Legal Aid Chicago
You can submit an online application for assistance 7 days a week.
Call 312-341-1070
Monday – Friday
Lines open 8:00 am – 4:30 pm
Click here to find the dates, times, and locations of upcoming free legal clinics throughout the Chicagoland area.
Legal Aid Chicago can help with the following:
- Free civil legal services to people with limited income in Cook County, Illinois. Common legal problems they can help with include, but are not limited to:
- Bankruptcy & Debt Defense
- Domestic Violence & Sexual Assault
- Evictions from Subsidized Housing
- Expungement of Criminal Records
- Foreclosure
- SNAP/TANF & Medicaid
- Unemployment & Wage Claims
- They can help resolve legal issues in the following areas of law:
- Children & Family
- Consumer
- Housing
- Immigrant & Workers’ Rights
- Public Benefits
- Criminal Records Relief
- They cannot help with criminal, personal injury, wills and estates, or traffic cases.
- Free tax advice and representation to working individuals and families (including retired seniors and un-employed taxpayers) in Cook County.
- Services are free for working families, individuals, and retired seniors with household income at or below 250% of the federal poverty guidelines.
- Only assist with active disputes with the IRS, which include: Audits, IRS debt collection, 1099-related issues, and more!4
- Received a letter from the IRS related to any of these? Legal Aid can help with:
- Tax Return Preparer Fraud
- Innocent and Injured Spouse Relief
- IRS Wage and Bank Levies
- Tax-related Identity Theft
- Representation Before the U.S Tax Court
- IRS Audits, including audits based on
- the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC)
- & Child or Dependent Credit
- Employee/Independent Contractor
- Misclassifications
- Collection Due Process Hearings
- Federal Tax Liens
- Housing Discrimination-Fair Housing Laws help protect you from unfair treatment and discrimination by landlords, property managers, and others. If you think you were treated unfairly because of your background or identity, they can help!
- Criminal Records Relief: Legal Aid Chicago will analyze your record, prepare your paperwork, and represent you in court, if you qualify. They can Help with:
- Sealing
- Expungement
- Cannabis conviction expungement
- Alternative Forms of Relief (Healthcare Waivers, Certificates of Good Conduct, etc.)
- DHS Public Benefits Assistance: Legal Aid Chicago provides free legal advice and representation to help Chicago and Suburban Cook County residents access:
- SNAP (food stamps) for help paying for food
- Medicaid to pay for medical care
- Medicare Savings Programs to help low-income Medicare recipients pay Medicare premiums
- AABD Cash, a cash benefit for low-income people with disabilities or over 65 years old
- TANF, a cash benefit for very low-income families
- VTTC benefits – food, medical, and cash assistance for foreign-born victims of trafficking and other serious crimes
Call 312-347-8342 to Apply for Help
When you call 312-347-8342 leave a message with your phone number, name, and the name of the city or town you live in and Legal Aid Chicago will call you back.