Pro Bono Volunteer Opportunities in the Eighteenth Judicial Circuit
Through the below pro bono opportunities, you can provide critically needed legal services to individuals and families in need in the Eighteenth Judicial Circuit. We hope you will get involved and also help spread the word!
The following is a list of pro bono opportunities available in the Eighteenth Circuit through the Public Interest Law Initiative (PILI):
Illinois Armed Forces Legal Aid Network
Illinois Armed Forces Legal Aid Network (IL-AFLAN) provides civil legal services across Illinois to veterans, active duty military and their spouses and dependents. As an IL-AFLAN member, PILI refers pro bono matters to volunteer attorneys in the 101 counties outside of Cook County.
ILLINOIS FREE LEGAL ANSWERS
A project of the American Bar Association, Free Legal Answers was created to increase access to advice and information about non-criminal legal matters for those who cannot afford legal assistance. It is a secure website where low-income Illinois residents can ask a lawyer for help with a legal issue. Volunteer lawyers then log onto the site and provide assistance. It is a virtual walk-in legal clinic administered by PILI.
PILI PRO BONO MENTORSHIP PROGRAM
Through PILI’s Pro Bono Mentorship Program, volunteer attorneys who lack experience in a particular area of law will be paired with a more experienced attorney for advice and counsel to ensure competent representation of pro bono clients. The purpose of this program is to increase the number of clients who receive pro bono assistance while simultaneously offering a unique and invaluable learning opportunity for attorneys.
Prairie State Volunteer Lawyer Project
Many opportunities exist for volunteers to assist Prairie State clients through direct representation, counsel and advice, document preparation, and clinic settings. Due to limited resources, Prairie State attorneys cannot assist everyone who is eligible for their services, so they rely on volunteer attorneys to help many of their clients who are in need of legal assistance.
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CBA ASK A LAWYER HELP DESK
The Ask a Lawyer Help Desk offers assistance to pro se litigants in small claims, landlord/tenant and arbitration cases (under $50K) from 1:00 pm - 4:30 pm, typically on the second and fourth Thursday of the month. It is located in Room 2017 of the DuPage Judicial Center in Wheaton.
DUPAGE LEGAL AID
DuPage Bar Legal Aid is dedicated to enlisting the pro bono aspect of lawyering by connecting DuPage County residents to high quality, compassionate legal representation. Thanks to over 300 volunteer attorneys, DuPage Legal Aid is able to provide over 10,000 hours of pro bono legal services in DuPage County every year. DuPage Legal Aid helps primarily with family law issues (parentage, Orders of Protection, Stalking No Contact, divorce, guardianship, bankruptcy, and expungement cases).
Learn more about the Eighteenth Judicial Circuit Pro Bono Committee »