Illinois Legal Aid Online Annual Report FY22

The future of justice begins with… Education and support

Year in Review

Case Study: WHAT’S IN A NAME? Recent studies show that nearly 2% of American adults, and more than 5% of adults under 30 identify themselves as trans or nonbinary. For these individuals and many others, exercising the legal rights to change one’s name and gender marker are crucial to living their true identity. For domestic violence and sexual assault survivors, a name change for themselves

“Illinois Legal Aid provided me with needed information and personal support to help me exercise my legal rights and allow my voice to be heard. I’m abundantly grateful… when so often we are left at the mercy of a system that overwhelms us into silence. Thank you!”

or a child provides additional protection and increases safety. In FY22, ILAO guided more than 7,000 people on how to change their name, or their child’s name. By providing plain-language explanations and step-by-step tools, as well as a TurboTax ® -like ‘Easy Form’, ILAO improves the experience of going to court.

IN FY22, ILAO HELPED 51% MORE PEOPLE WITH NAME CHANGE AND GENDER IDENTITY RIGHTS, COMPARED TO THE PRIOR YEAR

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We open opportunities for people to get justice

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