Summer 2027 PILI Graduate Fellowships

Description

The Legal Department of the ACLU of Illinois seeks graduating 3L law students for full-time Summer 2026 Public Interest Law Initiative (PILI) graduate fellowships. (We do not have positions for undergraduates.) Our program for this term will be a hybrid of remote and in-office work each week. PILI fellows must be located in Illinois and able to come into our Chicago office during their fellowships.

The ACLU of Illinois is an affiliate office of the American Civil Liberties Union, a national nonprofit organization devoted to the protection of civil rights and civil liberties through litigation, legislation, and public education. We work to fight mass incarceration and racism in the criminal and juvenile legal systems, promote full equality for LGBTQ people, challenge dangerous immigration detention conditions, battle racially biased and abusive policing, advance gender justice and reproductive rights, to advocate for children in the foster system and people with disabilities, and to defend people from government abuse and overreach. We are a passionate and highly motivated group of lawyers, public policy experts, lobbyists, fundraisers, engagement and communication professionals, and administrative staff. To learn more about our work, please visit aclu-il.org.

The Legal Department of the ACLU of Illinois advances civil rights and civil liberties through an active docket of cases in federal and state courts and administrative entities, as well as advocacy and public education in partnership with colleagues throughout the organization. Attorneys in the Legal Department provide supervision and mentorship to legal fellows.

Job Descriptions

PILI fellows will be exposed to, and participate in, the process of developing and pursuing impact cases and non-litigation advocacy to advance civil rights and civil liberties. The legal fellow’s duties may include:

• Conducting legal, policy, and factual research for current and potential cases and non-litigation advocacy projects.
• Drafting memoranda, affidavits, and sections of briefs.
• Cite-checking legal documents.
• Interviewing potential clients and class members; and
• Investigating the facts of specific cases.

Supervising attorneys are committed to providing mentorship and thorough and timely feedback on all work products.

Requirements

• You are a current 3L who will be starting as an associate at a Chicago law firm, and your firm participates in the PILI program.
• You will be located in Illinois and able to come into our Chicago office during your fellowship.
•  You are self-motivated and have the ability to take initiative, manage a variety of tasks, and see projects through to completion in a fast-paced and collaborative environment.
• You are receptive to feedback, enthusiastic about learning and self-improvement, and eager to incorporate feedback into future work.
• You have an excellent foundation in legal research, including judgment in discerning which cases are relevant to a particular research question and thoroughness in covering the question asked.
• You are well along in developing the capacity to engage in thoughtful and perceptive legal analysis, including the ability to build a logical and persuasive argument, to read and understand legal decisions and statutes, and to grasp whether and how legal authorities apply to a new set of facts.
• You are well along in developing excellent legal writing skills, including the ability to present ideas in a clear and organized manner and to write a memorandum that teaches the reader what you have learned through legal research (whether the meaning of a specific case or the state of a body of law in general).
• You can work collaboratively and respectfully toward resolving obstacles and conflicts.
• You are committed to recognizing and valuing all individuals in the workplace and respecting differences in race, ethnicity, age, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, religion, ability, socio-economic circumstances, and other factors.
• You have the empathy and interpersonal skills necessary to connect with, listen to, learn from, and ask questions of clients and other community members.
• You are committed to civil rights, civil liberties, social justice, and the mission of the ACLU of Illinois.

Applications

Please apply through the Public Interest Law Initiative (PILI) here and then apply directly to the ACLU of Illinois as described below.

Applications will be accepted until the position is filled. You are encouraged to submit applications as early as possible – decisions are made on a rolling basis.

You should prepare the following materials:

• A copy of your resume that lists relevant experience.
• A cover letter of no more than 600 words addressing the following topics:

1. What civil rights and civil liberties issue do you feel is most pressing right now and why?
2. How do your skills and experiences make you a good fit for this position?
3. Describe a specific example of when you took ownership (or responsibility) over a project or assignment. What did it mean to you to take ownership? What was the result?

• A list of three references, including phone number, email address, and a sentence about each one identifying your relationship to them and what information they can provide. We find particularly helpful the perspective of a practicing attorney or clinical supervisor who has worked with you, but we are also interested in speaking with professors, community members, coworkers, or others who can speak to your relevant skills and experience.
•  A legal writing sample (e.g., a legal memorandum or section of a legal brief no longer than 10 pages double-spaced that is substantially your work. Please provide a short description of the context in which you prepared the writing sample (e.g., a prior law school course or prior internship). This can be noted in your cover letter or in a short cover page to the writing sample.
•  In place of a transcript, a list of all law school courses that you have taken, are currently taking, and (where applicable) are scheduled to take next semester.

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The ACLU of Illinois is an equal-opportunity employer. We value a diverse workforce and an inclusive culture. We encourage applications from all qualified individuals without regard to race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, national origin, marital status, citizenship, disability, veteran status, record of arrest or conviction, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.

The ACLU of Illinois makes every effort to ensure that its recruitment and employment provide all qualified persons, including persons with disabilities, with full opportunities for employment in all positions.

The ACLU of Illinois is committed to providing reasonable accommodations to individuals with disabilities.

 If you are a qualified individual with a disability and need assistance applying online, please email our Human Resources Director at  [email protected]

 If you are selected for an interview, you will receive additional information regarding how to request an accommodation for the interview process.