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Chancery Division Advice Desk
Circuit Court of Cook County
Richard J. Daley Center
50 West Washington Street, Room 1303
Chicago, Illinois 60602
No phone number
Hours: 9 a.m. to 12 noon, Monday through Friday
No appointment necessary
The Chancery Division Advice Desk offers pro se (self-represented) litigants free assistance with filling out court-required forms and understanding court procedures for mortgage foreclosures, name changes, and appeals of administrative review decisions, as well as all matters heard in the Chancery Division. The Desk is a joint project of the Circuit Court of Cook County, the Chicago Bar Foundation, the Chicago Bar Association, and the Chicago Legal Clinic.
The Desk is staffed by volunteer attorneys from the Chicago Legal Clinic. Please note the Desk does not offer legal advice or representation.
The following services are provided at the Chancery Division Advice Desk:
- a brief, one-time only consultation with a volunteer attorney to assess the nature, complexity and viability of a case;
- explanation of court procedures;
- assistance with filling out court-required forms;
- referral to free or low-cost legal assistance organizations or bar referral programs for litigants who decide not to continue pro se and desire the services of an attorney; and
- referral for qualified litigants to the Chicago Bar Association’s Access to Justice pro bono program, in which judges appoint counsel in appropriate cases from a list of volunteer attorneys who provide free legal counsel for litigants unable to obtain representation.
To allow the Chancery Advice Desk to serve as many self-represented litigants as possible, please note the following:
- Litigants are not allowed follow-up consultations and may not return to the Advice Desk after their consultation unless specifically asked to do so by a volunteer attorney or referred by a judge.
- Unlike criminal cases, there is no right to counsel in civil cases.
- Desk staff may not be able to assist litigants with highly complex cases that require legal representation.
- Litigants are asked to be patient as staff assists other litigants.
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