Our Services - Legal Council for Health Justice

Legal Council Services

At Legal Council, our programs serve individuals and families facing barriers due to chronic, disabling, and stigmatizing health and social conditions. All of our work combines direct representation, education, and advocacy across the city, state, and nation.

Clients receive life-saving legal help in the following issues:

and much more. Get help now.

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Legal Council builds its services on three pillars:

Individual Legal Representation: We provide free, expert legal assistance to low-income individuals.

Outreach and Education: We train thousands of community leaders each year, including medical and legal professionals, business leaders, and social service advocates.

Impact Advocacy: We advocate for legal changes on state and national levels, helping to ensure access to quality care for all individuals.

Education and Trainings

Our multilingual staff offers free training, technical assistance, and educational programs to service providers, case managers, social workers, physicians, attorneys, educators, and members of the general public. If you would like to request a training or technical assistance for your group (in English or Spanish), contact our main office at 312.427.8990 or submit a request.

Children and Youth Issues

Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs)
Childhood Lead Poisoning: Neurocognitive effects and developmental outcomes of low level lead toxicity.
Developmental and Behavioral Health Screening: Better identification, evaluation, referral, and access to high quality evidence-based early childhood services and supports for children at risk of manifesting developmental disability and delays.
Early Intervention: Learn how to help families access Early Intervention services and supports for children with developmental delays and disabilities from birth to age 3 and how to ensure effective transition at age 3 to early childhood special education programs.
Introduction/Advanced Medical-Legal Partnership: Learn to recognize and navigate resources to troubleshoot social determinants of health for low-income pediatric patients.
Special Education: Review of special education law, including the basics about effectively representing a child at a school meeting and in an administrative proceeding.
Youth in Transition: Overview of legal issues affecting emerging adults, including adult guardianship, access to health insurance, special education laws, and SSI eligibility.
Youth Rights: Living with HIV or STIs: A review of school law in Illinois, including who at school must know about a child or young adult's HIV status and the rights minors have for STI/STD testing and treatment.

Family

Estate Planning: Learn the definitions and the differences among a will, a power of attorney, and a living will. Discover what information you need to provide in order to ensure that your wishes are followed when you pass away or become incapable of communicating on behalf of yourself.
Permanency Planning: This training explores the options parents have in planning for the future care of their children, including: what happens if a parent is sick or in the hospital for some period of time, becomes unable to care for their children, or passes away.

Healthcare System and Access to Health

HIV/AIDS

Immigration

Social Security

Social Security Claims Evaluation: Learn how Social Security evaluates claims based upon disability for persons who have co-occurring substance use disorders.
SSI/SSDI Application and Disability Determination Process: Learn how to assist persons who are homeless to secure federal disability benefits.
Children and SSI eligibility: Training residents, teachers, parents, and social workers on the SSI application and the disability determination process, including eligibility and how to complete helpful paperwork for SSA as a child goes through the process.
Overpayments and Continuing Disability Reviews (CDRs)
Social Security and Dual Diagnosis