Pro Bono Week

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Last Wednesday was the second annual Conference on Access to Justice presented by the Illinois Supreme Court Commission on Access to Justice. This year’s topic was “Pro Bono: Closing the Justice Gap in Illinois Courts”.

In a speech filled with deeply moving anecdotes, Keynote speaker, Bryan Stevenson of the Equal Justice Initiative, laid out the philosophical underpinning for pro bono work. He highlighted three features of meaningful pro bono work: Proximity, Hopefulness and Discomfort. He noted that getting close to people and their problems, despite the discomfort that may bring us, is necessary to create hopefulness and change. Mr. Stevenson’s keynote speech underscored quite effectively the power of pro bono work while reminding the audience how great the need for pro bono assistance is.

Jennifer Nijman, partner at Nijman Franzetti and a member of the Commission on Access to Justice, spoke in greater detail about the need for pro bono assistance in Illinois and offered some stark figures about the demand for legal assistance and pro bono assistance in Illinois. Illinois has about 400 legal aid attorney, but 2.2 million residents who are considered low income (those living at 100% – 199% of the federal poverty level). It’s estimated that fully half of those residents will need professional assistance with a legal problem in a year.  Only 10-15% of that work is done by pro bono attorneys in Illinois, with a mere 34% reporting pro bono hours to the ARDC each year. Ms. Nijman also highlighted court rules and statutes which facilitate pro bono work.

Two panel discussions followed: first one highlighting some court-based pro bono programs currently at work in Illinois and a second offering strategies and discussing partnerships that create successful pro bono programs in the courts, at agencies and in law firms. The panelists were Judge Dinah Archambeault, Chief Judge Ruben Castillo, Judge Barbara Crowder, Margaret Benson, Chief Judge Elizabeth Robb and Judge Jorge Ortiz. Judge Thomas Donnelly and Maria Minor acted as moderators.

The panelists talked about court-based programs that help a few hundred people each year. These limited representation court-based pro bono projects are easy for attorneys—and therefore more attractive to them—but they are also  easy for litigants to access. Court-based programs have direct benefits to the courts, as well, by improving the experiences of pro se litigants, as well as alleviating conflicts where judges are constrained by ethics from intervening with pro se cases. Panelists identified important strategies for creating programs that work, including good training for pro bono attorneys, effective use of judicial authority for convening stakeholders, and creating mechanisms for identifying good cases and turning down cases which are not suitable for the pro bono program. Panelists emphasized the necessity of evaluating the success of pro bono efforts, by polling litigants and de-briefing attorneys.

Chicago Appleseed could not function without our pro bono volunteers. While our work does not directly address the needs of low income litigants through legal assistance, it creates systemic change that assists low income litigants by improving our courts and advocating for better access to justice. In the last year we have:

  • Advocated against unconstitutional practices which forced defendants to choose between pre-trial freedom and a public  defense, resulting in General Administrative Order No. 2013-11 protecting parties who can post bond, but not afford an attorney
  • Prepared an extensive report for Presiding Judge Grace Dickler and the Domestic Relation Court Committee, analyzing the constitutionality of Cook County’s bifurcated child support system and advocating for innovation across the Domestic Relations Division
  • Advocated against proposed changes to recusal rules in Illinois, which were ambiguous with regard to a duty to recuse in the event of campaign support by a litigant or attorney
  • Collaborated with National Appleseed in securing an amendment to U.S. Senate Bill 744—comprehensive immigration reform—which would eliminate the need for immigrants to file Freedom of Information Act requests to access their own case records

If you’re interested in working with us, take a look at our current pro bono opportunities and then give us a call.