Welcome to the Newest Illinois JusticeCorps Fellows Cohort

September 13, 2021

Over ten years ago, the CBF pioneered Illinois JusticeCorps, an innovative program through which courthouse volunteers create a more welcoming and less intimidating environment for people without lawyers. Illinois JusticeCorps volunteers are college students and recent graduates who do this by effectively serving as docents for the court. They provide navigational assistance, referrals to legal aid and other available services, connections to online resources and court forms, and legal information on court procedures. As the number of people going to court without lawyers has continued to grow over the past decade, Illinois JusticeCorps has also grown to be in 13 courthouses in 10 counties throughout the state thanks to a partnership with the Illinois Bar Foundation and the Illinois Supreme Court Commission on Access to Justice and the additional support of the Serve Illinois Commission and the Corporation for National and Community Service.

With a significant increase in court filings expected in the aftermath of the pandemic, access to reliable, accurate information about the court system for people in need will be more important than ever. Fortunately, the Illinois JusticeCorps program continues to be an important point of access to court information for people without lawyers.

This year, we are lucky to have 13 amazing Illinois JusticeCorps fellows—individuals who have committed to spending a year helping people without lawyers. Find out more about this year’s Illinois JusticeCorps fellows…