Introduction to Legal Aid Careers in Chicago
Legal aid attorneys play a crucial role in the Chicago area, providing much needed legal assistance to individuals who have nowhere else to turn for support. There are many types of legal aid jobs in Chicago, and countless opportunities for legal professionals to take their careers to another level while helping those in need.
What is Legal Aid?
Legal aid can be understood as the provision of free legal services to people who could not otherwise afford to pay for them. This varies from pro bono services offered by private firms, where they choose to represent some clients for free, to legal aid societies that serve as a free law office for the underprivileged in a region. Legal aid societies offer a range of services for clients, including criminal defense, domestic relations representation, elder law, employment law, housing law, civil rights help, tax law, bankruptcy, and others . Legal aid attorneys most commonly take on issues related to family law, housing, consumer protection, crime victim advocacy, and more in the Chicago area.
Common Cases
While there are a wide range of cases that come through legal aid offices, there are a few that are seen more often than others. Family law is a high-volume issue inside legal aid, with child custody and divorce being the top two issues. Fortunately legal aid societies have advanced understanding of all family law processes due to their experience and education, and are able to tackle these tough cases for those who are less fortunate. Family law courtroom experience comes with the territory, and legal aid attorneys get a wealth of it as they manage hundreds of cases over the course of their careers.
Potential Employers and Opportunities
Arguably, the major employers of legal aid in Chicago are the specific legal aid entities, both governmental and private. These might include:
• The Illinois Attorney General’s Office
• The Chicago Legal Clinic
• Legal Aid Chicago (which is the merger of the Legal Assistance Foundation and the Legal Assistance Foundation of Metro Chicago, a subsidiary of the Chicago Bar Foundation)
• Prairie State Legal Services
• The Lawyers’ Committee for Better Housing
• The Cook County Circuit Court
• The Chicago Bar Foundation
• The Legal Aid Society of Metropolitan Family Services
• The National Immigrant Justice Center
• The Cook County Bar Association and the Chicago Bar Association and their pro bono programs
• The Chicago Chapter of the American Immigration Lawyers Association
The Illinois Attorney General’s Office was created in 1820 to provide our state with legal counsel and representation and to act as the public’s lawyer. As an agent of state government, the AG represents the state in all matters, including policies, programs, and work of state government. The AG protects consumers, advances social justice and fights corruption, plus protects our environment and our health.
The Chicago Legal Clinic serves clients who cannot afford a lawyer by providing affordable legal services, representation and community education. The clinic’s practice areas include consumer law/debt collection, divorce/family law, housing, immigration and criminal defense. The Chicago Legal Clinic also offers its training programs to help individuals grow their legal careers into meaningful legal careers. The Chicago Legal Clinic aims to increase access to justice through the work of its 30 full-time attorneys and approximately 500 volunteer lawyers.
Legal Aid Chicago, formerly known as the Legal Assistance Foundation is, by far, the largest legal services provider in Chicago. It has four main locations around the city. Legal Aid Chicago is a non-profit law firm dedicated to providing free legal services to low-income residents of metropolitan Chicago. Legal Aid Chicago provides free civil legal services to those who advocate for social and economic self-sufficiency. Legal Aid Chicago works to close the justice gap by assisting clients with legal issues for which they cannot afford an attorney. Legal Aid Chicago serves more than 21,000 individuals per year in cases involving domestic violence, children, housing, employment, health benefits, consumer fraud, and civil rights.
Prairie State Legal Services is a non-profit that provides equal access to justice to individuals who need legal assistance and who otherwise do not have it. Prairie State Legal Services helps low-income individuals in Lake, Kane, Kankakee, Kendall, McHenry, and Will counties secure equal access to justice, provide help and advice in important legal issues, educate and empower the community, and promote self-reliance and economic independence. Prairie State Legal Services provides legal assistance in civil matters including child custody, domestic violence, medical bills, foreclosure, consumer fraud, debt collection, bankruptcy, unemployment compensation, disability, and estate planning. Prairie State Legal Services also assists persons with dementia and Alzheimer’s through the long-term care ombudsman program and assists senior citizens through the senior helpline and the statewide senior legal helpline.
