Op-Ed: Find Help in Legal Aid

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Unemployment, domestic violence, missing rent and getting food stamps are not new issues, but they are becoming more common as the pandemic continues. While there are doctors and nurses taking care of sick patients, there are others on the sidelines willing to help others negatively impacted by the effects of the pandemic. One of these helpers is the legal aid lawyer.

While these problems may not seem legal in nature at first glance, they are actually the exact issues that legal aid lawyers have been working on for decades. Legal aid is assistance provided by lawyers that is free or low-cost based on the client’s income. Legal aid can be a real asset right now for people, families and communities in need.

For example, if you aren’t sure if you qualify for SNAP benefits, a lawyer can help you apply.  If you were wrongfully denied an unemployment claim, a lawyer can help you with your appeal. If you are unable to afford rent, a lawyer can help you know your rights and negotiate with your landlord.  If you are dealing with a domestic abuser, a lawyer can help you file an order of protection.

Legal issues that aren’t dealt with tend to get worse as time goes on. A landlord may be more likely to negotiate with you now, before eviction courts open back up. You also shouldn’t miss unemployment payments or SNAP benefits because of wrongful denials. These appeals should happen quickly to help with your finances right away.

If you are interested in free or low-cost civil legal assistance, most legal aid programs are offering help remotely right now. These programs have income guidelines that you will need to meet in order to qualify. If you recently lost your job or were furloughed, your income is currently $0 and so you will likely qualify. If you don’t qualify for free legal assistance, agencies can often point you to lawyers that do low-cost or sliding scale services.

In Cook County, the best starting point for legal help is CARPLS legal aid hotline. CARPLS operates a free telephone hotline where people talk directly to attorneys who offer legal advice and assistance, and if you need further assistance, they can refer you to other legal aid programs that might be able to help. You can reach CARPLS at 312-738-9200.

In northern Illinois, the best starting point is Prairie State Legal Services. Prairie State Legal Services is an organization that offers free legal services for low income persons and those age 60 and over who have serious civil legal problems and need legal help to solve them. They have 12 office locations serving 36 counties in northern Illinois. You can apply for help online at www.pslegal.org or by contacting one of their local offices. See their website for contact information of local offices.

In southern Illinois, the best starting point is Land of Lincoln Legal Aid. Land of Lincoln provides free civil legal services to low-income individuals and senior citizens in 65 counties in central and southern Illinois. You can apply for help with them online at www.lincolnlegal.org or call them at 877-342-7891.

If you are a veteran in need of legal assistance, you can call the Illinois Armed Forces Legal Aid Network from anywhere in the state at 855-452-3526 to see if you qualify for free help.

If you have a civil (non-criminal) legal question, you can ask it for free on IL.FreeLegalAnswers.org and a volunteer lawyer will send you an answer. It is like a virtual legal clinic.

Additionally, www.IllinoisLegalAid.org has several articles, forms and resources to help you navigate government bureaucracy and the legal system.

Don’t let your legal problem get away from you. Reach out for help today.

Op-Ed: Find Help in Legal Aid

Posted on by

Unemployment, domestic violence, missing rent and getting food stamps are not new issues, but they are becoming more common as the pandemic continues. While there are doctors and nurses taking care of sick patients, there are others on the sidelines willing to help others negatively impacted by the effects of the pandemic. One of these helpers is the legal aid lawyer.

While these problems may not seem legal in nature at first glance, they are actually the exact issues that legal aid lawyers have been working on for decades. Legal aid is assistance provided by lawyers that is free or low-cost based on the client’s income. Legal aid can be a real asset right now for people, families and communities in need.

For example, if you aren’t sure if you qualify for SNAP benefits, a lawyer can help you apply.  If you were wrongfully denied an unemployment claim, a lawyer can help you with your appeal. If you are unable to afford rent, a lawyer can help you know your rights and negotiate with your landlord.  If you are dealing with a domestic abuser, a lawyer can help you file an order of protection.

Legal issues that aren’t dealt with tend to get worse as time goes on. A landlord may be more likely to negotiate with you now, before eviction courts open back up. You also shouldn’t miss unemployment payments or SNAP benefits because of wrongful denials. These appeals should happen quickly to help with your finances right away.

If you are interested in free or low-cost civil legal assistance, most legal aid programs are offering help remotely right now. These programs have income guidelines that you will need to meet in order to qualify. If you recently lost your job or were furloughed, your income is currently $0 and so you will likely qualify. If you don’t qualify for free legal assistance, agencies can often point you to lawyers that do low-cost or sliding scale services.

In Cook County, the best starting point for legal help is CARPLS legal aid hotline. CARPLS operates a free telephone hotline where people talk directly to attorneys who offer legal advice and assistance, and if you need further assistance, they can refer you to other legal aid programs that might be able to help. You can reach CARPLS at 312-738-9200.

