Southern Illinois

At a press conference Tuesday at the Marion County Courthouse, Judge George Lackey and Circuit Clerk Ronda Yates announced the opening of a new internet-based Marion County Legal Self-Help Center.  The legal self-help center was developed to provide accurate information on Illinois law to the growing number of people who must come to court and represent themselves.  Individuals using the self-help center will be able to access information about a wide variety of civil legal problems, including videos on going to court, court pleadings and information on other legal organizations. For those people who have access to a computer with an internet connection, the center is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week at http://marion.illinoislegalaid.org. “We want everyone to have an attorney to represent them in court, if at all possible.  In a number of instances, people are not able to afford an attorney.  Our local legal aid, Land of Lincoln Legal Assistance, has far more requests for service than it can meet either with its staff attorneys or its volunteer attorneys,” said Judge Lackey.  “In those situations where people must come to court on their own, the legal self-help center will provide them with useful information and pleadings for a number of simpler civil legal problems,” he said.  “All too often, unrepresented people show up in court with little idea about how the court system works or what they need to do.  For those people who are willing to take the time, the Marion County Legal Self-Help Center will provide helpful information and guidance, including legal forms,” Judge Lackey said.