PSLS Staff Attorney Pilar Morales Celebrates Admission to the Bar With an ‘Extra Layer of Grit'

(L-R) PSLS Director of Resource Development, Jenn Luczkowiak, and PSLS Staff Attorney, Pilar Morales, at the Bar Admission Ceremony in Elgin on May 7, 2025.

On Wednesday, May 7, 2025, PSLS Director of Resource Development, Jenn Luczkowiak, and PSLS Director of Pro Bono Services, Kim Thielbar, helped usher in more than 40 attorneys to practice law. Justice Chris Kennedy of Lake County presided over the 2nd District in Elgin’s Hemmens Auditorium Cultural Center and Justice Mary Kay O’Brien presided over the 3rd District in Ottawa’s Appellate Courthouse. Jenn and Kim were both humbled and grateful to participate in the ceremonies and meet these attorneys. PSLS Staff Attorney, Pilar Morales, was admitted in Elgin and we spoke to her about this historic day.

What was your journey to choose the law as your purpose and when did you discover PSLS during your career?

Mine is a classic story; I liked to argue as a kid, so people encouraged me to go to law school. I never took it super seriously but kept that in the back of my mind. I attended University of Illinois Champaign for undergrad studying media and cinema. I worked in that field but didn't love it. I wanted to do something more engaging. I knew I had a passion for helping survivors of gender based violence. This was during the momentum of the #MeToo movement. I felt the need to take a more active role in helping people.

I met with the wife of one of my professors at Parkland College and she worked for Land of Lincoln. She introduced me to the idea that the law could be the way I helped people. I began working as a Research Assistant at Northern Illinois Univiersty (NIU) at the Center for the Study of Family Violence and Sexual Assault, while my husband, Jeremy, began law school at NIU. One of my first projects as a Research Assistant was coding data of survivors' contact with law enforcement, where I listened to their personal stories. Many were bewildered that our legal system wasn’t helping them. I thought seriously about the law again.

Meanwhile, Jeremy is in law school and you’re witnessing that.

I let him be the guinea pig and let him go first! I realized this was going to be hard, but I thought I could do it. I began applying to NIU when COVID hit and decided to wait. My first semester was somewhat hybrid and those classes were hard because they don’t feel as real or important as when you are in person.

I focused on wanting to help survivors and volunteered at Safe Passage in DeKalb as a legal advocate. I couldn’t give advice but could explain what was happening in the courtroom and support them throughout their cases. Many of our clients were represented by PSLS attorneys from the West Suburban Office. Later, when I could give advice, I volunteered at the Northern Illinois Clinic based in the Family Peace Center in Rockford and interned at the Lake County State's Attorney's Office Domestic Violence Unit. I knew legal aid would be a good opportunity to continue to help family violence survivors.

There are so many ways to use your law licence. I think legal aid is very centered in public service. When I finished with the bar I started job hunting more seriously. My husband is from Waukegan and has always wanted to move home. This job was for a domestic violence staff attorney. This is bang on with all of my experience and I was excited to apply. I got a good vibe in my interview and heard great things from my husband Jeremy. He was in telephone counseling for almost three years and now also works at the Waukegan Office.

Congratulations on completing law school and passing the bar. What was your take on the Admissions Ceremony in Elgin?

My hair was not doing the thing and I scrambled out the door to the Admissions Ceremony in Elgin. It’s over an hour away. The ceremony was wonderful. Jenn’s speech had me tearing up a little bit. Our ceremony was about 25 people and felt intimate. Her opening line about that extra layer of grit was exactly how I felt after not passing the bar the first time then passing it! I got a little misty.

When I passed the bar I was like YEAH I did it! I knew I could! We live in a duplex and the news came out early in the morning. I felt bad for my neighbors we share a wall with because I was hollering!

How did you celebrate this landmark accomplishment?

My parents and husband attended my ceremony and we celebrated at lunch afterwards. Jeremy and I will also have a celebratory weekend acknowledging our anniversary and me being admitted to the bar.

How are you continuing to build your professional legal network now that you have reached this milestone?

PSLS is a great place for me to learn as a new attorney. I have a great supervisor, Megan Brady, and am going to touch a lot of different cases though I am most passionate about the law as it relates to family violence. I am now touching housing and divorce cases. That is really exciting. Just being part of the bar I feel like I am part of this secret club now. I went to an LCBA event for Northern Illinois graduates and met new people already. I’m excited to file cases in my name for the first time and be a part of these organizations.

I want to congratulate each of you on finishing law school and passing the bar exam. Each of those is an incredible accomplishment, but I especially want to congratulate you on passing the February bar exam. You see, I know that taking the February bar typically means that you have an added layer to your story. An added layer of grittiness, of spirit, of perseverance. And I know that added layer may not feel like a gift today. I know this, because thirteen years ago I sat where you’re sitting.

- Jenn Luczkowiak, PSLS Director of Resource Development