The Lawyers’ Committee for Better Housing was founded in 1981 as a pro bono collaborative of the Chicago bar to provide free legal services for low-to-moderate income residents of substandard rental housing in Chicago. The Lawyers Committee for Better Housing is committed to preserving affordable housing and preventing homelessness.
The Cook County Circuit Court provides a wide variety of programs and services that are accessible and responsive to the needs of individuals, businesses, and municipalities in Cook County, Illinois. The Cook County Circuit Court aims to maintain stability and accessibility for the legal community through educational and informational programs as well as alternative dispute resolution services. The Cook County Circuit Court provides public information, case processing, and electronic document management to enhance public confidence and foster fair and timely resolution of cases.
The CBF is a leader in the legal and charitable communities. Through its programs, the CBF works to improve access to justice for the disadvantaged, build a better legal profession, and to enhance the administration of justice. The CBF provides grants totaling more than $1 million each year to legal aid organizations serving thousands of people in need. The Chicago Bar Foundation also promotes community awareness of the law through events, publications, and outreach programs. Finally, the Chicago Bar Foundation conducts in-depth studies to address the most pressing challenges facing our legal system.
The Legal Aid Society of Metropolitan Family Services aims to empower individuals and families and to keep our neighborhoods and communities safe and healthy. Legal Aid Society provides low-income individuals with legal assistance in the areas of immigration, domestic violence, family law, housing, consumer issues and wills and probate. Legal Aid Society also provides trauma-informed legal services and holistic programming to low-income children in schools, day care centers, and pediatric clinics.
The National Immigrant Justice Center promotes humane conditions of detention and due process for non-citizens who are detained in immigration facilities. The National Immigrant Justice Center collaborates with the nation’s leading immigrant advocacy organizations to educate the public on immigrants’ rights. The National Immigrant Justice Center promotes immigrant rights on a local, state, and national level. The National Immigrant Justice Center also aims to promote awareness and humane treatment of detainees during congressional hearings and in the media.
Qualifications and Pre-Requisites
The path to obtaining a legal aid job in Chicago often begins with a relevant educational background. A bachelor’s degree, particularly with a focus on social sciences such as psychology, sociology, and criminal justice provides a solid foundation. Many positions also require a Juris Doctorate (JD), as legal aid lawyers must have completed a college degree followed by law school. Of course, the most important qualification is a commitment to social justice, equal access to justice, and a commitment to ending violence and oppression.
Although not always mandatory, experience in the field of public interest law or related nonprofit work can be beneficial. Organizations typically seek individuals with advanced problem-solving skills, a passion to assist underrepresented communities, and the capability to work effectively under pressure.
Certain completions and requirements may be needed depending on the specific organization and role. For example, counselors and caseworkers will often require ongoing training as well as certifications from governing organizations such as NASW. Attorneys, on the other hand, must pass the Bar Examination, and some firms may choose to hire only those who hold an LLM degree.
Individuals seeking legal aid jobs in Chicago must exhibit a commitment to respecting their clients, and being sensitive to their backgrounds and life experiences in a nonjudgmental manner.
Salary and Compensation
An analysis of key statistics reveals that in Chicago the average salary for legal aid staff lawyers and supervising attorneys in 2011-2012 was between $47,685 and $87,137, respectively. This was significantly lower than the national average for supervising attorneys ($91,350) and slightly above the national average for staff attorneys ($46,402). These figures reflect an emphasis on value within legal aid organizations in Chicago, which savors experience over education in skilled professionals. Research shows that attorneys with between three and five years of experience can expect to earn an average salary of $51,592. This is considerably lower than the national average for the same experience level ($61,358). However, attorneys in Chicago quickly gain traction — those with between six and ten years of experience earn an average of $59,933 – which is competitive with the national standard ($60,760). As Chicago legal aid jobs continue to be in high demand, salaries are expected to remain competitive with the national standard, particularly for highly skilled positions. Perhaps a more interesting study to analyze are the trends for non-attorney legal aid positions. For Chicago legal positions such as paralegals and law clerks, average salaries generally exceeded the national average. The bigger discrepancy is reflected in job titles such as advocacy coordinators. In Chicago, these positions commanded an average salary of $63,115 compared to the national mean of $31,632. This premium may well be indicative of market differentiation in which employers in the Chicago area are willing to spend in order to attract seasoned and educated professionals. However, this difference in salary is consistent throughout the United States, where the national mean wage for this type of position is $35,719. Analysts purport the reason for the differential in salary for these positions to be linked to regional variations and specialization within the legal sector.
