Quick Navigation

Primary Page Content
Topic Navigation
Audience Navigation
NIU Global Links
NIU Search
Footer Information
Top of Page

Northern Illinois University College of Law

College of Law

MyNIU | A-Z Index | Calendar | Directory | NIU Home

Self-Help Resources

Winnebago County Community Resources:

This web site, compiled by Clinic staff, contains referral information for legal assistance, financial assistance and social services. It is also available in Adobe Acrobat (.pdf) format (60 pages).

Self-Help Legal Assistance:

The following sites contain information on how to represent yourself in a legal matter. These links open in a new browser window.

ABA Division for Public Education - provides practical legal guides, legal definitions, information on the court system, and more.

http://www.abanet.org/publiced/practical/books/home.html - practical legal books to family, consumer, home ownership, wills and estates law.
http://www.abanet.org/publiced/practical/home.html - user-friendly question and answer guides.
http://www.abanet.org/publiced/courts/home.html - how courts work.

CARPLS (Coordinated Advice and Referral Program for Legal Services)- legal resources.

Chicago Bar Association - general legal information for the public, including text and/or audio versions of their Dial-Law program.

The Dial-Law portion of the site includes information on marriage, divorce, separation, custody and visitation, domestic abuse, buying and selling a home, renting a home, what to do if arrested, traffic violations, immigration, patent and trademark, employment rights, unemployment insurance, worker's compensation, wills, trusts, bankruptcy, consumer debt, human rights, mental health, and more.
Their public information brochures include Your Guide to the Law, Resource Guide for Persons with Disabilities, Becoming an Adult, Your Rights and Responsibilities, Resources for Seniors, and more.

DuPage County Bar Association - frequently asked legal questions on the "for the public" portion of its site.

Findlaw - links to legal guides on housing, autos, injuries, money, family, aging and health, work, immigration, education, crime, and more.

Illinois Legal Aid Online - provides Illinois residents with information about their legal rights and responsibilities, forms and instructions for representing themselves. You may ask a question or browse through articles.

Illinois State Bar Association - what to do if you are arrested, patients' rights, domestic relations, adoption, guardianship, newlyweds, buying and selling a home, renting a home, bankruptcy, starting a business, estate planning, living wills, living trusts, and more.

NIU College of Law Library - The Legal Web Sites portion of our site provides links to Illinois and Federal statutes, cases, bar associations, and more.

Illinois Governor and Administration - links to the Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Secretary of State, Treasurer's office, Comptroller's office, and state administrative agencies.
Illinois General Assembly - links to the Illinois General Assembly, bills, public acts, and statutes.
Illinois Courts - links to the Federal and State courts of Illinois. Many of these sites contain court opinions, handbooks, forms, and court rules.

Prairie State Legal Services - online publications that include a renter's handbook, money issues, child custody and visitation, Medicaid, senior citizen's guide to medical bills, and in-home and nursing care for married couples.

Southern Illinois University's Self Help Legal Center - forms and information concerning auto issues, consumer law issues, court information, family law issues, health law issues, housing law issues, police issues, school law issues, and utility issues.