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Delivery of Legal Services Spotlight on pro bono

  • July 25, 2019 | Practice News
    Spotlight on Pro Bono: Collaborative Law Institute of Illinois (CLII) Brings Collaborative Process to Modest Means Illinoisans

    By Sandra Crawford, JD

    In 2018, Illinois formally recognized the collaborative law model of dispute resolution with the enactment of legislation and the adoption of Supreme Court Rule – 750 ILSC 5/90 and Rule 294, respectively. The history of this model of limited scope representation or unbundled legal services starts back in 1990 in Minnesota. 

    In 1990, a Minnesota litigator, Stu Webb, the “godfather” of the collaborative model, wrote in his journal, “what if I just announce on January 1, 1990, I will no longer take any cases to court?

  • June 18, 2019 | Practice News
    Spotlight on Pro Bono: Statewide Online Access to Free Legal Services

    By Beverly A. Allen

    In 2012, Legal Service Corporation awarded a Technology Initiative Grant to Land of Lincoln Legal Assistance Foundation, now Land of Lincoln Legal Aid, and its project partners, Prairie State Legal Services, Legal Assistance Foundation, Illinois Legal Aid Online (ILAO), and PSTI to develop a statewide online access system, which would serve as a virtual entryway to the Illinois legal services delivery system. Land of Lincoln Legal Aid serves 65 counties in central and southern Illinois. Prairie State Legal Services serves 36 counties throughout northern and central Illinois. Legal Assistance Foundation serves all of Cook County. ILAO developed a statewide legal services website that serves advocates and self-represented litigants in the state of Illinois by providing access to legal information. The award-winning website functions as a search engine for people to find information and assistance related to their legal problems. PSTI is a company that developed the cloud-based case management software program, Legal Server, that is utilized by the three legal service project partners to manage their cases.

  • May 14, 2019 | Practice News
    Spotlight on Pro Bono: The Public Interest Law Initiative’s Statewide Pro Bono Programs

    Spotlight on Pro Bono: The Public Interest Law Initiative’s Statewide Pro Bono Programs

    The Public Interest Law Initiative (PILI) is a nonprofit organization based in Chicago, with offices in Peoria and Champaign. PILI’s mission is to engage, inspire, and empower those advancing equal access to justice. PILI envisions making equal access to justice a reality through a legal community with a deeply rooted culture of service, where pro bono and public interest law engagement is optimized to best serve people, families, and communities in need. 

  • March 20, 2019 | Practice News
    Spotlight on Pro Bono: Pro Bono Programs in Alternative Dispute Resolution in Illinois

    By Sandra Crawford

    Did you know…

    1. McHenry County Bar Association (MCBA) in 2001 started training and supplying volunteers to mediate pro se cases in the small claims court. Since it was established “our program has been successful beyond our wildest dreams, has eliminated untold small claims trial hours, has provided training and experience to a number of aspiring mediators, and most importantly, has sent more than a thousand small claims litigants home feeling satisfied that they had been fairly treated by the court system,” says the program’s founding member and full-time mediator, H. Case Ellis of Crystal Lake.

  • February 19, 2019 | Practice News
    Spotlight on Pro Bono: First Judicial Circuit Pro Bono Family Mediation Program

    By Missy Greathouse

    Dispute Resolution Institute, Inc. (DRI) has provided pro bono family mediation services to the first judicial circuit for the last nine years and is the only pro bono mediation organization available to the courts and families in southern Illinois.

  • November 26, 2018 | Practice News
    Spotlight on Pro Bono: The 17th Judicial Circuit Court’s Domestic Violence Pro Bono Order of Protection Project

    By Wendy Hinton Vaughn

    November is the time of year when we take time to reflect and give thanks for all the things for which we are grateful.  I am grateful for the innovative programs of the 17th Judicial Circuit’s Domestic Violence Coordinated Courts (DVCC) and wish to shine a light on the great work done by the Domestic Violence Pro Bono Order of Protection Project.

  • October 3, 2018 | Practice News
    Spotlight on Pro Bono: Celebrate Pro Bono Week October 21-27

    By Michael G. Bergmann

    Coordinated by the American Bar Association’s Standing Committee on Pro Bono and Public Service, Pro Bono Week is intended to inspire even greater pro bono participation by lawyers throughout the nation. This initiative provides an opportunity for legal organizations across the country to collaboratively commemorate the vitally important contributions of America’s lawyers and to recruit and train the many additional volunteers required to meet the growing demand. The Standing Committee on Pro Bono and Public Service undertook this initiative to provide a format for showcasing the incredible difference that pro bono lawyers make to our nation, to our system of justice, to our communities and, most of all, to the clients they serve. For more information, visit www.celebrateprobono.org.

  • September 4, 2018 | Practice News
    Spotlight on Pro Bono: Turn ‘Bored’ into ‘Board’

    If summer’s end has you feeling a little restless, consider expanding your personal and professional lives by joining a nonprofit board of directors. Illinois has over 35,000 registered charities, covering any cause you can think of – from providing job training for people with autism to promoting African dance as an agent for positive change. If you have a closely held belief or a passion for a particular purpose or mission, there is undoubtedly an Illinois nonprofit for you to support. Support comes in a multitude of ways, from financial contributions to volunteering to raising awareness. 

  • July 30, 2018 | Practice News
    Spotlight on Pro Bono: Pro Bono Assistance for Illinois Veterans, Active Duty Military

    The Illinois Armed Forces Legal Aid Network (IL-AFLAN) provides civil legal services across Illinois to veterans, active duty military, spouses, and dependents. In Illinois, there are approximately 750,000 veterans, 20,000 active service members, and 13,000 members of the Illinois National Guard. There are over 20,000 dependents of service members who were deployed between Sept. 11, 2001, and May 31, 2015. The top civil legal needs of this population include housing, family, and consumer law issues, as well as assistance with VA benefits and appeals, and discharge upgrades.

  • April 11, 2018 | Practice News
    Spotlight on Pro Bono: Another Alternative For Free Legal Services In Southern Illinois

    By Beverly A. Allen 

    The Neighborhood Law Office, is just that — a law office that serves the legal needs of its neighbors. The Neighborhood Law Office (NLO) provides free legal services to low income residents in St. Clair County and its surrounding counties. Implemented in 1996, Kathleen O’Keefe, a former staff attorney at Land of Lincoln Legal Assistance Foundation, Inc., was its first director. NLO falls under the auspices of Catholic Urban Programs (CUP). CUP was founded in 1973 as a department of the Catholic Diocese of Belleville and has provided charity services throughout Southern Illinois for over 40 years. The mission of CUP and NLO is to advance the dignity of the human person through compassionate responses to human needs, advocacy for justice, and to empower individuals and families to reach their full potential by ensuring access to justice for their clients.