These referrals are offered as a partial resource for you and not an exhaustive list of Chicago and Cook County Legal Services. Additional resources can be found using Google or other Search Engines.
Illinois Guardianship and Advocacy Commission
GAC State Commission with its Legal Advocacy Service protects the rights and promotes the welfare of persons with disabilities. A board of eleven Commissioners, who serve without compensation, govern the agency. The Commission is an executive state agency created to safeguard the rights of persons with disabilities. By providing legal representation, investigating complaints of rights violations and providing state guardianship for Illinois' population with disabilities, the Commission has given voice to those who have previously gone unheard.
STATEWIDE GENERAL INFO: 866-274-8023
INFO For Out-of-State Callers: 708-338-7500
STATEWIDE TTY: 866-333-3362
Website: http://www.illinois.gov/sites/gac/Pages/default.aspx
CHICAGO AREA AND LOCAL COUNTY LEGAL SERVICE PROVIDERS
AIDS Legal Council of Chicago
180 N. Michigan Ave.
Suite 2110
Chicago, IL 60601
Phone: 312-427-8990
Fax: 312-427-8419
E-mail Address: info@aidslegal.com
Web Address: www.aidslegal.com
Service Area(s): people living with HIV/AIDS, low-to-moderate income clients in Cook County; Social Security cases, discrimination issues, insurance problems, public benefit issues, bankruptcy, employment discrimination; 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday.
Asian Human Services
4753 N. Broadway
Suite 700
Chicago, IL 60640
Phone: 773-728-2235
Fax: 773-728-4751
E-mail Address: info@aidslegal.com
Web Address: www.asianhumanservices.org/legal.htm
Service Area(s): direct legal services to primarily low income Asian immigrants and refugees in the areas of personal well-being and family law, such as immigration, divorce, child custody, housing, employment, and public assistance.
Cabrini Green Legal Aid Clinic
740 N. Milwaukee Ave.
Chicago, IL 60642
Phone: 312-738-2452
Fax: 312-850-4783
E-mail Address: info@cgla.net
Web Address: www.cgla.net
Service Area(s): housing law, family law, criminal matters; intake by phone.
Center for Disability and Elder Law
79 W. Monroe Street
Suite 919
Chicago, IL 60603
Phone: 312-376-1880
Fax: 312-376-1885
E-mail Address: info@probonocdel.org
Web Address: www.probonocdel.org
Service Area(s): persons with disabilities and senior citizens (age 60 or older); civil matters such as ADA cases, bankruptcy, debt collection, consumer fraud, elder law, family law, public benefits, housing matters, wills/probate; intake by phone.
Centro Romero
6216 N. Clark St.
Chicago, IL 60660
Phone: 773-508-5300
Fax: 773-508-5399
Web Address: http://login.npwebsiteservices.com/CentroRomero/LegalDepartmentCR.asp
Service Area(s): immigration assistance to Latino immigrants; walk-ins accepted.
Chicago Legal Advocacy for Incarcerated Mothers (CLAIM)
70 East Lake St.
Suite 1120
Chicago, IL 60601-5959
Phone: 312-675-0912
Web Address: www.claim-il.org
Service Area(s): incarcerated or formerly incarcerated mothers; family law cases only; intake by phone or in person. Volunteer lawyers conduct law classes at the Cook County Jail, Decatur Correctional Center, Lincoln Correctional Center, Dwight Correctional Center, Fox Valley Work
Release Center, and the Metropolitan Correctional Center in Chicago.
Chicago Legal Clinic
2938 E. 91st St.
Chicago, IL 60617
Phone: 773-731-1762
Fax: 773-731-4264
E-mail Address: info@clclaw.org
Web Address: www.clclaw.org
Service Area(s): bankruptcy, guardianship, adoption, domestic violence, landlord/tenant matters, tort defense, contract law, wills, immigration.
Chicago Volunteer Legal Services
100 N. LaSalle St.
Suite 900
Chicago, IL 60602
Phone: 312-332-1624
Fax: 312-332-1460
E-mail Address: cvls@cvls.org
Web Address: www.cvls.org
Service Area(s): civil cases, general practice (low income), bankruptcies, divorce, guardianship, adoption, tort defense, collection defense, landlord/tenant.
Community Economic Development Law Project
100 N. LaSalle St.
Suite 600
Chicago, IL 60602
Phone: 312-630-9744
Fax: 312-630-1127
Web Address: www.clccrul.org/projects/community_economic_development_law_project.html
Service Area(s): non-profit community-based organizations focused on housing and economic development, and individuals pursuing small business development with the goal of economic self-sufficiency.
Coordinated Advice & Referral Program for Legal Services (CARPLS)
17 N. State St.
Suite 1850
Chicago, IL 60602
Hotline: 312-738-9200
Web Address: www.carpls.org
Service Area(s): family law, consumer fraud, landlord/tenant matters, bankruptcy, debt collection cases, garnishments, contract law, housing discrimination, disability law, Medicare/Medicaid cases, elder law, veterans’ matters; intake via hotline 9:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday with hours extended on Wednesday until 7:30 p.m.
DuPage Bar Legal Aid Service
126 S. County Farm Rd.
Wheaton, IL 60187
Phone: 630-653-6212
Fax: 630-653-6317
Service Area(s): family law, appellate advocacy, bankruptcy, guardianship, adoption, wills, not-for-profit corporate advice for charities serving low-income persons, tort defense, collection defense, criminal misdemeanor, Social Security cases.
Equip for Equality
20 N. Michigan Ave., Suite 300
Chicago, IL 60602
Phone: 312-341-0022
Voice: 800-537-2632
TTY: 800-610-2779
Fax: 312-341-0295
Web Address: www.equipforequality.org
E-mail Address: contactus@equipforequality.org
Se Habla Español and other languages
American Sign Language (ASL)
Service Area(s): Discrimination, special education, advocacy in the areas of community integration, self-determination, and safety from abuse and neglect.
