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Apply for help

Applying for legal assistance through LCA begins with the Application below. Please fill out this Application completely and accurately, so that we can promptly assist you. Note that we are generally unable to provide assistance to “walk-ins” to our offices. We require a written Application and then we will contact you to discuss the best way to proceed to satisfy your legal needs.

By submitting an Application for legal services, you are acknowledging that you and any additional members of your group or business have read our Client Policies and Referral Procedures, and that you understand and agree with the terms.

There is a non-refundable $50 processing fee for individual applicants. The fee is $100 for corporations and established entities or groups of two or more persons. Once we have reviewed your Application, we will contact you to discuss your needs and payment of the applicable fee.

To learn more about our work and the types of legal matters we handle, please click on Legal Services. We offer pro bono legal help to financially eligible applicants with arts-related legal matters in all disciplines of the literary, performing and visual arts and in many, but not all, areas of law. We do not, for example, handle family law (i.e., divorce) or criminal law matters. You may be able to find assistance in those areas of the law through Illinois Legal Aid Online, the Chicago Bar Association and/or Illinois State Bar Association.

We are located in downtown Chicago and the majority of our volunteers are licensed in Illinois. If your legal needs do not involve parties or legal issues in Illinois, we recommend searching for counsel using our Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts List to find a VLA organization in your home state.

Application for Legal Assistance

Contact Information
Indicate all business names, including stage or artist names, currently used or that you intend to use. If incorporated, give the name of the corporation. If your business is a not-for-profit corporation, give the name of the corporation and indicate if it has a 501(c)(3) tax exemption. Please limit your entry to 200 characters.
Mailing Address
$
What is your total month benefit payment from a government program (e.g. Social Security, SSI, disability or any similar benefit program)?
Describe any special circumstances such as substantial child-care, medical expenses, alimony or child support, debts, or financial obligations that you want us to consider. Please limit your entry to a maximum of 2000 characters.
Please select your business registration type

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Please provide name, address, county, phone and email for each additional group member
Please provide the name, address, county, phone and email of each board member.

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Please provide name, address, county, phone and email for all additional shareholders.
Please limit your description of your legal issues to a maximum of 2,500 characters.
Additional Parties

Please list all individuals and companies involved in any way with your matter or legal issue. If your legal issue involves claims, litigation or other disputes, please provide the names of every person or company on both sides of the dispute. Similarly, if your legal issue relates to a business relationship, such as a partnership, contract, employment, or real estate matter, list all individuals and companies with any interest or involvement in that relationship.
In addition to the name of the individual or company please provide the city and state where the person is located and the nature of the relationship to the matter.
Note that it sometimes happens that we receive a request for referral from individuals or entities that are adverse to other individuals or entities that separately contact us for referral on the same or related matter. In these situations, we will not disclose information provided by one applicant to the adverse applicant, and we will not disclose the fact that applicants who are adverse to one another have applied to us for legal help. We will attempt to expeditiously find separate referral counsel for each applicant that qualifies for our assistance.

Additional Party 1

Please limit your entry to a maximum of 250 characters

Addtional Party 2

Please limit your entry to a maximum of 250 characters

Additional Party 3

Please limit your entry to a maximum of 250 characters

Additional Party 4

Please limit your entry to a maximum of 250 characters
Provide the name of the attorney and let us know why you are not pursuing this matter with the attorney.
To the best of my knowledge, all information provided in this Application is accurate and true. In addition, I have read, and I understand LCA’s Client Referral Policies and Procedures, and I agree with the terms stated therein.

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