News Tag: Courts

September 16, 2020

New Illinois JusticeCorps Court Information Helpline Launches

The Illinois JusticeCorps program is proud to announce the launch of its new Court Information Helpline – a phone resource created to aid people without lawyers trying to access the courts during the ongoing pandemic. The helpline now serves as one central location for unrepresented litigants to call for legal information and resource referrals for […]

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August 14, 2020

Supreme Court Rule 139: New Eviction Rule Benefits Tenants, Landlords, and Courts

Imagine being asked to go to court to defend yourself, but without knowing exactly what you are defending yourself against. This situation was all too common for many tenants in Illinois until the recent adoption of Illinois Supreme Court Rule 139. Rule 139 now requires plaintiff landlords to attach a copy of the eviction termination notice and any relevant lease provisions…

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July 16, 2020

Groundbreaking New Research Report Shows that Legal Assistance Has a Broad Range of Impacts on Case Outcomes and Court Efficiency

A new research report based on a comprehensive study in California shows that access to civil legal aid has a broad range of significant positive impacts. Specifically, the report underscores that access to legal assistance improved case outcomes, significantly increased perceptions of fairness, and…

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July 15, 2020

CBF/Circuit Court Pro Se Advisory Committee Recommends Changes to Make Remote Court Services More Accessible and Efficient

The Circuit Court of Cook County reopened on Monday, July 6 after being largely closed to the public for over three months. In anticipation of some of the unique challenges self-represented litigants will face in this new environment, the CBF/Circuit Court Pro Se Advisory Committee made several recommendations…

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May 26, 2020

Illinois Supreme Court Enters Order Supporting CARES Act Housing Protections

The CBF and its partners in the legal aid community helped advocate for a Supreme Court Order based on the protections for tenants outlined in the federal CARES Act. Under the Act, landlords are required to wait until after July 25 to issue any eviction notices to renters in housing units that are part of […]

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May 26, 2020

Illinois Supreme Court Adopts New Rule and Policy Encouraging Remote Court Appearances

Through its ongoing partnership with the Illinois Supreme Court Commission on Access to Justice, the CBF helped draft the new Illinois Supreme Court Policy on Remote Court Appearances in Civil Proceedings and Supreme Court Rule 45.

The CBF has long advocated for increased remote access to the court system seeing the benefits that simple technologies can […]

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May 21, 2020

Just Because We Can Doesn’t Mean We Should, and Just Because We Should Can Never Again Mean We Can’t

That deliberately challenging title could apply to most things in our lives as we (hopefully) start returning to a semblance of normal in the coming weeks. My focus here is specifically on our courts and legal profession as the conversations about how to reopen the system get started. As much as the pandemic exposed the flaws and limitations of the system when it hit, there have been some impressive adaptations since then, and we have a unique moment in time to shape a much better future for the courts, our profession, and access to justice.

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April 21, 2020

Your Foundation at Work in the Pandemic—April 2020

As we hit the six-week mark since the Coronavirus upended our lives, the CBF has been hard at work helping to move the court system to remote access and adapt the way we deliver legal services, support that work, and help others during this crisis. The way our legal community has quickly stepped up to this challenge has inspired us, and following are just a few highlights of the important work you have been making possible during this time.

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April 20, 2020

Illinois JusticeCorps Seeking Fellowship Applications

During these uncertain times, access to reliable, neutral information about the court system is more important than ever. Originally pioneered by the CBF, Illinois JusticeCorps is an innovative AmeriCorps program through which college students and recent graduates provide legal information, procedural guidance, and resource referrals to people going to court without lawyers. JusticeCorps is now […]

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March 20, 2020

Through This Together, Stronger on the Other Side

As we all continue to adapt to our worlds being turned upside down in the span of less than two weeks, our legal community’s leadership on access to justice will be more important than ever in this time of heightened need. And the CBF already is stepping up our efforts to bring our community together around this common cause to tackle the many emerging challenges and opportunities this crisis is generating.

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