Jose Rivero to receive the PILI 2022 Distinguished Public Service Award

Jose Rivero was selected by the Board of Directors of the Public Interest Law Initiative (PILI) to receive the PILI 2022 Distinguished Public Service Award recognizing Jose’s commitment to helping those in need. PILI advances equal access to justice by connecting members of the legal community with those in need of legal assistance. For more information on PILI visit https://pili.org

Jose was recognized for his service as Chairman of the Board for the Farmworker & Landscaper Advocacy Project (FLAP), an organization dedicated to improving working conditions and opportunities for low-income workers and their households in a wide variety of industries through advocacy, community outreach and education, litigation, community legal education, information and referrals, partnering with other organizations to fight human labor trafficking, preventing family separations by helping immigrants secure dual citizenship for their children and facilitating access to cash transfers to very low-income populations. When Jose became the Board Chair FLAP’s budget was under $50k, and now it excesses $2.5 Million. FLAP had only one paid staff and one volunteer attorney, and now FLAP has 11 staff and is in the process of hiring more staff to join the organization. Under Jose’s leadership, FLAP has created partnerships with over 200 organizations, including 69 law firms all over Illinois. Jose’s leadership has guided the organization to be able to serve an average of 250,000 very low-income workers per year.