In northern Illinois, the best starting point is Prairie State Legal Services. Prairie State Legal Services is an organization that offers free legal services for low income persons and those age 60 and over who have serious civil legal problems and need legal help to solve them. They have 12 office locations serving 36 counties in northern Illinois. You can apply for help online at www.pslegal.org or by contacting one of their local offices. See their website for contact information of local offices.

In southern Illinois, the best starting point is Land of Lincoln Legal Aid. Land of Lincoln provides free civil legal services to low-income individuals and senior citizens in 65 counties in central and southern Illinois. You can apply for help with them online at www.lincolnlegal.org or call them at 877-342-7891.

If you are a veteran in need of legal assistance, you can call the Illinois Armed Forces Legal Aid Network from anywhere in the state at 855-452-3526 to see if you qualify for free help.

If you have a civil (non-criminal) legal question, you can ask it for free on IL.FreeLegalAnswers.org and a volunteer lawyer will send you an answer. It is like a virtual legal clinic.

Additionally, www.IllinoisLegalAid.org has several articles, forms and resources to help you navigate government bureaucracy and the legal system.

Don’t let your legal problem get away from you. Reach out for help today.

PILI Receives $20,000 Grant from Alphawood Foundation

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We are extremely grateful to the Alphawood Foundation who recently renewed their grant to PILI of $20,000 to support general operating expenses.

Alphawood Foundation is a Chicago-based, grant-making private foundation working for an equitable, just, and humane society. Each year they award grants to organizations working primarily in the areas of advocacy, architecture and preservation, the arts and arts education, promotion and protection of the rights of LGBT citizens and people living with HIV/AIDS, and other human and civil rights.

Thank you to the Alphawood Foundation!

See a list of our supporters »

Learn about ways to support PILI »

PILI Executive Director Michael G. Bergmann Appointed to ABA Coronavirus Task Force

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PILI Executive Director Michael G. Bergmann has been appointed to the American Bar Association’s Coronavirus Task Force. In response to the growing legal needs of Americans arising from the coronavirus (COVID-19), the American Bar Association has created this nationwide task force of volunteer lawyers and judges from across the legal profession. The task force will identify the legal needs arising from the pandemic, make recommendations to address those needs, and help mobilize volunteer lawyers and legal professionals to assist people who need help.

Michael has served as PILI’s Executive Director since 2010. An active member of the American Bar Association (ABA), Michael is currently serving in the ABA’s House of Delegates and on the Standing Committee on Membership. He is a past chair of the following ABA entities: the Section Officers Conference (SOC), the Judicial Division, the Lawyers Conference of the Judicial Division and the Young Lawyers Division.

Learn more about the Task Force and its resources »

PILI Receives Renewed Funding from the Helen Brach Foundation

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PILI is thrilled to announce that the Helen Brach Foundation has renewed their grant of $10,000 for 2020. This grant will support our Law Student Internship Program, with a particular focus on issues related to children and people with disabilities.

PILI is grateful for our longstanding partnership with the Helen Brach Foundation as we help provide more legal services for people, families and communities in need.

See a full list of our supporters »

Make a donation »

Guest Post: Defining Justice Through Election Protection (866-OUR-VOTE)

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This is a guest post from Timna Axel, Director of Communications at Chicago Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights,  civil rights lawyers and advocates working to secure racial equity and economic opportunity for all. 

On Election Day in 2016, Tawanta Wynne went to her polling place in University Park, a south suburb of Chicago. As she checked in with the election judge, he asked for her driver’s license. Tawanta was surprised, because she knew that registered voters in Illinois do not need to show a photo ID in order to vote. She even told him that it was illegal to ask for photo ID. Nevertheless, the election judge refused to wait on her until she had presented her license.

“It was four o’clock when I get there to vote,” recalls Tawanta. The polls had opened at 6am. “I can only imagine how many other people you turned around,” she remembers saying to him.

Tawanta noticed that unlike the majority Black residents of University Park, the election judges at her polling place were all White. The racial dynamic created a sharper tension that stemmed from a long history of laws and practices disenfranchising non-White voters in this country.

“I just felt intimidated,” she admits.

That’s when Tawanta called a hotline she saw posted on the wall: 866-OUR-VOTE. She was able to talk with a volunteer attorney immediately. “It really helped me with what I was going through,” she says.

In every election, Chicago Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights recruits and trains volunteers for Election Protection, the nation’s largest non-partisan voter protection program. Our volunteers have one mission: Make sure that every eligible voter who wishes to cast a ballot can do so. Attorney volunteers will staff our call center downtown at Kirkland & Ellis between 5:45am and 8:00pm on March 17, 2020 to answer calls from voters across Illinois. Other volunteers will be monitoring the polls in person across Chicago and Illinois.