Problems vs. Benefits
Common challenges faced by people working with Legal Aid in Chicago include underfunded resources and a lack of public appreciation for their important work. This is a problem in many cities, but the situation is particularly severe in Illinois where the budget crisis leaves many Legal Aid programs struggling. Nevertheless, through reforms in large legal aid organizations such as legal assistance foundations and pro-bono law firms, more can be done to help those in need, and more legal aid jobs in Chicago can be created. While the value surrounding Legal Aid jobs cannot be measured in the amount of money earned , it goes beyond that into the lives of the people serviced under these programs. Knowing the effect that a program can have on a family, or a person, is enough reward for even the toughest of challenges. The emotionally driven and rewarding feeling alone is more than worth the discounted payment and long hours. Through hard work, and with a little luck, funding has shown improvement to be constant and steady throughout the years which has helped legal aid in finding new ways to grow within the industry. Regardless of the game plan, we all need those in place to help others.
Advancement
When it comes to career goals, legal aid work in Chicago provides advanced opportunities for professional growth. With a wealth of organizations and specializations, legal aid workers in the area can follow a clear path to career advancement. At the entry level, many legal aid workers enter the profession as clerks or paralegals. In these roles, staff members develop organization skills, research capabilities and general knowledge of the law. Over time, they can continue to work towards advanced certifications and could potentially complete a JD degree to become practicing attorneys. As experienced professionals specializing in various areas of law, other legal aid workers can also pursue advanced roles within the national field. In Chicago, program coordinators often work as direct advocates for specific communities or causes. Many legal aid workers take on supervisory roles that allow them to assess the needs of their team members and train new employees. At the same time, some Chicago legal aid attorneys become staff attorneys. As staff members, they gain a greater say in the inner workings of not only their area of specialization, but also the greater legal aid organization. When legal aid teams are responsible for all areas of law, each attorney works with a broad range of clients. Regardless of their role, legal aid professionals in Chicago often work closely with the legal community, which can open doors for additional collaborations or career paths.
How to Apply
How to Apply for Legal Aid Jobs in Chicago
When considering a career in legal aid, you want to make the best possible impression with your application. Finding openings can sometimes be an issue, but there are several places you can check:
- The websites of the organizations themselves
- Activist groups or pro bono networks
- National databases or job boards
- Networking, either in person or online
- Legal Aid job postings listed here
- Legal job boards and classifieds pages
- Local legal job centers to search for listings
- Email alerts to keep you abreast of new job opportunities
The best time to apply for legal aid jobs in Chicago is around October. These positions tend to get filled quickly, so it’s a good idea to get your resume in before the holidays.
Don’t forget about your law school’s placement center. They may have ongoing relationships with nearby legal aid organizations, and could help you find somewhere to land an open position. Contacting former professors and influential figures in your area can also help you land a role working with a firm, even at entry-level. You can also visit the government’s Non-Profits and the Law website for information on locating a local firm .
You’ll want to make your resume and cover letter pop, so be sure to highlight any pro bono experience or clinical work you’ve done, whether it be through school or otherwise. If you’re not familiar with these programs, contact the nearest law school for guidance. Be sure to emphasize any previous experience you may have working with families, the youth, the elderly, or immigrant populations, and if you have any international experience, feel free to point that out as well.
Additionally, some legal aid centers have fellowships you can apply for. Again, this could be a great opportunity for you if you are a recent law school graduate, so check out the Department of Defense’s Office of the General Counsel to locate more fellowships in your area.
During the interview process, try to remember that a lot of non-profit law firms might look at your experience within their office to gauge it. This may be a part of the interview, so be sure to focus on asking them questions about the industry, and interviewing them to learn more about the firm. You could also take this time to ask about things that may concern you, such as compensation.