AT NO COST TO YOU, GET FUNDING FOR Illinois Legal Aid Online WHEN YOU:
Buy a Home / Sell a Home / Lease Commercial Property

Learn how it works

Buying a Home Can Help People in Crisis to Navigate the Legal System

The mission of Illinois Legal Aid Online is to make it easier for all people to resolve their own legal problems. As a member of  Investing in Communities®, Illinois Legal Aid Online can receive funding from the real estate transactions of its supporters, at no cost to the supporter or to Illinois Legal Aid Online. The more supporters use this free platform before engaging a real estate agent, the more resources Illinois Legal Aid Online has to ensure that more people have access to the legal resources and tools they need.

Legal Help for People Who Need it Most

Having legal problems can be personal, isolating, and overwhelming, especially for people experiencing financial stress and mental health crisis. Most low-income civil litigants in the U.S. receive either no help or inadequate help. Illinois Legal Aid Online (ILAO) exists to help people understand their legal situation, their options, and how to take action in the most affordable way possible. In 2018, ILAO helped 2.27 million people with free resources for navigating the legal system.

Leveraging Volunteers and Technology

ILAO is a 501(c)3 nonprofit  with a small staff, but hundreds of trained volunteers, many of whom are licensed attorneys. Through innovation and technology, ILAO leverages the expertise and service of its staff and volunteers to:

• Level the playing field for over 2 million people who otherwise could not afford to hire an attorney to help with legal matters such as immigration/deportation, housing law, family law, domestic abuse, and bankruptcy;
• Provide free and easy online access to legal forms, which are used to create nearly 40,000 personalized documents per year;
• Be a neutral clearinghouse of information for plaintiffs and defendants in civil court;
• Provide services in multiple languages, including Spanish (nearly 16,000 in 2018) and Polish (in 2019; and
• Be available every day, all day and night whenever someone needs help. Between 1:00 am and 7:00 am, over 60,000 people per month visit the website

ILAO provides easy to understand guides, check lists, and forms for  legal matters such as:

• Family and Safety, including divorcee, child custody, abuse and assault, adoption, parentage, parents’ rights, guardianship, emancipation, name change, separation and annulment, child support and childcare, injury or accident, marriage and civil union;
• Housing, including eviction, foreclosure, landlord/tenant disputes, owning or buying a home, security deposits, Section 8 vouchers and public housing, and housing discrimination;
• Money and Debt, including: unpaid bills, collecting money owed, bankruptcy, loans, taxes, unemployment benefits, credit scores and reports, funeral planning, estate planning, banking and financial services issues, child support and childcare, consumer product or service complaints, and identity theft;
• Health and Benefits, including: applying for benefits (SNAP, TANF, general assistance), disability, social security, medical bills, nursing home care, veterans affairs, disaster relief, and heating benefits;
• Business and Work, including: current/former employer/employee issues, farm worker issues, military service issues, discrimination, workers’ compensation, starting and running a small business, and working as a teenager or  child;
• School and Education, including: school residency and enrollment, expulsion/suspension/discipline, bullying, school fees and waivers, free or reduced lunch programs, students with disabilities, discrimination, student loans, privacy concerns, and continuing education for adults;
• Citizens and Immigration, including: citizenship, immigration status/rights, work permits, and sponsoring an immigrant; and
• Crime and Traffic, including: cars and car ownership, traffic and parking tickets, criminal records, witnessing a crime, victims’ rights, police, juvenile justice, and prisoner’s rights.

Common questions that are answered at ILAO include:

• Where can I find a Legal Self Help Center and access to a computer and internet?
• How do I qualify for free legal help?
• What should I consider before hiring a lawyer?
• How do I get a divorce? Can I do it without hiring an attorney?

Your Purchase, Sale, or Lease Supports Illinois Legal Aid Online

Anyone who cares about access to legal help can turn virtually any brokered real estate transaction into funding for Illinois Legal Aid Online . Generate funding for the cause by using this free platform to choose among real estate agents that are appropriate for your residential or commercial real estate needs. Or use IIC to make arrangements with an agent you already have in mind. For example, the purchase or sale of $300,000 home can result in about $1,300 of free funding, which has a direct impact on our mission. Ready to start?