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1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of
3Representatives wish to congratulate the Public Interest Law
4Initiative (PILI) on the occasion of its 45th anniversary; and
 
5    WHEREAS, PILI engages, inspires, and empowers those
6advancing equal access to justice by connecting members of the
7legal community with those in need of legal assistance; and
 
8    WHEREAS, PILI envisions making equal access to justice a
9reality through a legal community with a deeply rooted culture
10of service, where pro bono and public interest law engagement
11is optimized to best serve people, families, and communities
12in need; and
 
13    WHEREAS, PILI and its Law Student Internship Program were
14established in 1977 to improve awareness of public interest
15law and provide access to justice for those without resources,
16which led to the establishment of its Graduate Fellowship
17Program in 1983; and
 
18    WHEREAS, As the mission and work of the organization
19continued to evolve and grow, PILI officially took the name it
20uses today in 1993; and
 

 

 

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1    WHEREAS, In the 1990s and 2000s, PILI's growth continued
2with the addition of its Pro Bono Program and the
3formalization of its Alumni Program structure; and
 
4    WHEREAS, Over the last decade, PILI has continued as a
5national leader in supporting law students working in the
6public interest law sector, funding more interns than ever and
7placing them throughout Illinois; the organization's pro bono
8efforts continue to grow and adapt based on the unmet legal
9needs of communities across the State; additionally, the
10organization has nearly 5,000 alumni spanning the profession
11and the globe; and
 
12    WHEREAS, Through its programs, PILI has created
13cross-state, grassroots collaborations to address critical
14gaps within the legal system; the organization continues
15working to build a legal community with a deeply rooted
16culture of service, where law students, lawyers, and legal
17professionals at all stages of their careers engage in public
18interest law or pro bono work, and it remains committed to
19addressing the unmet legal needs of low-income and
20marginalized Illinoisans; and
 
21    WHEREAS, For its 45th anniversary, PILI has adopted "Take
22the Initiative" as its theme to focus on emulating the example
23of its founders by taking the initiative and helping more

 

 

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1people in need of civil legal aid; and
 
2    WHEREAS, PILI will celebrate its anniversary at the 45th
3Anniversary Awards Gala on December 1, 2022; therefore, be it
 
4    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE
5HUNDRED SECOND GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
6we congratulate the Public Interest Law Initiative (PILI) on
7its 45th anniversary, and we commend the organization for its
8dedication to serving those in need; and be it further
 
9    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
10presented to PILI Executive Director Michael G. Bergmann as an
11expression of our esteem and respect.