Local bar support is essential to legal aid efforts

Guest pro bono columnists this month are Michael T. O’Connor of Rockford, executive director of Prairie State Legal Services and member of the ISBA Committee on Delivery of Legal Services, and Lisa Wilson, managing attorney in Prairie State’s Peoria office.

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Regular readers of this column will already know that a great need exists for legal assistance to those who are unable to pay, and that Illinois legal aid programs are currently able to meet only a small portion of the need.

Fortunately, the courts, the ISBA, and many local bar associations recognize this problem, which cannot be ignored, and together they have developed several creative approaches to increase access to justice for the poor in Illinois.

While increased funding for legal services is essential, the role of the private bar in providing pro bono services is an integral aspect of a successful strategy to meet the need.

Many recent developments have put the spotlight on the importance of pro bono, and the pro bono reporting rule adopted by the Illinois Supreme Court has raised awareness among lawyers.

The court passed another rule this year, making it far easier for lawyers who are retired or inactive, or have limited admission as in-house counsel, to perform pro bono work in cooperation with legal aid programs.

The Peoria County Bar Association and the Illinois Coalition for Equal Justice are working with the Peoria office of Prairie State Legal Services to develop new and innovative approaches to expand pro bono.

For the past five years, the types of cases referred through the Peoria County Pro Bono Plan have been extended into other areas of the law. Traditionally, most cases referred were divorce and other family law matters.

Recognizing that low-income clients have myriad legal needs, the Peoria office has expanded cases for referral in the areas of guardianship, estate and advanced directives, tax questions, bankruptcy, consumer issues, predatory lending and foreclosures.

In 2006, the Peoria office developed a collaborative partnership with the Caterpillar Legal Services Division, and attorneys are working on a variety of pro bono cases in the areas of family, consumer and foreclosure law.

Training by Prairie State, private attorneys and Associate Judge Jerelyn D. Maher of the 10th Judicial Circuit has been provided to attorneys and paralegals.

In addition, attorneys through the Peoria office of Prairie State have been available as mentors to the attorneys at Caterpillar to review pleadings, answer questions and attend court hearings.

In 2008, special efforts are being undertaken with the support of the Coalition for Equal Justice, members of the Peoria County Bar and Prairie State to establish programs that provide particular attention to the increased numbers of foreclosures and predatory lending practices.

Other programs cover the unique legal issues that face veterans and their families, and development of an educational component to be presented to high school students about consumer law issues.

While there remains much work to be done before equal access to justice is a reality for all Illinoisans, the work in Peoria gives reason for hope and provides a model for lawyers and bar associations throughout the state.