Illinois Legal Aid Online
http://www.illinoislegalaidonline.org
Service Area: Provides those who cannot afford a lawyer with easy to use legal information, self-help instructions, interactive forms and referrals to free legal services.
James B. Moran Center for Youth Advocacy
1123 Emerson, Suite 203
Evanston, IL 60201
Phone: 847-492-1410
Fax: 847-492-9828
E-mail Address: info@moran-center.org
Web Address: www.moran-center.org
Service Area(s): free legal representation and social work services to Evanston youth in the following areas: juvenile delinquency; adult felony and misdemeanor (21 and under); school advocacy (discipline and special education); code violations; and criminal records expungement.
Lawyers Committee for Better Housing, Inc.
100 W. Monroe
Suite 1800
Chicago, IL 60603
Phone: 312-347-7600
Fax: 312-347-7604
E-mail Address: info@lcbh.org
Web Address: www.lcbh.org Service Area(s): landlord/tenant matters, unsafe housing, evictions, lockouts, utility shutoffs; potential cases reviewed twice weekly.
Legal Aid Bureau of Metropolitan Family Services
One North Dearborn
Suite 1000
Chicago, IL 60602
Intake: 312-986-4200
E-mail Address: contactus@metrofamily.org
Web Address: www.metrofamily.org
Service Area(s): the Legal Aid Bureau of Metropolitan Family Services provides free legal services in consumer, domestic violence, family law, housing issues, elder abuse and financial exploitation. To make an appointment, call the Intake Line Monday – Friday, 9 a.m. – noon or 1 p.m. – 4 p.m. Spanish language assistance is available.
Legal Assistance Foundation of Metropolitan Chicago
111 W. Jackson Blvd.
Suite 300
Chicago, IL 60604
Phone: 312-341-1070
Fax: 312-341-1041
Web Address: www.lafchicago.org
Service Area(s): family law, public aid matters, Social Security, migrant issues, domestic violence and housing work.
Life Span Center for Legal Services and Advocacy
20 E. Jackson Blvd.
Suite 500
Chicago, IL 60604
Phone: 312-408-1210
Fax: 312-408-1223
E-mail Address: life-span@life-span.org
Web Address: www.life-span.org
Service Area(s): domestic violence cases (Cook County), divorce, orders of protection, custody cases; intake by phone 9:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.; no walk-ins accepted.
The Domestic Violence Legal Clinic
555 W. Harrison St.
Suite 1900
Chicago, IL 60607
Phone: 312-325-9155
Fax: 312-827-2425
24-Hour: 877-863-6338
E-mail Address: info@dvlcchicago.org
Web Address: www.dvlcchicago.org
Service Area: domestic violence cases/civil orders of protection for low-income residents of Cook County; walk-ins accepted from 8:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m., Monday through Friday.
Uptown Peoples Law Center
4413 North Sheridan Road
Chicago, IL 60640
Phone: 773-769-1411
Fax: 773-769-2224
Service Area(s): public aid, disability law, evictions.
Will County Legal Assistance Program
5 W. Jefferson, LL
Joliet, IL 60432
Phone: 815-727-5123
Fax: 815-727-5152
Web Address: http://will.illinoislegalaid.org
Service Area(s): civil legal services to low-income and indigent residents of Will County; intake via telephone.
PRAIRIE STATE LEGAL SERVICES, INC.
Web Address: www.pslegal.org
Bloomington Office
316 West Washington Street
Bloomington, IL 61701
Phone: 309-827-5021
Toll Free: 800-874-2536 (Livingston, McLean and eastern Woodford)
Fox Valley Office
1024 West Main
St. Charles, IL 60174
Phone: 630-232-9415
Toll Free: 800-942-4612
(Kane, DeKalb and Kendall)
Galesburg Office
1614 East Knox Street
Galesburg, IL 61401
Phone: 309-343-2141
Toll Free: 800-331-0617 (Knox, Warren, Henderson, McDonough and Fulton)
Joliet Office
5 West Jefferson St., LL
Joliet, IL 60432
Phone: 815-727-5123
(Will)
Kankakee Office
191 South Chicago Street
Kankakee, IL 60901
Phone: 815-935-2750
Toll Free: 800-346-2864 (Iroquois and Kankakee)
Ottawa Office
1021 Clinton Street
Ottawa, Illinois 61350
Phone: 815-434-5903
Toll Free: 800-892-7888 (Bureau, Grundy, LaSalle, Lee and Putnam)
Peoria Office
331 Fulton Street, #600
Peoria, IL 61602
Phone: 309-674-9831
Toll Free: 800-322-2280 (Marshall, Peoria, Tazewell, Stark and western Woodford)
Rock Island Office
1705 Second Avenue
Suite 314
Rock Island, IL 61201 Phone: 309-794-1328
Toll Free: 800-322-9804 (Henry, Mercer, Rock Island and Whiteside) Rockford Office 303 North
Main Street
Suite 600 Rockford, IL 61101 Phone: 815-965-2902
Toll Free: 800-892-2985 (Boone, Carroll, Jo Daviess, Ogle, Stephenson and Winnebago) Waukegan Office 325 West Washington Street, #100 Waukegan, IL 60085 Phone: 847-662-6925
Toll Free: 800-942-3940 (Lake and McHenry)
Wheaton Office
400 West Roosevelt Road
Wheaton, IL 60187
Phone: 630-690-2130
Toll Free: 800-690-2130
(DuPage)
Woodstock Office
400 Russel Court
Woodstock, IL 60098
Phone: 815-206-5828
Toll Free: 800-942-3940
(McHenry)