10 years of building better access to Illinois Courts through local grants and statewide collaboration

Every day, people turn to the Illinois courts to resolve some of life's most important matters, those involving family, homes, finances, and personal safety. For the past ten years, the Access to Justice (ATJ) Improvement Grant Program (formerly known as the Self-Represented Litigant Coordinator Grant) and Court Navigator Network (Network) have supported local courts in making these challenging moments easier to navigate.

The Illinois Supreme Court Commission on Access to Justice began with a simple but important premise: local courts are uniquely positioned to identify the barriers their court users face and develop practical solutions to address them. This concept has grown into a robust statewide effort. Through the ATJ Improvement Grant Program and Network, court personnel across Illinois have developed new services, strengthened courthouse resources, tested innovative approaches, and-most importantly-shared their experiences and learned from each other. Together, they have demonstrated the power of dedicated people when they continually ask, "What can we do better?"

This tenth anniversary is a time to reflect and celebrate achievements, but also an opportunity to build upon it. Access to justice requires sustained attention, creativity, and a willingness to respond as the needs of court users evolve. The projects selected for funding this year carry that work forward, addressing the everyday needs in communities across Illinois while strengthening a decade-long tradition of making our courts more approachable and understandable.

This year, the Commission on Access to Justice is pleased to support the following grantees:

