Illinois Legal Aid Online's (ILAO) legal content, technology, outreach and multimedia teams are always working on innovative tools, resources and services. Here are some of our current programs and projects:

AyudaLegalIL.org

On January 23, 2012, ILAO and Legal Assistance Foundation (LAF) launched a free, Spanish-language, legal information website with over 200 legal resources in more than 24 areas of civil law.

AyudaLegalIL.org, which is a mirrored version of the award-winning IllinoisLegalAid.org, provides zip code-based referrals to local legal services programs across the state and free, plain language legal information and resources for common legal problems. Interactive, Spanish-language legal guides contain frequently asked questions and answers, easy-to-understand definitions, step-by-step instructions, interactive forms, and videos on specific legal issues. The website makes navigating a confusing legal system easy and free to lower-income Spanish-speakers facing legal issues like domestic violence, mortgage foreclosure, wage theft, immigration and more.

There’s an App for That … and its FREE!

In the fall of 2011, ILAO launched two free apps, available for iOS and Android devices:
• The “Illinois Legal Aid” app, designed for lower-income residents who need legal assistance, offers plain-language, legal information and Illinois-specific referrals to courthouse legal-self help centers and legal aid agencies.

• The “Illinois Pro Bono” app provides Illinois attorneys and other legal professionals with a volunteer opportunity search tool, a calendar of upcoming legal events including MCLEs, and comprehensive legal resource guides in the most common pro bono practice areas.

To download the apps, go to iTunes or Google Play, or simply visit IllinoisLegalAid.org or IllinoisProBono.org from your mobile device and accept the prompt to download the app.

COMING SOON – the “Ayuda Legal Illinois” app – a mobile app for the new Spanish-language website!

“LiveHelp” on IllinoisLegalAid.org and AyudaLegalIL.org

"LiveHelp" is an instant messaging service that allows visitors to IllinoisLegalAid.org and AyudaLegalIL.org to communicate for free with a remote operator who can help them find the resources they need to better resolve their legal issues. On IllinoisLegalAid.org, operators provide direct person-to-person help between 9 a.m. and 9 p.m., Monday through Thursday, and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Friday. On AyudaLegalIL.org, operators assist website users Monday and Wednesday from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m., and Tuesday, Thursday and Friday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Since its launch in October 2009, volunteer operators have chatted nearly 19,730 times a year, for an average of 77 people per day who are helped through this service.

Watch our video below to learn how Beverly S. of Joliet used LiveHelp and hear what law students from the University of Chicago and DePaul have to say about volunteering. "It was just great to have a live person interacting with me immediately and being so helpful," Beverly says. "Knowing it was a live person made such a difference."

Legal Self-Help Centers

ILAO works with courts and libraries across Illinois to establish technology-based legal self-help centers that assist lower-income residents who cannot afford a lawyer. Located in local public libraries and county courthouses, these centers offer self-represented persons access to computers with free legal information and interactive documents on IllinoisLegalAid.org so they can better resolve their legal problems. ILAO collaborates with the local judiciary, circuit clerk, private bar, legal services providers, the Illinois Coalition for Equal Justice, and other stakeholders to plan each center and provides ongoing training, support and technical assistance.

From 2006 to 2011, ILAO helped establish legal self-help centers in 77 of Illinois’ 102 counties and our work continues. By the end of 2012, the goal is to have a legal self-help center in every Illinois county. IllinoisLegalAid.org features an alphabetical listing of the centers, including location, address, phone number, and website. Also, check out the new interactive Google Map of the centers!

Last update: 05/24/2012