Our Story
We are problem solvers—helping clients navigate the justice system.
We are your neighbors—community-based, accessible, and inclusive.
We are affordable—thanks to our philanthropic partnerships and unique sliding-scale fee model.
We are community justice advocates.
Our History
Greater Chicago Legal Clinic has assisted more than 500,000 clients with civil legal matters since its founding in 1981. It began as the South Chicago Legal Clinic, a storefront office helping members of the community impacted by the reduction in the operation of the steel mills. Since then, the Clinic has grown into a regional provider of legal services in neighborhoods across Chicagoland.
Affordable Access to Justice
GCLC expands access to justice by providing urgently needed civil legal aid services to thousands of low-income, historically underrepresented people and communities across Chicagoland every year. Our clients are people of modest means. Approximately 72% earn less than 150% of the Federal Poverty Guideline ($38,750 for a family of four) and qualify for free legal aid services.
28% of our clients earn between 150% and 400% of the Federal Poverty Guideline. They do not qualify for free legal aid services in most cases, and yet they do not have sufficient resources to hire private attorneys. GCLC’s sliding-scale fee approach addresses this important service gap in the Chicago area.
Our attorneys are known for their compassionate but zealous advocacy, their accessibility to clients regardless of their English-speaking proficiency, and their dedication to relentlessly pursuing successful outcomes.
Information about the types of legal issues GCLC attorneys work on can be found on the Programs & Services page on this website.
While our name has evolved from the South Chicago Legal Clinic to the Chicago Legal Clinic to the Greater Chicago Legal Clinic to reflect our growing reach, we remain committed to making the dream of justice a reality for our neighbors in need.