Second Judicial Circuit Chief Judge Melissa Morgan is proud to announce the Second Circuit’s “Lawyer in the Library” program will begin in Gallatin County this month. The program consists of a local attorney meeting one-on-one with individuals and providing them with free legal coaching, document review, e-filing, and referrals regarding civil issues. These services are made possible through a grant from the Illinois Supreme Court Commission on Access to Justice and the Administrative Office of the Illinois Courts that seeks to fund programs aimed to assist self-represented litigants. The Second Circuit applied for and was awarded funding last year to create the “Lawyer in the Library” program in Franklin County. This year’s grant award will allow these services to be offered in three additional counties, including Gallatin County.
Gallatin County native and local attorney Allen Roe has partnered with the program and will begin meeting with individuals on a walk-in basis only on the third Wednesday of each month between the hours of 1:00 – 4:00 pm. Attorney Roe will meet with interested participants at 450 Lincoln Boulevard East (formerly known as the Title Building, now home to CASA), located across the street just east of the Gallatin County Courthouse in Shawneetown. Participants must reside within the Second Circuit and due to limited availability, will only be seen once every 60 days.
The program will kick-off with the first walk-in session on Wednesday, September 20, with the following sessions scheduled throughout the end of this calendar year: October 18, November 15, and December 20. Chief Judge Morgan stated, “I am grateful for this year’s grant award because it lets us build on the program’s success last year. We started in one county and wanted to focus on making it a sustainable program. The goal was simple – to help people in our communities who were attempting to navigate the court system without a lawyer. The program has flourished and I am excited to now partner with Attorney Allen Roe and CASA to bring these services to Gallatin County.”
The Second Judicial Circuit is comprised of 12 counties: Crawford, Edwards, Franklin, Gallatin, Hamilton, Hardin, Jefferson, Lawrence,
Richland, Wabash, Wayne, and White. For more information, please contact the Office of the Second Circuit Chief Judge at 618-244-8036.
