Prairie State Legal Services, Inc. - Rockford Office
975 North Main Street Rockford, IL 61103| View map
Phone: 815-965-2902
TTY: 815-965-5114
Toll-free: 800-892-2985
Languages: English
Send email | View website

Prairie State Legal Services, Inc. provides free legal services in civil legal matters for persons who have incomes below 125% of the federal poverty guidelines and senior citizens age 60 and older regardless of income.

View current federal poverty levels

WAVE - Working Against Violent Environments
516 Green Street Rockford, IL 61102| View map
Phone: 815-962-6102
Languages: English

WAVE (Working Against Violent Enviornments) is the local domestic violence program. WAVE services include; a 24 hour crisis hotline, emergeny shelter, walk in counseling, women's support groups, children's services, Boone County services, legal advocacy and medical advocacy. WAVE also provides presentations and professional training within the Winnebago and Boone County area.

The Domestic Violence Assistance Center is located in the lower level of the Winnebago County Courthouse.  This is a WAVE office staffed with two legal advocates who can assist people who qualify with an order of protection.

Zeke Giorgi Legal Clinic (Northern Illinois University College of Law)
319 W. State Street Rockford, IL 61101| View map
Phone: 815-962-9980
Languages: English, Spanish
Send email | View website

The Clinic provides representation to senior citizens and persons of limited means who would not otherwise be able to afford a lawyer. Legal representation is provided by NIU College of Law students under the supervision of a licensed attorney.

We assist senior citizens with wills, powers of attorney,  living wills, consumer fraud, guardianship, and elder abuse.

We also help domestic violence victims with orders of protections. 

ZGLC offers a Pro Se Civorce Clinic several times a year, which teaches people to obtain a divorce without the use of an attorney.

The Criminal Defense Clinic is limited to misdemeanor offenses only.

Equip for Equality
20 N. Michigan Avenue
Suite 300 Chicago, IL 60602| View map
Phone: 800-537-2632
TTY: 800-610-2779
Toll-free: 800-537-2632
Languages: English, Spanish, American Sign Language
Send email | View website

The mission of Equip for Equality is to advance the human and civil rights of children and adults with physical and mental disabilities in Illinois.  Equip for Equality serves people who have:

• a developmental disability such as autism, cerebral palsy and mental retardation.
• a significant psychiatric disability such as depression, bipolar disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder and schizophrenia (we give priority to individuals at risk for abuse due to seclusion, restraint, and any related serious injuries or fatalities, neglect, or civil rights violations, while residing in residential facilities).
• a disability as defined by the Americans with Disabilities Act other than one that is developmental or psychiatric such as blindness, deafness or hard of hearing, diabetes, HIV/AIDS, paraplegia, quadriplegia and multiple sclerosis.
• traumatic brain injuries (TBI).

Some of our work involves assistive technology needs, voting access and participation for individuals with disabilities, and vocational rehabilitation services, employment services, and other support services for Social Security beneficiaries with disabilities.

How to Request Services

People seeking assistance should call (800) 537-2632 on Monday, Wednesday, or Friday between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. We accept limited calls on Tuesday and Thursday from individuals in institutions (usually when they are emergencies only).

Lambda Legal Midwest Regional Office
11 E. Adams St.
Suite 1008 Chicago, IL 60603| View map
Phone: 312-663-4413
Languages: English, Spanish
Send email | View website

Lambda Legal is committed to achieving full recognition of the civil right of lesbians, gay men, bisexuals, transgender people and those with HIV.  The Midwest Regional Office has three attorneys devoted to sexual orientation, gender identity, and HIV/AIDS issues.

Lambda's Legal Help Desk responds directly to members of our communit(ies) who are seeking legal information and assistance with discrimination related to sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, and HIV status. 

The Midwest Regional Office accepts Help Desk calls at any time during business hours (M-F 10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.). Call 312-663-4413, ask for the Help Desk, and a Help Desk staff person will assist you. If Help Desk staff is busy helping other callers, your call will automatically be routed to the Legal Help Desk voicemail.

Latinos Progresando
3047 W. Cermak Road
Second Floor Chicago, IL 60623| View map
Phone: (773) 542-7077
Languages: English, Spanish

Based in Chicago’s Pilsen and Little Village neighborhoods—together home to the second largest Mexican population in the country—Latinos Progresando is a nonprofit organization that works with immigrants and their families to build stronger and healthier communities.

Latinos Progresando serves immigrants by providing the highest quality services at low cost: legal services, youth programs, and community forums are all part of our vision to build stronger and healthier families and communities.

Our Immigration Legal Service Program is accredited by the Board of Immigration Appeals, the nation's highest immigration court, and is listed as a referral agency for the local office of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Our agency's reputation for high-quality service draw clients from as far away as Waukegan, Bolingbrook, and Indiana.

Family Services
Our Immigration Legal Services program helps reunite. In FY08, we served over 1,400 clients and their families. We provide informational consultations and responsible referrals so clients are aware of the immigration process, including both their responsibilities and the benefits available to them.

Violence Against Women Act Program
Our VAWA program assists immigrant survivors of domestic violence – at little to no cost -- in separating from abusive family members without losing their eligibility for immigration benefits. The VAWA program was launched in 1991. It is named after the federal Violence Against Women Act, which allows battered immigrants to leave their abusers while maintaining eligibility for legal status.

