the SBA grants financial awards for students engaging in summer public interest placements.
Women’s Law Society: Annually, WLS hosts a judge shadowing program for College of Law student interested in learning inside perspectives directly from judges.

Comparative Labor Law & Policy Journal
The Journal was founded in 1976 to provide a venue for the very best scholarship in the comparative analysis of labor law and employment policy, and social security issues. With an extensive world-wide circulation, the Journal has become a major international forum for research, theoretical and applied, in an area of growing importance to the developed and in the developing world.

The Elder Law Journal
The Elder Law Journal is the oldest scholarly publication in the country dedicated to addressing elder law issues. This academic publication is published bi-annually by the students at the University of Illinois College of Law. The journal publishes manuscripts which not only address policy decisions, but also guide practicing attorneys. Thus, the scope of The Elder Law Journal makes it the perfect addition to the libraries of attorneys who advise clients on estate planning, living wills, arrangements for long-term care, qualifying for Medicaid, as well as other areas of law pertinent to the elderly. Additionally, articles in The Elder Law Journal are of interest to scholars and professionals in fields such as social work, gerontology, ethics, and medicine.

Additional Publications

Other well-respected publications at the College of Law which often include topics of interest in the public interest and public policy fields include:

University of Illinois Law Review
This journal is generally regarded as one of the preeminent law reviews in the country, the University of Illinois Law Review, which dates back to 1917 in various former iterations, is an academic publication published five times per year by the students of the University of Illinois College of Law. The Law Review provides practitioners, judges, professors, and law students with cogent analyses of important topics in the law. This journal often includes written work which provides cutting edge analyses of topics of critical public interest value.

Journal of Law, Technology, and Policy
For the past twenty years, the peer-reviewed Journal of Law, Technology and Policy has featured cutting-edge articles on technological innovation, policy, and the field of intellectual property. The Journal's mission is to feature articles on new technologies that raise important policy questions in both foreign and domestic jurisdictions and to discuss the laws, regulations, and policies that affect technological development and innovation. The articles included in JLTP present interesting perspectives on the intersection of public interest and technology.

Illinois Law Update
College of Law students author a regular column focusing on recent developments in Illinois law, published monthly in the Illinois Bar Journal and read by thousands of practicing lawyers throughout the state. These students are chosen from among the top legal writing students in the College. The Illinois Law Update, which traces its history at the University of Illinois College back to approximately 1932, frequently address emerging issues and critical analysis of laws relevant to the field of public interest.

Student Public Interest Groups

The dynamics of the student body allow the College of Law to present a wide diversity of student organizations that focus in whole or in part on public interest matters. Many College of Law student organizations, in addition to those listed below, regularly host programs to increase awareness of public interest issues and careers, encourage a diverse and spirited dialogue on public interest subjects, perform acts of public service in the community, and run charity drives for individuals in need

. General Public Interest and Service Organizations

Phi Alpha Delta Law Fraternity (PAD)
Public Interest Law Foundation (PILF)
Student Animal Legal Defense Fund (SALDF)
Student Bar Association (SBA)
Student Legal Relief (SLR)

Public Interest Concerns and Policy Organizations

American Constitution Society (ACS)
Bar None
Criminal Law Society (CLS)
Education Law and Policy Society (ELPS)
Energy and Environmental Law Society (EELS)
Federalist Society
Health and Elder Law Society (HELS)
If/When/How
Immigration Law Society (ILS)
National Lawyers Guild (NLG)

Affinity Organizations with Public Interest Components

Asian Law Students Association (ALSA)
Black Law Students Association (BLSA)
Christian Law Students Association (CLSA)
International Student Association (ISA)
Jewish Law Students Association (JLSA)
Latino/Latina Law Students Association (LLSA)
Muslim Law Students Association (MLSA)
Myra Bradwell Association for Women Law Students (WLS)
OUTLAW (Sexual Orientation & Legal Issues Society)

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