Hotline Number 312-738-9200
August 3, 2020
Join Us For Our Golden Gavel
"Virtual" Celebration on October 1, 2020!
The beauty of the Golden Gavel Celebration dinner is how it brings friends new and old together to celebrate our honorees and CARPLS’ mission.
This is the perfect time to highlight our Golden Gavel Awardee, Susie Lees, of the Allstate Corporation. The Golden Gavel award recognizes leaders committed to increasing access to justice and pro bono legal aid.

As a Top 100 company, Allstate Corporation has always been committed to being a force for good in the community in a myriad of ways. Susie joined Allstate in 1988 and worked her way up to Executive Vice President, Chief Legal Officer, General Counsel and Secretary. 

“She has demonstrated a dedication to helping others and has empowered her entire legal staff to do the same,” notes David Schaffer, co-head of Pro Bono Committee programs across the Law and Regulation Department at Allstate.
When CARPLS selected her as our awardee, we were particularly struck by her enthusiasm for the use of technology in legal aid to remove systemic barriers—something that is integral to CARPLS' service.

“Susie leverages technology and innovation to serve others through the department’s pro bono and ‘Vital Communities’ programs. She’s pushed our legal team to set new boundaries for a booming digital and virtual world, including using data analytics to determine how to do the most good,” adds Attorney Kristin Yoo, co-head of the Pro Bono Committee programs across the Law and Regulation Department at Allstate.

The pandemic has illustrated the great need of legal aid to work together as a network to address society inequities. As part of those efforts, CARPLS was very proud to continue services remotely over the hotline and work with the courts to think through the needs of self-represented litigants as the courts begin to reopen. CARPLS also continued seamless referrals to our legal aid partners through the Illinois Armed Forces Legal Aid Network, a statewide veteran’s and enlistees legal aid hotline for non-criminal legal issues. Now, CARPLS is broadening its services to serve as the hub for the historic cannabis expungement program, which will allow thousands of Illinoisans to begin life anew without cannabis arrests and convictions on their records.

This year, we invite everyone to “come to dinner” and learn about our vision and our honoree’s dedication to making legal access possible for everyone. We believe now is a great time to celebrate Susie and the Allstate legal department’s vision of extraordinary service, continuous development and vital communities. It sounds simple, but it means so much.
Please join us on Wednesday, October 1, at 7:30 p.m. for a live, free viewing of our virtual event and a conversation with Susie on how technology can change the face of legal aid access. Donations are suggested and sponsorship opportunities are still available. We hope that this year’s “dinner” will spur smaller get-togethers to celebrate our mission and vision that no one should face their legal issue on their own. CARPLS is here. 
We'd also like to welcome our newest Champion sponsor:
Our newest Cornerstone sponsor:
And our newest Guardian sponsor:


For the full list of sponsors , please visit our event page, and t o obtain a sponsorship or to make a donation, please contact [email protected] .

With your continued support, we will help our clients through this crisis and beyond. New and increased donations will be generously matched.
CARPLS Receives Cannabis Expungement Grant From The
Illinois Equal Justice Foundation
CARPLS is so pleased and grateful to have received a $400,000 grant from the Illinois Equal Justice Foundation (IEJF) for their Cannabis Expungement Grant program.

CARPLS will develop and staff a multi-channel entry point for Illinoisans seeking relief for cannabis convictions. CARPLS will determine eligibility for conviction relief, refer eligible individuals to network members, and provide guidance for those seeking to represent themselves. The online portal of network members will ensure a streamlined experience for those seeking assistance for cannabis convictions.

Funding for the Cannabis Expungement Grant program was made possible by the passage of the historic Cannabis Regulation & Tax Act in 2019 by the Illinois General Assembly. "The Act was a national model for its focus on addressing the past effects of the war on drugs and the communities most impacted by these failed policies," said the IEJF in a statement.
"It Was Overwhelming Positive News."
Jay called CARPLS because he was in the middle of a multi-year dispute with the Department of Veterans Affairs (DVA) over VA Pension Benefits.

The CARPLS attorney  provided clear and concise legal advice and helped him prepare his presentation to the Board of Veterans Appeal and subsequent communications to the DVA. They ultimately  waived the pension debt!

Jay said, "We were fortunate to have been referred to IL-AFLAN from another legal clinic. The success of our case could not have been accomplished without the CARPLS attorney and team. I cannot reiterate how important IL-AFLAN services are to veterans. It was overwhelming positive news that added such joy and happiness - much needed news during these COVID-19 times. Thank you, IL-AFLAN!"
We believe that no one should have to bear their legal issue alone.

When you call CARPLS, you directly reach an attorney. This is integral to civil legal aid, especially when people are isolated physically and emotionally because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Our investment in technology in the past two decades supports our access to justice philosophy, and we believe that the civil legal aid network in Chicago, Illinois, and across the U.S., will become more streamlined if we embrace and coordinate technology at an exponential level.

We know that effective legal aid is truly several parts of an expansive network working together for the benefit of our clients. In our 27 years, CARPLS has learned that reinforcing this removal of barriers to civil legal aid is the first, and most important step, in modeling legal aid at a systemic level. We already assist on 1 out of 4 legal aid cases in Cook County, so the magnitude of our projects could be monumental on our legal aid network if we implement this across our sector in a meaningful way.

Together we can build a legal aid network for the 21st century.
CARPLS | 17 N. State Street | Suite 1850 | Chicago | Illinois | 60602 | carpls.org