Our office is open:

Tue-Fri: 9am - 6pm
Sat: 9am - 3pm

Our consultation hours are:

Wed-Thu: 9am - 5pm
Sat: 9am - 1pm

All Legal Services staff is bilingual in English and Spanish.

Midwest Center on Law & the Deaf
P.O. Box 804297 Chicago, IL 60680| View map
Phone: 800-894-3653
TTY: 800-894-3654
Languages: English, American Sign Language
Send email | View website

MCLD provides information to the general public on the rights of deaf and hard-of-hearing people, and helps deaf and hard of hearing people find attorneys willing to provide accessible legal services.  If you or a deaf or hard-of-hearing person you know needs a lawyer, please call MCLD to help you find one.

Farmworker Advocacy Project
100 W. Monroe
Floor 18 Chicago, IL 60603| View map
Phone: 312-784-3522
Languages: English, Spanish
Send email

The Farmworker Advocacy Project provides legal representation to the thousands of migrant and seasonal farmworkers who work planting and harvesting crops, detasseling corn, and cultivating nursery products. The vast majority of these migrants are Spanish speakers who migrate to Illinois from Texas or Mexico for 6-9 months. The primary focus is on migrants living in Northern Illinois. The FAP represents farmworkers, regardless of their immigration status, in disputes over wages, working conditions, housing, and field sanitation. We assist migrant workers to obtain tax credits, Social Security earnings records, and emergency Food Stamps. We also advise migrant workers who are eligible to naturalize.

Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR)-Chicago
28 East Jackson Boulevard
Suite 1410 Chicago, IL 60604| View map
Phone: 312-212-1520
Languages: English

CAIR-Chicago is a local chapter of the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights organization. The organization’s mission is to enhance the understanding of Islam, encourage dialogue, protect civil liberties, empower American Muslims and build coalitions that promote justice and mutual understanding. CAIR-Chicago’s Civil Rights Department counsels, mediates and advocates on behalf of Muslims and others who have experienced religious discrimination, defamation, or hate crimes.

If you feel you have been the victim of any form of discrimination because you are Muslim, or because you were mistaken to be Muslim, please contact CAIR-Chicago at 312-212-1520 to see how we can help.

Illinois Coalition for Immigrant & Refugee Rights
55 E. Jackson Blvd.
Suite 2075 Chicago, IL 60604| View map
Phone: 312-332-7360
Languages: English, Spanish
Send email | View website

ICIRR is dedicated to promote the rights of immigrants and refugees to full and equal participation in the civic, cultural, social, and political life of our diverse society. In partnership with our member organizations, the Coalition educates and organizes immigrant and refugee communities to assert their rights; promotes citizenship and civic participation; monitors, analyzes, and advocates on immigrant-related issues; and, informs the general public about the contributions of immigrants and refugees.

Winnebago County Legal Self-Help Center
Winnebago County Courthouse
400 West State Street
Room 101 Rockford, IL 61101| View map
Phone: 815.987.2514
Languages: English
View website

The Winnebago County Legal Self-Help Center provides legal information to Winnebago County residents about their legal rights and responsibilities, instructions on how to handle common legal problems, assistance with some legal documents and forms, and referrals to free and low-cost legal services.

Winnebago County Bar Association Lawyer Referral Service
321 West State Street
Suite 300 Rockford, IL 61101| View map
Phone: 815-964-5152
Languages: English
Send email | View website

The Winnebago County Bar Association Lawyer Referral provides referrals to members of the bar for those who can afford a reasonable fee for legal advice. Those seeking a lawyer can have a brief consultation for a fixed fee. If additional legal services are required the fee will be based upon agreement between the attorney and the client.

Those seeking legal help are first interviewed over the telephone by Bar staff, and then referred to a member of the bar who has agreed to participate in the service. Bar staff asks the nature of the legal service required and then contacts the attorney whose name appears first in the index, and who has agreed to handle that type of case. If the attorney agrees to accept the referral, the client is advised to contact the attorney's office to set up an appointment. A charge of $35.00, payable in advance, covers a first meeting of not more than one-half hour. Compensation for further services will be set by agreement with the client and the attorney.

The areas of law are covered by the WCBA Lawyer Referral are listed at http://www.wcbarockford.org/referalCat.asp.

Hispanic Lawyers Association of Illinois Lawyer Referral Service
321 South Plymouth Court Chicago, IL 60604| View map
Phone: 312-554-2045
Languages: English, Spanish
Send email | View website

Our 24-hour answering service provides referrals to private English/Spanish-speaking attorneys with experience in every area of the law.  Please call 312-554-2045.

IllinoisLawyerFinder.com
Illinois State Bar Association
424 South Second Street Springfield, IL 62701| View map
Phone: 217-525-5297 (LAWS)
Toll-free: 800-922-8757
Languages: English
Send email | View website

Illinois Lawyer Finder is the Illinois State Bar Association's lawyer directory. This online referral service is designed to serve everyone who can afford the services of a lawyer. If you prefer a telephone referral please call Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. We charge no referral fee, and our operators can put you in touch with a lawyer in your area who has agreed to provide an initial consultation for no more than $15 for the first half-hour.