Resources for Self-Represented Litigants
***CLICK ON THE INTERNET ADDRESS TO GO TO THE RESOURCES***
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- Access to Justice Website
- Information on how to start a case, respond to a case, appeal a case and court forms. This is a program where self-represented litigants in Illinois can submit a question about their civil appeal.
- https://atjil.org
- Access to Justice Website—APPEAL A CASE
- Resources and information on how to appeal a case in Illinois.
- https://atjil.org/resources/?fwp_case_status=appeal-a-case
- Administer Justice Centers
- Religious based justice centers that require a one-time $30 copay providing assistance in the following cases: divorce/custody, landlord/tenant, debt/collections, estate planning, immigration, criminal records.
- https://www.administerjustice.org/GETHELP/
- American Association of Law Libraries “How to Research a Legal Problem: A Guide for Non-Lawyers’ publication
- Guide to help self-represented litigants find legal rules.
- https://www.aallnet.org/resources-publications/knowledge-center/public-legal-resources/
- American Association of Law Libraries Public Library Toolkit
- Guide to assist public librarians and patrons in the process of legal research.
- https://www.aallnet.org/lispsis/resources-publications/public-library-toolkit/
- American Bar Association Free Legal Answers
- Free legal advice for those who qualify from pro bono attorneys on civil matters only. Civil matters include the following topics: Family, Divorce, Custody, Housing, Eviction, Homelessness, Consumer Rights, Financial, Work, Employment, Unemployment, Health and Disability, Civil Rights, Income Maintenance, Juvenile and Education Law.
- https://il.freelegalanswers.org
- Eviction Help Illinois
- Provides free legal aid and mediation services to prevent evictions and increase housing stability. Call (855) 631-0811
- evictionhelpillinois.org
- How to convert your document to a PDF on your computer
- How to scan documents from your Android or iOS phone
- The above-referenced link is for information purposes only and not endorsed by the DeKalb County Circuit Clerk’s office, or any employer, employee, affiliate, department of the Circuit Clerk’s Office nor by the County of DeKalb, Illinois.
- https://www.lifewire.com/how-to-scan-documents-to-your-phone-or-tablet-4155329
- How to Zoom from your phone
- Specific information on how to Zoom from the phone.
- https://ilcourtsaudio.blob.core.windows.net/antilles-resources/resources/fadad7f8-4d23-4d7a-8f51-a746665faae0/SRL-Zoom_Instructions.pdf
- Illinois Armed Forces Legal Aid Network
- Free legal aid for Illinois Armed Forces.
- https://ilaflan.org/
- Illinois Attorney Legal Assistance Referrals
- Provides information about Rockford and Downstate Illinois Legal Aid Providers and University Provided Legal Services in Chicago.
- https://illinoisattorneygeneral.gov/Legal-Assistance-Referrals/index
- Illinois Court Help online
- Illinois Court Help assists you in understanding when going through the court process, wherever you are in Illinois.
- https://www.ilcourthelp.gov/hc/en-us
- ¿Tiene usted preguntas acerca del tribunal?
- Illinois Court Help le conecta con la información que usted necesite para ir al tribunal. Este es un servicio gratuito de los Tribunales de Illinois. Llame o Textee al (833) 411-1121
- Illinois Courts Standardized COURT FORMS AND DOCUMENTS
- Court forms approved by the Illinois Supreme Court
- Includes forms for Circuit Court, Appellate Court and Supreme Court.
- https://www.illinoiscourts.gov/documents-and-forms/
- Court forms approved by the Illinois Supreme Court
- Illinois Department of Public Health Adoption Registry
- Resources, forms, laws and rules regarding the Illinois adoption Registry.
- https://dph.illinois.gov/topics-services/birth-death-other-records/adoption.html
- Illinois Legal Aid Online
- Legal forms, tools, resources, and information to help through court processes.
- https://www.illinoislegalaid.org/
- Illinois Legal Aid Online FORMS LIBRARY
- Links directly to the Illinois Legal Aid forms library.
- https://www.illinoislegalaid.org/form-library
- Illinois Office of the State Appellate Defender
- Information on Expungement/Sealing, health care waivers, executive clemency and more.
- https://www2.illinois.gov/osad/Pages/default.aspx
- Illinois Secretary of State
- Online services, publications/forms and contact information for the Illinois Secretary of State.
- https://www.ilsos.gov/
- Illinois State Bar Association Legal Information
- Legal information regarding your business, vehicles, family, finances, personal rights, healthcare, disaster services, veterans, jobs and more.
- https://www.isba.org/public/legalinformation
- Illinois State Bar Association- “Need Legal Help?”
- Find a lawyer, learn about lawyers, self-help and more.
- https://www.isba.org/public/needlegalhelp
- LINK TO DEKALB COUNTY CIRCUIT CLERK’S LEGAL FORMS
- All legal forms available for use in the DeKalb Court system are found on the Circuit Clerks website.
- dekalbcounty.org/departments/circuit-clerk/forms
- LINK TO THE SITE FOR FILING ORDERS OF PROTECTION
- This is the site for filing an Order of Protection or Stalking No Contact Order or Civil No Contact Order or Firearms Restraining Order.
- illinoisprotectionorder.org
- Nolo’s Free Dictionary of Law Terms and Legal Definitions
- Glossary of legal terms and definitions for self-represented litigants.
- https://www.nolo.com/dictionary
- Prairie State Legal Services
- Prairie State Legal Services offers free legal services for low-income persons and those age 60 and over who have serious civil legal problems and need legal help to solve them. There are 11 office locations serving 36 counties in northern Illinois.
- https://www.pslegal.org/
- Veterans’ Legal Aid Society
- Helps coordinate access to legal services for veterans.
- https://veteranslegalaid.org/
- Access to Justice Website
- E-FILING INFORMATION
- **YOU CAN E-FILE YOUR DOCUMENTS FROM A COMPUTER OR SMART PHONE**
- Odyssey eFileIL (a free eFiling portal)
- Access to Justice E-filing Information
- Step-by-step written guides with screenshots in English on how to e-file.
- https://atjil.org/resources-for-self-represented-litigants/
- Odyssey File & Serve FAQs
- Answers about what filing code to use, how to start a new case, how to correct a rejected envelope, how to add a payment account, how to electronically serve the other party, error messages and more.
- https://odysseyfileandserve.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/categories/360003807591