What is Legal Aid?
What is Legal Aid? Not only does legal aid provide much needed services to the community as a whole, it also ensures that a fundamental right of all Americans is honored. Legal aid helps ensure that no qualified person is denied access to the courts due to their inability to pay. In most situations it prevents people from having to go against large corporate entities or powerful individual litigants on their own .
Legal aid services commonly provide assistance to victims of domestic violence, abuse, and exploitation, as well as provide defense for eligible immigrants in a variety of immigration matters. Cases handled often range from assisting victims of credit scams to community outreach programs. A legal aid service may also provide pro bono opportunities in addition to their legal services for people who want to volunteer.
Pro bono programs are a separate program from a legal aid agency, but may use volunteers from the legal aid service for tasks such as interviews, document preparation, and research.
Why Legal Aid in Lake County Matters
Legal aid services play a crucial role in providing access to justice for low-income and vulnerable populations. In Lake County, legal aid organizations offer supportive services aimed toward fostering equality and fairness. In this section, we’ll discover how Lake County legal aid institutions work to improve community welfare.
Legal aid assistance in Lake County has an extensive impact on residents, helping individuals access critical services and pave the way toward economic mobility. For many, limited financial resources, language barriers, and other obstacles prevent them from securing much-needed assistance. By removing these hurdles for underserved populations, legal aid management teams work for the residents of Lake County via community engagement, government outreach, and partnerships.
Consider the example below: Clients seeking credit protection find it difficult to secure the assistance necessary to avoid damaging creditor practices. By helping individuals and families with financial difficulties, legal aid service providers make it easier for people to get back on their feet. In addition to these benefits, legal aid also creates a more stable and prosperous society.
Lake County legal aid organizations go beyond consumer rights, assisting clients with housing problems, child support, domestic violence issues, and immigration concerns. As a result, disadvantaged individuals achieve higher standards of living while overcoming their most pressing challenges. Legal aid management professionals apply innovative approaches toward community engagement, drawing upon a network of supporters throughout the region.
At the management level, housing development programs have helped residents of Lake County find affordable homes in high-opportunity areas. Low-income renters and buyers have benefited from fair housing practices while providing an additional stream of funding for local housing authorities.
Who Qualifies for Legal Aid Services in Lake County?
Residents in Lake County must qualify under multiple criteria to receive legal aid services. Federal and state government guidelines both limit eligibility for legal aid services as well as provide the range of issues legal aid services are required to address. While there are some differences, generally, qualifying residents in Lake County must meet the same or similar criteria required by legal aid services nationwide.
The most common eligibility guideline among legal aid services is income. Florida and federal guidelines dictate the maximum level of income a single person or family must have in order to qualify for some sort of legal aid help. The federal government publishes the annual federal poverty guidelines for the nation. Depending on household size, total income may be no more than 125%, 150% or 200% (up to 250% for seniors) of these guidelines. As an example, the 2018 federal poverty guidelines indicated a maximum level of income for a qualifying single person at $15,175 and a family of four at $30,375. Specific to Florida, household incomes for legal aid purposes cannot exceed 175% of the federal poverty guidelines (at 200% for seniors). Again using the 2018 federal poverty guidelines, the maximum level of income for 2019 would be $17,237 for a qualifying single person and $35,325 for a family of four.
In addition to income, other considerations for legal aid eligibility include age (typically, seniors living on their own), family status (e.g., single with no children living at home), and employment status (e.g., unemployed, underemployed, or disabled).
How to Apply for Legal Aid in Lake County
Applying for legal aid services is a straightforward process that can be done online or in person. To initiate the process, individuals interested in receiving legal assistance must first complete an online eligibility screening. This step helps staff determine whether applicants meet the basic criteria for legal aid services, and whether the agency may be able to provide the necessary assistance. If, as a result of the eligibility screening, it is determined that the agency cannot assist the individual, the agency will advise the individual of other appropriate options for assistance. If, however, the agency can assist the individual, then the applicant must finish filling out an application and provide all supporting documents to verify their situation and household information. In addition to private allegations for legal assistance, the Lake County Legal Aid Society offers free legal clinics every Wednesday night. No appointment is necessary, but individuals do need to be at the clinic by 6 p.m. to receive assistance (it is advisable to arrive earlier to ensure a spot). These clinics are open to the public and provide limited consultations with volunteer attorneys in the areas of Title and Boundary Problems, Family Law, Consumer Law and the Law Help Clinic.
What Kind of Cases Does Legal Aid Cover?
