CARPLS Email Format
Legal ServicesIllinois, United States51-200 Employees
CARPLS is a mid-sized legal services organization based in Chicago that provides no-cost assistance to low- and moderate-income Cook County residents facing everyday civil legal problems. Its Legal Aid Hotline and court-based Advice Desks connect clients with experienced attorneys who quickly assess issues and provide information, advice, and brief services, including document preparation and review. CARPLS resolves over 85% of cases through information, advice, and brief services, including preparation and review of legal documents. For more complex needs, CARPLS refers clients to a network of specialized legal and social service providers, and its legal triage system has been described as a model for legal aid communities across the country, expanding access to justice and lowering the cost of legal aid for the poor. Since its inception in 1993, CARPLS has helped more than 800,000 clients, at an average cost to the organization of $32 per case. In 2021, CARPLS launched a virtual Help Desk for the Municipal Court Advice Desk in response to the shift to virtual court proceedings during the COVID-19 pandemic.