Technology is making it increasingly possible to provide online information and resources that can vastly improve access to justice for the growing numbers of unrepresented people in the courts. Online resources help demystify the court process and make it easier to navigate; help people better understand their legal rights and responsibilities for common legal problems; and give people better tools to resolve less complex legal issues like small claims matters.

Given this great potential, working to expand the availability of reliable and user-friendly online information and resources is one of the CBF's priorities in our court-based advocacy efforts. Most notably in this arena, the CBF spearheaded a collaboration that developed a groundbreaking project that became Illinois Legal Aid Online (ILAO). The CBF was a founding partner and provided critical seed funding for the project that launched ILAO and continues to provide significant funding and other support for ILAO, which is now an integral part of our pro bono and legal aid delivery system in Illinois. Almost 90,000 people a month visit www.IllinoisLegalAid.org, ILAO's website for the public, for user-friendly legal information and resources.

Along with its general support for ILAO, each year the CBF partners with the CBF's Young Professionals Board, the CBA's Young Lawyers Section, ILAO and others to develop substantive online videos on topics that disproportionately affect people without lawyers.  Recent topics have included traffic court, the Circuit Court of Cook County's Pro Se Court, and a general tutorial on going to court on your own.

In addition to this ongoing partnership with ILAO and the courts, the CBF is working to improve the availability of online information and resources on websites for the courts and other relevant public entities. For example, the CBF is working with the Cook County Law Library to enhance resources for unrepresented litigants at the Law Library, including access to Internet-based resources from the Court and ILAO and other basic information about the legal process.

For more information about the CBF's work in this area, please contact Danielle Hirsch at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or (312) 554-4952.