CBA Record July-August 2024

Chicago Bar Foundation Report

From left to right: Illinois JusticeCorps Fellows Jeremy Bell, Joe Schwarcz, Leighia VanDam, and Tianny Batista.

Enhanced Resource Center for People Without Lawyers Opens in Circuit Court By Bob Glaves, CBF Executive Director T housands of people who come into the Circuit Court without a lawyer every month now have a new, central place within the Daley Center to get guidance on navigat

People visiting the Resource Center can get help from Illinois Justice Corps volunteers as well as assistance from several legal help desks. These include the Municipal Court Advice Desk and the Domestic Relations Advice Desk, staffed by CARPLS; the Foreclosure Advice Desk staffed by the Greater Chicago Legal Clinic; and the Adult Guardianship Help Desk, staffed by the Center for Disability and Elder Law. The new space is almost three times larger than the original location in CL-16, making it possible to include additional help desks. The CBF/Circuit Court Pro Se Advisory Committee is also exploring other services that can be offered. Initial plans also include hosting workshops for people without lawyers on common issues in navigating the court process, and adding self help stations where people can complete court forms and connect with remote legal aid services. The CBF website provides more information on the Resource Center and the services available.

ing the system. The Circuit Court of Cook County’s Resource Center for People Without Lawyers has a new home on the con course level of the Daley Center that will enable the center to provide improved and expanded services. The Resource Center, located in Room CL-29, is a partner ship between the Circuit Court, The Chicago Bar Foundation, and several legal aid partners that serves as a central hub in the Daley Center courthouse. Here, county residents can connect with legal help and other resources. Several hundred people already use the Resource Center each week to get information, advice, legal assistance, and referrals to help them navigate the courthouse and the court process. The Resource Center also offers virtual services to unrepresented liti gants in the Circuit Court’s suburban municipal districts.

20 May/June 2024