NEW This presentation covers renters' rights during the eviction process, illegal lockouts, rental assistance programs, and housing rights. Updated 4/12/2024. 

This flyer explains the eviction process, your rights during an eviction, and where to get legal help when facing an eviction. 

(NEW) This is a complete list of the Easy Forms we have on IllinoisLegalAid.org. The list also indicates which forms are mobile-friendly. You will find these and other forms in our Form Library. 

This video provides an overview of Illinois Statewide Forms, which are court forms created to be used in any county in Illinois. This overview explains where to find these forms and how to use them to help people without lawyers. After you watch the video, please take our survey to help us improve!

• Legal information v. Advice training - This short video explains the difference between information and advice and how not to cross the line between the two. Here are the slides from the training.

• Drawing the Line Between Legal Information and Advice - This handout explains the difference between legal information and advice.

• Illinois Supreme Court legal information policy and guides:

  • What Information Can I Provide to Court Patrons? - This is a 1-page guide that summarizes the "Safe Harbor Policy" (a/k/a The Illinois Supreme Court Policy On Assistance to Court Patrons by Circuit Clerks, Court Staff, Law Librarians, and Court Volunteers). Page 2 has a list of legal self-help resources and referrals.

  • What is Legal Information? - "A Guide to Using the Illinois Supreme Court Policy on Assistance to Court Patrons by Circuit Clerks, Court Staff, Law Librarians, and Court Volunteers." This provides an extensive overview of the difference between legal information and advice. 

This video provides an overview of ILAO and the resources on IllinoisLegalAid.org and how to use them to help people without lawyers. This video can be used to introduce new staff to the website, or as a refresher for more experienced staff. Please take our survey afterward to help us improve!

Jill Roberts from the Administrative Office of the Illinois Courts explains e-filing and how to help your patrons with the e-filing process. Here are the slides from the training. 

E-filing resources:

• ADA-accessible e-filing website

• Step-by-step e-filing instruction guides

Creating Pathways to Civil Legal Justice is WebJunction's series of free, self-paced courses that help libraries improve access to civil legal justice. These courses aim to empower all library staff to feel more confident about conducting civil legal reference interviews and connecting patrons to important resources and information that can help improve their lives.

This toolkit is meant to help public librarians understand the process of legal research, effectively develop and use the information located within their libraries, utilize information located outside their libraries, with the end goal of helping the patron locate the legal information they need. Posted on the American Association of Law Libraries website.