The Expedited Child Support Help Desk provides free legal advice to pro se, or self-represented litigants, who are unable to afford an attorney for their child support enforcement and paternity cases, including those filed through the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services.

The Help Desk is a joint project of the Circuit Court of Cook County and the Chicago Legal Clinic. It is funded by the Chicago Bar Foundation, the Illinois Equal Justice Foundation, Illinois Bar Foundation, and the Lawyers Trust Fund of Illinois, as well as with in-kind contributions from the Circuit Court of Cook County.

The Help Desk is staffed by two attorneys and an assistant, all bilingual in Spanish and English, from the Chicago Legal Clinic. Please note that the Chicago Legal Clinic attorneys WILL NOT represent Help Desk clients in court.

The following services are provided at the Help Desk:

• legal advice concerning Illinois law governing child support enforcement and paternity matters and the rights and responsibilities of litigants;
• step-by-step explanations of court procedures, orders and the legal process;
• assistance with filling out court-required forms;
• referral to an attorney or legal aid agency if it is determined that self-representation is not in the pro se litigant's best interests;
• assistance in identifying and referral to related social service resources.

Persons seeking the services of the Help Desk will first undergo an intake process to gather data, screen for potential representation conflicts, and determine if the Help Desk can be of assistance to the litigant.