The directors of the Lawyers Trust Fund of Illinois have announced a five-year honorary summer internship in recognition of Ruth Ann Schmitt, who is retiring as LTF executive director after 32 years of service. A grant award of $30,000 from LTF to the Public Interest Law Initiative (PILI) will create the “Ruth Ann Schmitt Legal Aid Internship” to support one intern each summer from 2016 through 2020.

PILI, which has placed hundreds of law students in legal aid internships since 1977, will identify interns for the Ruth Ann Schmitt Legal Aid Internship through its normal selection process. The intern will serve at an Illinois legal aid organization providing direct legal assistance to individuals with civil legal problems.