The Nonprofit Legal Support Project Pro Bono Program
Pro bono lawyers with relevant experience can help Illinois nonprofits navigate and respond to a fast-changing federal legal landscape by volunteering through the Nonprofit Legal Support Project (NLSP).
Pro bono opportunities through the NLSP range from consultations to limited scope services to full representation and include helping nonprofits to:
- Assess and respond to threats to DEI programs and related legal risks.
- Understand and comply with requirements for their 501(c)(3) status.
- Navigate certifications and other challenges to federal funding.
- Evaluate and assist with restructuring or merger deliberations.
How to get involved
Limited Scope Services and Full Representation
The NLSP maintains an Opportunity List of active pro bono opportunities referred by partner organizations, including The Chicago Bar Foundation, the Chicago Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights (CLC), and Lawyers for the Creative Arts (LCA). To maintain client privacy, access to the Opportunity List is limited to volunteers who have been approved by partner organizations.
To request access, please follow the instructions below.
- If you are already a volunteer for CLC or LCA, please reach out to your contact at that organization to request the password.
- If you are a pro bono coordinator for a law firm, please reach out to Sarah Blair at sblair@chicagobarfoundation.org to discuss your firm’s interests and request the password. You may share this password with attorneys at your firm.
- If you don’t fall into the above categories but you are a licensed or retired attorney with relevant experience, please fill out our Volunteer Interest Form. Relevant experience includes:
- Corporate governance for non-profits
- 501(c)(3) compliance
- Federal funding certifications, grant compliance, or investigations
- Anti-discrimination law
- Employment
- Tax
- Corporate law
If you’re interested in volunteering, please fill out the Volunteer Interest Form below. Approved volunteers and coordinators can access the password-protected Opportunity List below.
Clinics (Consultations + Limited Scope Follow-Up)
As part of the NLSP, the Chicago Lawyers’ Committee partners with law firms and corporate legal departments to host a limited number of legal clinics for nonprofits on issues including 501(c)(3) compliance, bylaws, and DEI risk assessments. Clinic volunteers are strongly encouraged to take on limited scope follow-up work on behalf of their clinic clients.
To coordinate a clinic on behalf of your firm or company, reach out to Amy Cook at acook@clccrul.org.
The NLSP is one of the pillars of the broader Nonprofit Resilience Hub working to assist Illinois nonprofits facing issues related to DEI programs, 501(c)(3) status, certifications and federal funding, and restructuring or mergers. It is a partnership between The Chicago Bar Foundation, Forefront, and the Chicago Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights, with a distinguished advisory committee of nonprofit and law firm experts and other local and national partners playing key roles.