SAEF Legal Aid

06/09/2022

We're grateful for the opportunity to speak at this week's meeting! It was an honor to share more about our plans to democratize access to civil legal solutions with the community 💙 Thanks to all who tuned in!

05/26/2022

How to Obtain a Copy of Your Child's Birth Certificate

This article provides an overview of how you can retrieve a copy of your child's birth certificate. We discuss what requirements you'll need to meet in order to request a birth certificate copy, how much it costs to retrieve a copy, as well as why obtaining a copy can be useful. Requirements to Obta...

05/20/2022

What Does it Mean to Quash Service?

This article offers an overview of what it means to quash service. The word "quash" is used to mean something is invalid. Quashing service refers to the process of filing a motion to tell the courts you believe there was invalid service of process in your case. Below, we discuss when and how a perso...

05/17/2022

How To Check Your Child Support Balance

Child support payments made towards a legally-binding child support order are generally handled by the Illinois State's Disbursement Unit (SDU). This state agency processes child support payments made by one parent, and then distributes that payment to the other parent. In this article, we discuss h...

05/13/2022

Paying Child Support Via Check or Money Order

A child support order is a legally-binding court order requiring one parent to make child support payments to another parent. Child support orders may specify how a parent must make child support payments. Sometimes, child support payments are taken directly from a parent's paycheck through a notice...

05/10/2022

Limited Scope Representation

It is no secret that hiring a private attorney is expensive. Recognizing this, some private attorneys offer a cheaper arrangement for providing legal help. One such arrangement is called limited scope representation (AKA unbundled, or a la carte legal services). This article provides an overview of....

05/06/2022

Child Support Owed to a Parent vs. the State

Child support refers to cash payments made by one parent of a child to the other. These payments are meant to support the cost of raising and caring for a minor child. However, the amount a parent owes for a child support order may not be owed entirely to the child's other parent. In some cases, chi...

05/03/2022

How Paternity is Established - https://uploads-ssl.webflow.com/60edfcdbbfbf5dcfa1b64731/62687e1bce4f2075774d91e5_pexels-nappy-3536630.jpg

A child's legal parent possesses unique rights and responsibilities. For example, only the legal parent of a child can be required to make or receive payments for a child support order. Being the child's legal parent means one's parentage (paternity) has been legally established.Unless you're the ch...

05/03/2022

Legal Advice vs. Legal Representation: What's the Difference? https://www.saeflegalaid.org/articles/legal-advice-vs-legal-representation-whats-the-difference

04/20/2022

Yesterday SAEF’s find legal help tool went live! Visit www.saeflegalaid.org to learn more about how we can help with legal problems relating to retrieving overdue child support, paternity, child custody, visitation rights, divorce and more.

Our newest product is a legal help tool through which users can find affordable legal help for family law issues, such as filing for a divorce, settling a custody dispute, or retrieving child support payments. Users answer a series of short questions and will receive a summary of their legal problem. Then, we provide reliable referrals to free legal aid & other low-cost legal resources that can address the user’s unique legal situation.

In our next steps we are looking to connect with local community organizations that share our passion for providing folks with access to justice! If you are involved with any organizations that could help us with expanding our informational content and/or further our community impact please email us at [email protected].

A free survey that finds you free & affordable family legal help in Chicago. Get a diagnosis of your legal problem and receive referrals to free legal aid and other low-cost legal service providers.

04/06/2022

We’re launching! On Friday April 18th, anyone in Chicago can visit saeflegalaid.org to find free & low-cost family legal help in Chicago.

SAEF is a Chicago-based nonprofit on a mission to democratize access to civil legal solutions. We leverage practical and accessible technologies to build user-friendly tools designed for folks who can’t afford a market-rate attorney.

Our first product is a Turbo Tax-like survey through which users can find affordable legal help for family law issues, such as filing for a divorce, settling a custody dispute, or retrieving child support payments. Users simply answer a series or short questions in plain language to obtain a summary of their core legal problem. Then, we provide reliable referrals to free legal aid & other low-cost legal resources that can address the user’s specific legal situation.

SAEF is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit funded solely by grants and donations. We are very grateful to be supported by generous donors including the Rustandy Center, Polsky Center and Duke Law Tech Lab. We also thank our legal service partners for their time and effort in helping coordinate and verify the content of our referrals. Lastly, a huge thanks to our team members for their hard work and dedication.

If you’re a legal professional, work in the civil justice sector, or are otherwise passionate about access to justice, we’d love to connect! We’re constantly looking for help with expanding our informational content and to otherwise find opportunities to expand our impact within the community. Email us at [email protected] to learn more!