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Why Work for Prairie State Legal Services? |
| Imagine working for a sophisticated, large law firm with the resources and expertise of 65 attorneys, 12 paralegals, 15 law clerks, 30 support staff members, and a nationwide network of legal experts. Imagine working in a community law office with from one to six other attorneys involved in the daily practice of law as it affects the lives and livelihood of society’s needy. |
| Prairie State Legal Services is both of those law firms. The challenge of a practice concentrating on the critical civil legal needs of poor people and the elderly affords new lawyers the opportunity to handle all aspects of their individual cases, and the opportunity to work closely with experienced practitioners. |
| Extensive on-the-job and formal training is provided in areas of substantive law as well as in lawyering skills. A case you handle at the trial level is yours to handle at the appellate level though, throughout, you are supported by experienced co-counsel. |
| A Prairie State attorney is an advocate, and his or her advocacy extends to active participation in the community we serve. As a Prairie State attorney, you will be called upon to speak to community groups and to become a resource for them. |
| Poverty law is its own specialty, and you are given the opportunity to master it. Prairie State insists on the very best advocacy for its clients, and expects its staff members to produce high quality legal work. |
| The rewards are many. While Prairie State’s challenging practice of law is rewarding in a professional sense, there is more to the legal services practice than law. The gratitude and appreciation of people you help, and the sense of satisfaction you experience when you help make "equal justice for all" a reality is immeasurable. Often, you are the only advocate available to your clients and your clients are people who have been victimized in countless ways. |
| You are the advocate for a single mother who finds that she and her children are locked out of their home. You are the advocate for an elderly man who is physically abused by the staff at his nursing home, or financially exploited by unscrupulous family members or caretakers. You are the advocate for a family that is terrorized by a violent spouse or boyfriend. You are the advocate for a person who is unfairly cut off from the disability benefits, medical benefits, income, or food stamps he or she needs to survive. |
| Legal services attorneys are a special breed. Like many attorneys, they are hard-driven perfectionists in their advocacy; they are compassionate toward their clients and aggressive in their defense, and they are imbued with a sense of justice and fairness. They are wonderful people to know and to work with. |
| What sets legal services attorneys apart, however, is a wholehearted commitment to the ideal of an equitable society and a willingness to stand as the lone champion of the interests of the disadvantaged, if necessary. |
| If our description of legal services and its attorneys strikes a personal chord in you, Prairie State Legal Services would like to meet you. |
| To arrange an interview contact: |
| Michael O'Connor, Executive Director |
| Prairie State Legal Services, Inc. |
| Administrative Office |
| 975 North Main Street |
| Rockford, IL 61103 |
| Prairie State Legal Services, Inc. is an equal opportunity employer and service provider. Prairie State offers a superb benefits package including health and dental insurance with dependant coverage, a flex benefit plan, life insurance, short- and long-term disability, a 403(b) pension plan, an employer-funded profit sharing plan, extremely liberal vacation and health leave, bar dues, and attorney registration fees. There also are opportunities for part-time employment with partial benefits. |
| In addition to full and part-time positions, Prairie State offers excellent opportunities for internships for college, paralegal and law school students. To apply, contact the Prairie State office in your area. |