While most Illinois voters who go to the polls will not face problems, it is a fact that in every election some voters will have trouble casting a ballot. That’s because our voting process has multiple gateways, from registering properly to showing up at the right polling place to waiting in line and casting a ballot. Even small problems or delays on this continuum can become a serious hurdle for voters. When layered together, these barriers most acutely impact people of color, voters with a criminal record, low-income voters, voters with disabilities, and those with limited English proficiency.

At our organization, we define justice through a racial equity lens. Our voting rights works is laser-focused on eliminating barriers to voting and civic participation, especially in communities of color and low-income communities, and we use a community-informed strategy to drive our advocacy. For us, justice is denied when any number of voters is improperly turned away from the polls. That’s why we send volunteers to “hot spot” locations where community members have expressed concern about problems at the polls. When problems arise, we work with local election officials to make sure those issues are resolved on the spot.

Of course, we anticipate this election is going to be unique. With the outbreak of COVID-19 and ongoing problems with the implementation of Automatic Voter Registration, there may be a slew of novel and unexpected hurdles for eligible voters. Unexpected polling place closings, long lines, machine breakdowns, electioneering, and other problems are almost certain to keep some voters from casting their ballots.

Voters and observers should know that they can call 866-OUR-VOTE toll-free to connect with a volunteer immediately for assistance. Election Protection also has companion lines for those who speak non-English languages:

  • 888-VE-Y-VOTA (English-Spanish) administered by NALEO Educational Fund
  • 888-API-VOTE (Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese, Tagalog, Bengali, Hindi & Urdu) administered by Asian Americans Advancing Justice–AAJC and APIA Vote
  • 844-YALLA-US (English-Arabic) administered by the Arab American Institute

In this election, it will be incumbent on each one of us to stay safe, stay healthy, and protect the right to vote.

Do you have questions about Election Protection? Visit clccrul.org or contact Timna Axel.

State Farm, Haynes and Boone and Paul Hastings to Host Upcoming Quarter’s PILI Illinois Free Legal Answers Clinics

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A project of the American Bar Association, Free Legal Answers is a secure website where low-income Illinoisans can ask a lawyer for help with a civil legal issue. Volunteer lawyers then log onto the site at their convenience and answer questions waiting in the queue. It is a virtual walk-in legal clinic.

PILI became the state administrator for Illinois Free Legal Answers in August of 2019. Each month, PILI will spotlight one law firm or corporation that will host the official “PILI Illinois Free Legal Answers Clinic ” with their attorneys to answering questions on il.freelegalanswers.org. PILI is so grateful to the law firms and corporations who have hosted the PILI Illinois Free Legal Answers Clinics during the first quarter of 2020, including:

We look forward to hosting the PILI Illinois Free Legal Answers Clinics over the coming quarter:

  • April: State Farm
  • May: Haynes and Boone
  • June: Paul Hastings

Learn more here about hosting an Illinois Free Legal Answers Clinic »

If you have additional questions or are interested in hosting a clinic, please contact PILI Senior Managing Attorney Brent Page by email or by phone at 312-832-5128.

DePaul Alumni and Students Answer 50 Questions on Illinois Free Legal Answers

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Thank you to the alumni and students from DePaul University College of Law for volunteering at a Illinois Free Legal Answers Clinic on March 6th. Eleven attorneys and 14 students answered 50 questions from people in need!

A project of the American Bar Association, Free Legal Answers is a secure website where low-income Illinoisans can ask a lawyer for help with a civil legal issue. Volunteer lawyers then log onto the site at their convenience and answer questions waiting in the queue. It is a virtual walk-in legal clinic. PILI is the state administrator for Free Legal Answers in Illinois.

PILI is so grateful to the organizations that have agreed to host Illinois Free Legal Answers Clinics.

Learn more about hosting an Illinois Free Legal Answers Clinic »

Thank You to Ropes & Gray for Volunteering at the March Legal Prep Clinic

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Thank you to attorneys from Ropes & Gray who volunteered at PILI’s Legal Prep Community Law Clinic on March 3rd! Six volunteers assisted two clients with legal needs including child support and landlord and tenant issues.

PILI’s Alumni Network Leadership Council collaborates with Chicago Volunteer Legal Services (CVLS) and Legal Prep Charter Academies to host a monthly community-based clinic for the student families and neighbors of Legal Prep in the Garfield Park neighborhood.

PILI coordinates this monthly clinic, typically held on the first Tuesday of each month. If you are interested in hosting or your firm is interested in adopting a clinic date, please contact Brent Page by email or by phone at 312-832-5128.

Learn more about the Legal Prep Community Law Clinic »