The following types of cases are generally supported by legal aid:
Family law
• Divorce
• Spousal support / spousal maintenance
• Legal separation
• Child support
• Child custody
Housing
• Unlawful detainer: the eviction or remove of persons or property from real property
• Landlord-tenant-may include assistance with Housing Authority or management issues
• Mobile/manufactured home-related concerns, including tenant rights , landlord/tenant disputes and certain title issues
• Unfair housing practices
• Fair housing act violations
• Chicagoland apartment finder service (provides information on Chicago and outlying properties that accept vouchers)
• Habitability issues
• Foreclosure and debtor representation
• Quiet title actions
Consumer
• Unfair collection
• Debt defense
• Asset protection
• Bankruptcy
• Foreclosure
• Creditor harassment
• Wage garnishment
• Individual bankruptcy (not business)
• Public benefits
• Unemployment insurance
• Food stamp
• Cash assistance
• Medicaid
• Supplemental security income (SSI)
Immigration
• Immigration law
Civil rights
• Employment discrimination
• Victims of violence
• Hate crimes
• Chicago’s Consent Decree
• Informational and advice forums
• Criminal prosecution of hate crimes
• Community service programs
• Civil action hearings
Other issues
• Insurance
• Products liability
• Preservation of public interest
• Environmental protection and it’s abuse
• Consumer advocacy issues
• Antitrust
• Trade regulation
• Examinations and inspections
• Remedial actions
• Litigation
Local Resources: Legal Aid Agencies and Their Contacts
There are several legal aid organizations near Lake County. These groups can offer advice, pro bono work, or low-cost legal services to help those in need.
The Legal Aid Society of Lake County provides a variety of legal services to eligible residents. The organization provides assistance, advice, and referrals in cases of immigration, juvenile matters, and housing cases, as well as many other areas. LASLC also oversees the Northwest Suburban Bar Association’s Lawyer Referral Service. The Lawyer Referral Service can refer members of the public with a legal problem to an attorney who can help them. This service is charged at a flat rate of $35. It can save money over hiring someone without any experience.
Prairie State Legal Services, Inc. (PSLS) also offers legal advice for non-criminal issues in Lake County. PSLS is a non-profit organization created to provide full legal aid services for residents of rural and urban areas. The organization focuses on protecting the poor and vulnerable. They advocate for fairness and justice for those who cannot afford it. PSLS offers many full-time offices, as well as a number of satellite locations. Their Allen Law Division serves as a clearinghouse for legal aid referrals in the areas of consumer protection, domestic relations, employment, health care, housing, planning, probate, public benefits, real estate, and tax. They also carry out long-range efforts in community, non-profit, and policy advocacy.
The Women’s Center of Lake County also offers important legal services to its clients, based on their partnership with the Northwest Suburban Bar Association, the Illinois Bar Association and the Illinois Coalition Against Domestic Violence: The legal services program provides both legal information and legal representation for survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking. All services are free to qualifying victims.
The Struggles of Legal Aid Services
Challenges Facing Legal Aid Services in Lake County
While the legal aid options in Lake County are a vital lifeline for many, they are also facing ever increasing challenges. Some of these challenges are shared across legal aid organizations in general, while others are specific to the Lake County legal context. The first, and perhaps most critical, challenge is the ongoing squeeze on funding. Legal aid in Lake County is funded by a combination of federal, state, and local resources, as well as donations from individuals and private organizations. The federal government cut its investment in 2017, resulting in all legal aid organizations undergoing some form of financial stress. Neither state nor local funding has returned to previous levels. Further, advocates for legal aid contend that with the ever-increasing population, and the impacts of the ongoing opioid crisis and the housing crisis, financial resources are needed now more than ever.
A related challenge facing legal aid services in Lake County is a legal aid workforce that is straining under the weight of ensuing demand. Existing staff and volunteers are overwhelmed and overworked as they attempt to meet the needs of the community. This has two negative impacts on legal aid efforts in the county. First, as the number of cases and the complexity of those cases pushes existing staff and volunteers to the limit, the risk of burnout increases. Burned-out staff and volunteers are less able to provide quality legal services – further propagating the problem. In addition, as legal aid organizations struggle to maintain their current workforce, attempts to build capacity and increase volunteer opportunities become challenging at best.
Ways to Support Legal Aid in Lake County
Legal aid services in Lake County can be supported through a variety of means. These might include making donations to organizations that assist low-income individuals in obtaining free legal services, or volunteering your time and skills to serve on boards, provide pro bono services, or otherwise help advance the mission of these vital community organizations.
For example, organizations like Prairie State Legal Services, which serves much of the Lake County area, received more than $600,000 in funding from the state government in 2017 while the federal government contributed approximately $550,000 to the organization. Meanwhile, individual donors , charitable foundations and United Way related organizations chipped in over half a million dollars.
Volunteering with legal aid organizations is an excellent way to give back to your community and use your legal knowledge and skills to ensure those who might otherwise not be able to afford an attorney do receive the legal representation they need for their cases. Pro bono programs can help you find opportunities to lend your skills, even if you have only occasionally spare time.
For anyone who isn’t able to offer their time to community organizations, offering financial support is a great way to assist. These groups are often reliant on donations and grants from private sources to keep providing their services. Particularly if you have been someone who has benefitted from receiving free legal assistance yourself, donating money, goods or services to these organizations can directly help others who are in a similar position.
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