• First Judicial Circuit:
• • Patti Clark, Director of Court Operations, Jackson County, will use funds to install and update signage, improve audiovisual systems for jurors, and secure Westlaw for the public.
  • Saline County Circuit Clerk Mary Kuczynski with Deputy Clerks Rebecca Masterson and Aundria Murphy will use funds to offer Westlaw to the public, secure supplies for self-represented litigants (SRLs), and support a bilingual staff person.
  • Union County Circuit Clerk Keri Clark with Deputy Clerk Terra Vancil will use funds to continue the Counsel in the Courthouse program, purchase self-help center supplies, and conduct community outreach.
  • Williamson County Circuit Clerk Kristin Bayer will use funds to provide paper forms and resources for SRLs and have staff dedicated to assisting SRLs.
  • Brenda Sprague, Executive Assistant to the Chief Judge, will use funds to serve all nine counties in the First Judicial Circuit by expanding their local Lawyer in the Library program, support travel costs for the circuit-wide Illinois JusticeCorps Fellow, and attend the A2J Network Conference.
• Second Judicial Circuit: Lawrence County Circuit Clerk Cheryl Winkles will use funds to provide LexisNexis access to the public.
• Third Judicial Circuit:
• • Madison County Law Librarian Angela Wille will use funds to provide order of protection petitioners with trained staff assistance, maintain access to online resources, and secure supplies and services that provide SRLs a welcoming and supportive environment.
  • Madison County Circuit Clerk Patrick McRae and Felony Supervisor Lisa Williams will use funds to redesign notices and support digital self-service tools, text reminders, courthouse navigation, and language assistance.
• Fifth Judicial Circuit: Cumberland County Circuit Clerk Rhonda Wilson will use funds to update signage, amplification systems, and SRL kiosk resources as well as support staff dedicated to assisting SRLs.
• Sixth Judicial Circuit: Jennifer Michel, Macon County Judicial Clerk Supervisor, will use funds to update signage, improve remote court capabilities, and refresh the Law Library's website.
• Seventh Judicial Circuit: Bridget Butler, Sangamon County Trial Court Administrator, will use funds to implement a confidential courtroom check-in system and update signage.
• Eighth Judicial Circuit: Molly Caughlan, Executive Assistant to the Chief Judge, will use funds to enhance SRL resource stations across all eight counties, improve language access, develop child-friendly education resources, and implement technology that will help court users navigate the judicial system.
• Ninth Judicial Circuit: Sandra Redington, Ninth Circuit Trial Court Administrator, will use funds to update technology (including text message reminder programs, remote access capabilities, and other tools) and improve signage and self-help resources in Fulton, Henderson, Knox, McDonough, and Warren Counties.
• Tenth Judicial Circuit:
• • Jennifer Shadid, Peoria County Court Administration CFO, will use funds to support a staff member in the Peoria Law Library and Self-Help Center.
  • Tricia Richmond, Tazewell County Office Manager, will use funds to upgrade software and signage, purchase a scanner, and provide additional administrative support to improving the quality and accessibility of legal assistance to residents.
  • Stark County Circuit Clerk Julie Kenney will use funds to launch a text message reminder program, purchase copy paper, pay for lobby docket, Zoom, and Westlaw subscriptions, and support staff who assist SRLs.
• Eleventh Judicial Circuit:
• • Mary Sellmyer, Mclean County Law Library Coordinator, will use funds to purchase computers and scanners for public terminals, attend the A2J Network Conference, and secure Language Line access for law library users.
  • Ford County Circuit Clerk Kasi Schwarz will use funds to support one staff member who is dedicated to assisting SRLs.
  • Woodford County Circuit Clerk Lynne Gilbert and Deputy Clerk Sarah Ely will use funds to purchase cameras, headphones, copy paper, and activities for children.
• Twelfth Judicial Circuit: Cheri Van Eck and Diane Brandolino, Will County Law Librarians, will use funds to continue facilitating a Lawyer in the Library program.
• Thirteenth Judicial Circuit:
• • Bureau County Circuit Clerk Dawn Reglin will use funds to provide forms and copies to SRLs, offer court date reminders, maintain technology programs, and support the Lawyer in the Library mediation program.
  • Michalah Mertel, Exeuctive Assistant to the Chief Circuit Judge, will use funds to support a self-represented litigant help center with staff in LaSalle County and pay for publication costs in civil cases.
• Fourteenth Judicial Circuit: Rock Island County Associate Judge Michelle Fitzsimmons will use funds to expand and retain on-site eviction mediation services as part of their Eviction Diversion Program.
• Fifteenth Judicial Circuit: Stephenson County Circuit Clerk Shanelle Bardell will use funds to pay for their mobile app and AdGator subscriptions, purchase carbon orders, courtroom reminder slips, envelopes, order of protection palm cards, and printers, and attend the A2J Network Conference.
• Sixteenth Judicial Circuit:
• • Halle Eichert, Kane County Law Librarian, will use funds to support their Lawyer in the Library program, create translations of forms and documents and other language access resources, create law library resources, and purchase supplies for their JusticeCorps Fellow.
  • Kane County Circuit Clerk Theresa Barreiro with CIO Monica Lawrence will use funds to launch a multi-lingual self-service kiosk.
• Seventeenth Judicial Circuit: Kim Ackmann, 17^th Judicial Circuit Deputy Court Administrator, will use funds to start a new Lawyer in the Library program, supply a Power-Up Pantry, create a kid's corner in the self-help center, and print resources.
• Eighteenth Judicial Circuit: DuPage County Circuit Clerk Candice Adams with Senior Business Manager Jesse Goehl will use funds to replace media players for public-facing courthouse monitors.
• Nineteenth Judicial Circuit: Lake County SRL Coordinator Mireya Garcia will use funds to continue the online live chat function on the court's website, expand physical workspaces for staff, and attend the A2J Network Conference.
• Twentieth Judicial Circuit: Lilly Buck, St. Clair County Law Librarian, will use funds to create a child-friendly play area in the library.
• Twenty-First Judicial Circuit: Heather Ruel, Executive Assistant to the Chief Judge, will use funds to continue providing Westlaw access for SRLs, translation devices, and supplies for their JusticeCorps Fellow and self-help desk.
• Twenty-Third Judicial Circuit: DeKalb County Circuit Clerk Lori Grubbs with Court Navigator Sarah Frazier will use funds to continue dedicating staff to assist SRLs, update computers and cameras, and purchase supplies.
• Twenty-Fourth Judicial Circuit:
• • Monroe County Circuit Clerk Lisa Fallon with Deputy Clerk Julie Rusteberg will use funds to support their Lawyer in the Library program, obtain court-ordered online modules, and assist incarcerated people access the courts.
  • Trial Court Administrator Jeff Twardowski will use funds to purchase Adobe software and provide Westlaw access to the public in Washington County.
  • Randolph County Circuit Clerk Julie Carnahan will use funds to purchase office supplies and update technology equipment and programs including public access Westlaw, mobile app, translation devices, and text message reminders.
  • Trial Court Administrator Jeff Twardowski will use funds to update Perry County's signage, software, and technology to help SRLs e-file and conduct research.
• Circuit Court of Cook County:
• • Lanice Mitchell, Cook County Circuit Court Director of Program Services, will use funds to secure a printer and supplies for the Resource Center for People Without Lawyers in the Richard J. Daley Center.
  • Maureen Crichlow, Cook County Deputy Law Librarian, will use funds to purchase language access devices and obtain signage to assist users who have limited English proficiency.

If you want to explore ways that your court can improve access to justice, we encourage you to become a member of the Network and apply for the next ATJ Improvement Grant. The Network meets virtually each month to share ideas, resources, and strategies that other members are using to address barriers they have identified in their localities.

To learn more, contact Sarah Song, Deputy Director, Access to Justice Division, at [email protected].