IPP is seeking attorneys to join our 2025/2026 Pro Bono Cohort. Volunteers will work under the supervision of IPP attorneys to draft, file, and argue clemency petitions, building strong client relationships along the way. This cohort will be representing incarcerated students from Northwestern University’s prestigious Northwestern Prison Education Program (NPEP). The clients we will be representing have each been affected by the non-retroactivity of the Illinois Youthful Parole Statute: but for the technicality of timing, each would have already had a chance at release. Our cohort will work together to urge the Prisoner Review Board and Governor Pritzker to rectify this injustice.
This cohort is scheduled to begin in October 2025. We will meet for weekly hourlong zoom sessions on Fridays at 11am CST. There will be eight to ten training sessions, after which we’ll meet every other week to discuss case progress and troubleshoot any issues that may arise. We anticipate filing our clemency petitions in April of 2026, and hearings will be held in July of 2026. It is a time commitment, but a truly rewarding one.
Interested attorneys should complete this form by Oct. 17, 2025:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdEBXgJ9DYi5_h0z36uz8OYzPOmU8Z2aUxyrWQaoOp2GV1Heg/viewform