ISBA expands Ask a Lawyer phone service

The Illinois State Bar Association is expanding its Ask a Lawyer Day program to offer telephone consultations one Saturday each month.

Ask a Lawyer Day previously was conducted annually, on a Saturday near Law Day, but because more citizens may be facing legal difficulties related to the economy, a monthly Ask a Lawyer Day will be held this winter and spring

Lawyer volunteers are being sought to answer phone calls at the Illinois Bar Center in Springfield on the following dates: February 21, March 21, April 18, May 2, and June 20.

Lawyers interested in volunteering to take shifts of one to three hours, to provide general information about legal matters, may contact Donna Schechter at ISBA headquarters in Springfield, (800) 252-8908 or dschechter@isba.org.

Callers will not be limited in the types of legal matters they pose, but it is anticipated some calls will concern bankruptcy, mortgage foreclosure, credit problems, collections and other financial issues.

This is the 28th year of the Ask a Lawyer public service program in which ISBA cooperates with The Chicago Bar Association and others that operate their own lawyer referral services. The CBA program operates monthly.