Who this information is for
At the library, we are happy to advise you on how to find certain resources. However, we are prohibited from providing legal advice. Questions that are considered legal advice include requests for an interpretation of case law, statutes, or regulations (e.g., what are the best cases for an employment discrimination lawsuit?) or discussions about the legal theory of a pending case (e.g., I need to know what my rights are in a particular situation). Additionally, since we are not a public law library, the resources that we have available to individuals that are not part of the University of Chicago community are more limited.
If you need this level of research assistance and are located in Illinois, we have some suggestions for resources to consult.
Resources
- Cook County Law LibraryThe Cook County Law Library is a public law library with resources and services designed to support both legal professionals and laypeople.
- Court Approved Standardized FormsThese are standard forms that the public can file in an Illinois court. There are forms for cases in trial court, appellate court, and at the Illinois Supreme Court. All Illinois courts must accept these forms, and the forms come with instructions for filling them out.
- Evanston Public Library Master List of Local Free and Low-Cost Legal ResourcesLocalThis list is maintained by the Evanston Public Library and contains both Illinois specific resources and more general resources.
- Illinois Legal Aid OnlineA freely available resource that provides information about Illinois law in plain-language.
- Illinois State Bar Association: Self-Help PageThe Illinois State Bar Association Self-Help webpage provides another useful set of resources.
