The Illinois Equal Justice Act (30 ILCS 765/1 et. seq.) was passed by the General Assembly and signed into law by former Governor George Ryan in 1999.

The Act recognizes that equal access to our legal system is a basic right for all Illinois residents, regardless of their income. The Act promotes a range of innovative, cost-effective strategies for meeting the civil legal needs of all Illinois residents. The Act also created the Illinois Equal Justice Foundation to distribute funding appropriated by the State of Illinois to support legal aid programs. Currently, the State of Illinois’ annual appropriation for the Illinois Equal Justice Foundation is $3.5 million.

To view the entire Act, please click here.