Earlier this month, the Illinois Armed Forces Legal Aid Network officially launched in conjunction with Veterans Day.
The new network was made possible by the Access to Justice Act, one of the CBF’s major legislative initiatives the past few years. The Act provides the framework and funding for a new legal hotline and network of services for Veterans and military families in Illinois.
The CBF worked with the Illinois Supreme Court and its Commission on Access to Justice and a number of legislative champions in Springfield to develop the concept for the legislation and advocate for its passage.
The centerpiece of the network is the statewide hotline that provides legal information, advice, brief services, and referrals to veterans, service members, and their dependents. The hotline is run by CARPLS and other current partners in the effort include the Center for Disability & Elder Law, Chicago Volunteer Legal Services, John Marshall Law, LAF, Land of Lincoln, Loyola Law, Prairie State, and SIU Law.
This innovative new program already has been touted as a potential national model for providing critical legal services to the men and women who have served our country. By providing this much-needed legal help for thousands of people in need around the state, the new program will make the justice system more fair, accessible and efficient for all Illinoisans.