AT NO COST TO YOU, GET FUNDING FOR Chicago Volunteer Legal Services WHEN YOU:
Buy a Home / Sell a Home / Lease Commercial Property

Turn a Home Purchase into Pro Bono Aid from Chicago Volunteer Legal Services

Chicago Volunteer Legal Services (CVLS) is a leading provider of pro bono legal aid in Chicago. As a member of Investing In Communities®, CVLS can benefit from brokered  real estate transactions, including purchases and sales of any property and leases for office, retail, and industrial space. When supporters use this platform, at no cost to themselves, they can help Chicago Volunteer Legal Services advance, coordinate and deliver free legal representation. 

For more than 50 years, CVLS has served low-income communities with legal aid services using a volunteer based model. At present, CVLS encompasses more than 2,400 volunteer attorneys who provide free representation in various legal matters. In this mission, CVLS coordinates numerous efforts, including Legal Clinics & Programs, Race Judicata and Continuing Legal Education. 

Legal Clinics & Programs

CLVS offers a diverse assortment of legal clinics and programs, striving to provide low-income Chicago individuals with free representation in various subject matters, including:

  • Legal Clinics — CVLS offers legal clinics and services at 26 different locations across the Chicagoland area, often with walk-in availability;
  • Community Events — CVLS works with local community organizations to host evening and weekend events in various easily accessible locations around the city;
  • Domestic Relations Child Representative — CVLS serves as a representative for low-income children in domestic relations matters;
  • Guardian Ad Litem — For both minors and adults, CVLS accepts appointments in complicated guardianship cases, sometimes involving disabled individuals;
  • Access to Justice — CVLS represents low-income individuals in a variety of chancery matters, including mortgage foreclosure defense litigation; 
  • Probate Court Assistance Project — CVLS volunteers assist low-income individuals with various probate matters when a relative dies; and
  • Panel Referral Program — CVLS enables outside attorneys to deliver pro bono representation in various legal matters, including bankruptcy, consumer issues and family law. 

Race Judicata

The Race Judicata 5k is a run/walk event along the lakefront that benefits the Chicago Volunteer Legal Services Foundation. This event provides necessary funding to CVLS through contributions from participants, donors and sponsors. In September of 2019, Race Judicata celebrated its 25th anniversary in the Lincoln Park neighborhood. 

Continuing Legal Education

Illinois requires all attorneys to take a certain number of Continuing Legal Education (CLE) courses every year. For volunteer attorneys, maintaining CLE compliance can be a costly endeavor. That is why CVLS provides in-person and online access to CLE seminars, ensuring that volunteer attorneys can remain up to date on important legal concepts. 

Create Funding for Free Legal Aid Services Throughout Chicago

At no cost to themselves, anyone who cares about providing access to free legal aid in Chicago can turn virtually any brokered real estate transaction into funding for Chicago Volunteer Legal Services. For example, the purchase or sale of a $300,000 home can result in about $1,300 of free funding. Support the mission of Chicago Volunteer Legal Services by using IIC’s free platform to make arrangements with an agent you already have in mind. Or use IIC to find and choose among real estate agents that are appropriate for the specifics of your residential or commercial real estate needs. Ready to start?


Location: Chicago, Illinois

Focus Area: Social Justice

Budget: $1 million - $5 million

Total IIC Funding:
$500.00

Want to help this charity with your next real estate transaction?

We respect your privacy and want to make sure you are totally at ease. By submitting, you are sharing your information with us only and we will not share it with or sell it to anyone else. We will contact you by email to get more information about your real estate needs. Then we will provide you with several agents suited to your needs and you may contact them -or not- as you choose. There’s no sales pitch or pressure. It's entirely your choice.

HOW YOUR REAL ESTATE TRANSACTION GENERATES $$$ FOR Chicago Volunteer Legal Services

As a tax exempt 501(c)3 organization, Chicago Volunteer Legal Services is eligible to receive at least 70% of the referral fee when you use Investing In Communities (IIC) to sign up with ANY real estate broker to handle your residential or commercial property transaction. Referral fees are a common expense paid by brokers only to other brokers for much desired referrals. As a licensed broker with a charitable mission, IIC is able to accept referral fees and pass most of those funds to your charity of choice - at no cost to you.
Visit iiconline.org for more info.

Share on Social Media:

Know a Charity:

Invite Others

Need a Broker:

Request Brokers