Circuit Court of Cook County
Parentage and Child Support Court
50 West Washington Street, Concourse Level, CL24
Chicago, Illinois 60602
No phone number
Hours: 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday
No appointment necessary, first come, first served

The Parentage and Child Support Pro Se Advice Desk provides free legal advice to pro se, or self-represented litigants, who are unable to afford an attorney for their child support enforcement and paternity cases, including those filed through the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services.

The Advice Desk is a joint project of the Circuit Court of Cook County and the Chicago Legal Clinic. It is funded by The Chicago Bar Foundation and the Illinois Equal Justice Foundation.

The Advice Desk is staffed by two attorneys and an assistant, all bilingual in Spanish and English, from the Chicago Legal Clinic. Please note that the Chicago Legal Clinic attorneys WILL NOT represent Advice Desk clients in court.

The following services are provided:

• legal advice concerning Illinois law governing child support enforcement and paternity matters and the rights and responsibilities of litigants;
• step-by-step explanations of court procedures, orders and the legal process;
• assistance with filling out court-required forms;
• referral to an attorney or legal aid agency if it is determined that self-representation is not in the pro se litigant's best interests;
• assistance in identifying and referral to related social service resources.

Persons seeking services will first undergo an intake process to gather data, screen for potential representation conflicts, and determine if the Advice Desk can be of assistance to the litigant.