Public Interest Law Initiative

Name

Public Interest Law Initiative

Legal name

Public Interest Law Initiative (PILI)

Website

https://pili.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1977

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Public Interest Law Initiative (PILI) is a Chicago-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1977 that places law students and new law firm associates at public interest agencies across Illinois and coordinates pro bono legal services through 12 Judicial Circuit committees and 60 partner agencies.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Interest Legal Services

NAICS

Business, Professional, Labor, Political, and Similar Organizations (8139), Educational Support Services (611710), Professional and Management Development Training (61143), Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Alumni Benefits, Membership & Affinity Programs (EDALAOAM)

Keywords

• Public interest law
• Legal aid services
• Pro bono programs
• Law student internships
• Legal fellowships

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Law Firm Sponsorships: Chicago law firms pay stipends to incoming associates who participate in the Graduate Fellowship Program, typically ranging from $5,000 to $25,000 per Fellow.
2. Donations and Charitable Contributions: Individual donations, alumni donations, and corporate/law firm donations support PILI's operations and intern stipends. The Alumni Named Internship Campaign specifically funds intern positions.
3. Foundation and Grant Funding: Support from foundations to sustain organizational programs and initiatives.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

PILI is a nonprofit organization that recruits, trains, and funds law students and new law graduates to work at public interest law agencies in Illinois through its Law Student Internship Program and Graduate Fellowship Program. It maintains an Alumni Network of over 5,000 former participants and operates a Pro Bono Program that connects volunteer attorneys to low-income Illinois residents in need of civil legal services. PILI also coordinates 12 Judicial Circuit Pro Bono Committees statewide to expand access to justice.

Product overview

PILI is a nonprofit public interest law organization operating as a platform of interconnected programs rather than a single unified product. The core offerings include the Law Student Internship Program (funding placements for law students at public interest agencies), the Graduate Fellowship Program (placing new associates at legal aid organizations for 300 hours of service), the Alumni Network (maintaining connections among 5,000+ former participants), and the Pro Bono Program (a comprehensive suite including Illinois Free Legal Answers, IL-AFLAN, Legal Help Within Reach, Self-Represented Litigant Help Desks, and Conflict Referral Panels). Supporting resources include Pro Bono Reference Guides and Pro Bono Prospectus materials for law firms and corporations. PILI also coordinates Judicial Circuit Pro Bono Committees across 12 Illinois circuits to expand access to justice statewide.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Law Student Internship Program A funded internship program placing law students at public interest law agencies in Illinois. Interns work at approved agencies and participate in weekly educational seminars. Designed for law students seeking practical public interest law experience and exposure to client work.
• Graduate Fellowship Program A program placing new law firm associates at public interest law agencies in Illinois for 300 hours between graduation and joining their firm. Fellows gain experience while studying for the bar exam. Law firms sponsor incoming associates by paying stipends ranging from $5,000 to $25,000 per Fellow.
• Alumni Network A network of over 5,000 former PILI interns and fellows connecting through educational, networking, leadership, and service opportunities throughout their legal careers. Alumni give back by serving as advisors and donating to support current interns and fellows.
• Pro Bono Program Comprehensive pro bono programming including the Pro Bono Initiative, Judicial Circuit Pro Bono Committees, Illinois Free Legal Answers, IL-AFLAN, Legal Help Within Reach, Self-Represented Litigant Help Desks, and Conflict Referral Panels. Designed to increase availability of pro bono legal help for low-income Illinois residents.
• Illinois Free Legal Answers A virtual legal clinic where low-income Illinois residents can submit questions online about civil legal issues and receive responses from volunteer attorneys. It is part of the ABA Free Legal Answers platform and operates as IL.FreeLegalAnswers.org.
• Illinois Armed Forces Legal Aid Network (IL-AFLAN) A statewide network providing civil legal services to veterans, active duty military, and their spouses and dependents across Illinois. PILI coordinates referrals for the 101 counties outside Cook County.
• Legal Help Within Reach A program recruiting attorneys and law students from urban areas to volunteer at free legal clinics in rural and underserved communities throughout Illinois. PILI's first Equal Justice Works Fellow (2018-2020) supported this project.
• Self-Represented Litigant Help Desks Virtual help desks staffed by volunteers meeting with self-represented litigants for 30-minute appointments to help them understand and navigate the legal process. Available in Champaign, Macon, Madison, Peoria, and Tazewell Counties.
• Conflict of Interest Pro Bono Referral Panel A referral panel providing a pathway for clients denied services from legal aid agencies due to conflicts of interest to receive pro bono representation. Active in the Third, Sixth, and Tenth Judicial Circuits of Illinois.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 5,000 law students and graduates have participated in PILI programs since 1977
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Feature1 record

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered core and secondary.

• Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law - Bluhm Legal CliniccoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLaw school clinical program that serves as a participating agency for PILI's Graduate Fellowship Program. PILI Fellows work under supervision of Clinic faculty on juvenile justice, immigration, civil matters, entrepreneurship, and death penalty cases.
• DePaul University College of Law Clinical ProgramscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLaw school clinical program serving as a participating agency for PILI's Fellowship Program, providing legal services to low-income persons and groups in Chicago communities.
• University of Chicago Law School - Edwin F. Mandel Legal Aid CliniccoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerClinical program specializing in criminal justice, civil rights, employment discrimination, rights of the mentally ill, and low-income housing development. Hosts PILI Fellows.
• Loyola University Chicago School of Law - Multiple ClinicscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMultiple Loyola law school clinics (Business Law Clinic, Civitas ChildLaw Clinic, Community Law Center Clinic, Federal Tax Clinic) participate in PILI's Graduate Fellowship Program.
• UIC John Marshall Law School - Multiple ClinicscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUIC law school clinics (Community Enterprise & Solidarity Economy Clinic, Fair Housing Clinic, International Human Rights Clinic, Pro Bono Litigation Clinic, Veterans Legal Clinic) participate in PILI's Fellowship Program.
• Deere & CompanycoreGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate pro bono partner represented on PILI's Fourteenth Judicial Circuit Pro Bono Committee. Long-time sponsor of Equal Justice Works Fellowships, including PILI's first Equal Justice Works Fellow in 2018-2020 for the Legal Help Within Reach project. Hosts Illinois Free Legal Answers training sessions and criminal records relief clinics.
• State FarmcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate pro bono partner represented on Eleventh Judicial Circuit Pro Bono Committee. Established Pro Bono Committee to strategically capture and recognize pro bono services. Participates in Illinois Free Legal Answers and hosted multi-state Free Legal Answers Clinic during Pro Bono Week 2023.
• Illinois Tool Works, Inc. (ITW)secondaryGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate legal department has hosted several Illinois Free Legal Answers workshops with PILI. Volunteers answer questions on the platform and hosted presentation with community organization West Side Forward on small business formation.
• Illinois Bar FoundationsecondaryGTM or Marketing PartnerPartner organization providing support and recognition for PILI programs and initiatives.
• Chicago Bar FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in developing pro bono opportunities and maintaining the Directory of Pro Bono Opportunities in Illinois through partnership with Paladin.
• DuPage County Bar AssociationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborates with PILI's Eighteenth Judicial Circuit Pro Bono Committee to enhance pro bono services in DuPage County.
• Prairie State Legal ServicescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKey legal aid partner serving 36 counties in northern and central Illinois. Participates in Conflict of Interest Pro Bono Referral Panel and hosts PILI-sponsored events.
• Land of Lincoln Legal AidcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKey legal aid partner serving 65 counties in central and southern Illinois. Participates in conflict referral panels and collaborates on Volunteer Lawyer Eviction Project.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Legal Services Corporation (LSC): Federal funder of civil legal aid for low-income Americans; sets funding direction for many of the public interest agencies PILI places interns and fellows with.
• National Legal Aid & Defender Association (NLADA): National umbrella organization supporting civil legal aid and public defense programs; broader mission similar to PILI's access-to-justice coordination across the legal aid ecosystem.
• ABA Center for Pro Bono: American Bar Association division supporting pro bono programs nationally; operates the Free Legal Answers platform that PILI participates in and shares program development guidance.

Direct peers

• Equal Justice Works: National organization running public interest law fellowships for new lawyers and law student programs; directly comparable to PILI's Graduate Fellowship Program with national scope.
• Chicago Bar Foundation: Chicago-area legal aid grantmaking and coordination organization that is a documented PILI partner; operates overlapping pro bono and access-to-justice programs in the same geography.
• Pro Bono Institute (PBI): National nonprofit focused on encouraging, developing, and increasing pro bono legal services; operates similar pro bono infrastructure and corporate engagement programming comparable to PILI's Pro Bono Program.
• Illinois Bar Foundation: Illinois statewide bar foundation funding legal aid and supporting PILI programs; comparable mission around access to justice and legal aid coordination in Illinois.

Others

• National Association for Law Placement (NALP): Association addressing legal career development and law student recruitment into public service; adjacent to PILI's mission of placing law students and graduates into public interest roles.

Emerging players

• Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law: National civil rights organization engaging volunteer lawyers in impact litigation and pro bono; shares PILI's model of mobilizing private bar for public interest impact.

Regional players

• Atlanta Legal Aid Society: Regional civil legal aid provider running pro bono programming in a single metro area; structurally analogous to a state-level equivalent of PILI's local legal aid coordination.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCvPetvYwjbOAXS3NTPpxPRQ
• Facebookfacebook.com/PublicInterestLawInitiative
• Xx.com/pili_tweets
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/public-interest-law-initiative-pili-

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Public Interest Law Initiative