ABOUT CARPLS

CARPLS is an innovative legal aid service that offers an immediate response to the every day legal problems confronting low-income residents of Cook County. CARPLS' Legal Aid Hotline and court-based Advice Desks give low-income clients direct access to experienced attorneys who are trained to quickly assess and respond to a wide range of civil legal problems. CARPLS attorneys resolve over 85% of all cases in-house by providing information, advice and brief services including the preparation and review of legal documents. Clients with more complex needs are referred by CARPLS to a network of specialized legal and social service providers. CARPLS' unique "legal triage" system serves as a model for legal aid communities across the country and has increased access to justice by dramatically reducing the cost of legal aid services to the poor. Since its inception in 1993, CARPLS has helped over 260,000 clients find solutions for their basic legal problems at an average cost to CARPLS of $35 per case.

"CARPLS provides critical legal assistance to Cook County residents who may have no place else to turn. I commend CARPLS for the work its dedicated professionals do to ensure that all Illinoisans have access to quality legal representation."

- Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan

"The attorney I talked to was very concerned about me and my three young children. The apartment building we lived in was falling apart. The attorney helped me figure out how to file a complaint against my landlord and my apartment was fixed quickly after that. CARPLS helped me to understand my rights. Now my family is safe. I can’t thank you enough."

- Tanya, 36

Tanya was living in substandard conditions and the landlord was refusing to make repairs.