Careers

Prairie State Legal Services
Is a Great Place to Work


We appreciate your interest as a prospective staff member. To ensure that we are accessible to and knowledgeable about the communities we serve, we operate 11 offices, with locations in Bloomington, Galesburg, Joliet, Kankakee, Moline, Ottawa, Peoria, Rockford, Waukegan, West Suburban (West Chicago), and Woodstock.

Prairie State Legal Services is a vibrant and highly respected legal services organization. If you are attracted to a mission driven organization committed to providing civil legal assistance for low-income people, Prairie State Legal Services is the place for you! 

You will have the opportunity to make a difference.

There are a wide range of positions, but all of our advocates can expect to be involved in the following activities: 

  • Conducting intake interviews with clients, participating in case acceptance meetings and engaging in case planning.
  • Providing legal advice, brief services or extended representation, including negotiation with adverse parties and attorneys and litigation at all stages before state and federal courts and before administrative agencies.
  • Providing direct advocacy that addresses systemic problems, including litigation, as well as legislative or administrative advocacy, as appropriate.
  • Participating in program-wide or state-wide task forces and/or working groups focused on specialized areas of law.
  • Engaging in community legal education.
  • Working with community groups and social service agencies to address client needs and protect their legal rights.

You will receive quality support and training.

Delivering high quality legal services starts with highly skilled advocates. You will gain experience with clients and in the courtroom, and as you develop these skills you will receive supervision from experienced attorneys and the Directors of Litigation. You will also receive excellent training, and many training opportunities are available every month.  Newly admitted attorneys receive an intensive Basic Litigation Skills Training. 

You will be part of a community.

You will also have the benefit of working for an organization that has all the advantages of a large law firm with the intimacy and immediacy of a small firm. You will be part of a select and close-knit group of dedicated professionals providing high quality legal services. Our offices range in size from three to eight attorneys, with excellent support staff. Yet, each of our offices are bound to each other by a common mission and a passionate commitment to principles of equal justice.  

You will be highly valued.

We are committed to attracting and retaining professionals dedicated to pursuing our mission, and strive to provide an employee-friendly work environment. We offer an exceptional benefits package including:  

  • Health Insurance (including dental and vision benefits)
  • Generous Paid Time Off (including parental leave)
  • Alternative Work Programs (including flexible work hours, part-time work hours, and telecommuting)
  • Flexible Spending Accounts (including medical and dependent care)
  • Life Insurance
  • Short and Long-Term Disability Insurance
  • 403(b) Retirement Savings Plan
  • Professional Memberships and Bar Association Dues
  • Professional Development Support

Transparency in Coverage: BlueCross BlueShield of Illinois (BCBSIL)

Effective July 1, 2022, the new federal Transparency in Coverage Rule requires that all group health plans provide Machine-Readable Files (MRF) of detailed pricing data, such as negotiated service rates and out-of-network allowed amounts between health plans and healthcare providers. The machine-readable files are formatted to allow researchers, regulators, and application developers to more easily access and analyze data. BCBSIL’s files containing this information can be found on this website which will be included in new employee orientation materials going forward: https://www.bcbsil.com/member/policy-forms/machine-readable-file.

Open Positions