Land of Lincoln Legal Services

Land of Lincoln Legal Assistance Foundation, Inc. is a non-profit corporation based in Illinois. We provide free civilian services to low-income and seniors in 65 counties in central and southern Illinois. We believe that all residents of central and southern Illinois should have access to justice, income security, adequate housing, quality education, health care, safety from violence and exploitation, and the opportunity to improve their own lives. The following year, however, funding for the Legal Service Corporation (LSC) was reduced by 25% nationally, resulting in the closure of 5 offices and the elimination of 30 jobs in 1985. That same year, the Lawyers Trust Fund of Illinois distributed funds to the Land of Lincoln for the first time. This organization has become the second largest funder of the legal aid organization and has been responsible for most of the changes in the use of technology. Prior to 1991, Champaign employees used IBM Selectric typewriters and analog voice recorders. Although typewriters have been removed, voice recorders are still used occasionally. This year, the Lawyers Trust Fund provided the first computers for all Land of Lincoln offices. In 1996, LSC funding was reduced by 28%, allowing 8 offices with 66 employees and only 44 lawyers to provide services to 65 counties. The following year, Land of Lincoln embarked on long-term planning and, in the face of budget cuts, set targets to diversify its funding sources, develop new methods of service delivery, and establish a centralized accommodation and advisory unit. In 1999, the Legal Advice and Referral Center opened its doors, and within two years, all counties in the Land of Lincoln service area were telephoned, counseled and referred by telephone.

By 2000, the organization had diversified its funding sources to the point where the LSC accounted for less than half of total revenue. Land of Lincoln Legal Assistance`s Eastern Regional Office in Champaign provides essential services to low-income residents in the 14 counties it serves: Champaign, Clark, Coles, Crawford, Cumberland, DeWitt, Douglas, Edgar, Effingham, Ford, Jasper, Moultrie, Piatt and Vermillion. Since 2008, the company has been located at its current location. The Champaign site is one of five regional offices; The other four offices are located in Alton, Carbondale, East St. Lewis and Southern Illinois. Three field offices are located in Decatur, Charleston and Mt. Vernon. Anyone requiring legal assistance should first contact the Legal Advice and Referral Center (LARC) at (877) 342-7891 between 9:00 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. However, if you are a victim of domestic violence from the age of 60, you should contact WHO/Europe directly. [1] Our mission is to provide low-income elderly residents of central and southern Illinois with quality civil justice services to maintain and maintain their basic human needs.

We only handle certain types of civil cases. We do not deal with criminal cases, including traffic cases. We also do not handle cases of personal injury, malpractice or workers` compensation. Financial eligibility is based on the gross income (before deductions) of all sources and all persons living in the household. As a general rule, household income cannot exceed 125% of the federal poverty line. However, if an applicant`s income is less than 200% of poverty and other factors or expenses (such as taxes, child care expenses, work-related transportation, or certain medical expenses) are present, the applicant may also be eligible. People over the age of 60 are eligible for Land of Lincoln services, regardless of income or wealth in certain counties, through their Area Agency on Aging project. Restrictions may apply on the type of cases handled. The services offered by Land of Lincoln include free legal aid and advice on housing, family, consumers, welfare, health, seniors and education matters.

Specific cases include: evictions, foreclosures, lockouts, utility closures, contract issues, domestic violence, protection orders, custody cases, divorce, recoveries, buyouts, garnishments, home renovation issues, consumer fraud, food stamps, and Medicaid. In 1972, seven local legal aid offices merged to form Land of Lincoln Legal Assistance, which served 13 boroughs. Five more counties were added to the service area in 1977 when the first branches opened in Springfield and Decatur, the latter being the result of a merger with the Macon County Legal Aid Society. In the following years, many districts were added and new offices were opened; In 1981, the number stabilized at 13 offices with a planned staff of 126 and 65 districts. Land of Lincoln offers specific services, including the following:[1] A friend of mine who was 77 years old passed away on 3/11/20. She had a will that she had made herself (which was never notarized, as far as I know) and we appointed her and her granddaughter as co-executors. I know she had contacted a lawyer a few months ago to file for bankruptcy, but the lawyer passed away before we could let her deal with it. From what I understand from their granddaughter, they have found (2) life insurance, but there is only $500 left on one and they are not sure about the other. It was originally for $5,000. We have no legal records that allow us to investigate their finances or make funeral arrangements.

I don`t think she has a lot of money yet. Is free legal aid available? We don`t know which way to go from here. She owns her house, but I`m sure she`s mortgaged, and I know she was classified as uninhabitable by Public Health a few months ago. Can you help us with that? Technological advancements have been sparked by funding increases from the Lawyers Trust Fund of Illinois, so if interest rates rise, it means updated technology for offices. This organization also led to statewide changes affecting other Illinois legal aid organizations, including Prairie State and Legal Assistance Foundation (LAF), which together cover northern Illinois counties not covered by the Land of Lincoln. In 2008, for example, all legal aid agencies switched to a system called LegalServer for case management. This system is online, allowing lawyers in regional offices to coordinate and communicate client data with the Legal Advice and Referral Center`s East St. Louis hotline. It also allows lawyers to access client information remotely, allowing them to work outside the office within the system. Attorney Larry Ruemmler has dedicated 43 years of his life to legal aid for low-income Illinois residents.

He retired from our Mount Vernon office in 2015 after receiving our organization`s Joseph Bartylak Advocacy Award in 2011. In what follows, Larry discusses his own. Diane Goffinet, senior counsel of the Southern Regional Office of Land of Lincoln, was recognized by 2Civility, the Illinois Supreme Court`s Commission on Professionalism.