Prairie state legal services, inc. (PSLS) began serving clients on October 1, 1977.

They started with five Illinois offices located in Bloomington (McLean County), Geneva (Kane County), Peoria (Peoria County) Rockford (Winnebago County), and Waukegan (Lake County).

Their staff consisted of 15 attorneys, three paralegals, and one or two support persons in each office.

About 80% of their funding was from the Legal Services Corporation (LSC) through an appropriation by the U.S. Congress.

As a fledgling legal services organization they handled a wide variety of cases for their clients including divorces, evictions, welfare, social security, unemployment insurance, defense in civil tort cases such as assault and battery, and negligent driving defenses.

In their early years, there was little prioritization of the types of cases for which they would provide representation and they generally handled “whatever came in the door” for their low income clients.

Services:

• Public Benefits (Needs-based government assistance)
• Family Law
• Housing Law
• Health Care Guardianship's and Powers of Attorney
• Other income benefits where alternative representation is unavailable
• Tax Law Education Issues
• They provide assistance in areas of law affecting basic human needs.

Mission Statement: The mission of Prairie State Legal Services, Inc. is to ensure equal access to justice and fair treatment under the law by providing legal advice and representation, advocacy, education, and outreach that serve to protect basic human needs and enforce or uphold rights.

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