16 Resources
The Illinois Supreme Court's self-help portal hosts state-approved custody, parentage, and parenting-time forms for use in any of the 102 county circuit courts. Mothers filing pro se can download allocation-of-parental-responsibility templates and read plain-language guides on Illinois's 2016 Marriage and Dissolution Act. Call (217) 782-2035 weekdays 8:30am-5pm from the Springfield office at 200 E Capitol Ave for procedural questions; staff cannot give legal advice but can point you to local resources.
(217) 782-2035 · 200 E Capitol Ave, Springfield, IL 62701 · Mon-Fri 8:30am-5pm · Visit Website
The Domestic Relations Division at the Daley Center, 50 W Washington in the Loop, hears every Cook County custody, parentage, and divorce case. Mothers can file allocation petitions, request emergency orders, and access the on-site self-help desk on the 8th floor. Reach the clerk at (312) 603-6000 Monday through Friday 8:30am-4:30pm; the court covers Chicago plus 30 suburban districts and offers Spanish-language assistance at intake.
(312) 603-6000 · 50 W Washington St, Chicago, IL 60602 · Mon-Fri 8:30am-4:30pm · Visit Website
Legal Aid Chicago's family law team at 120 S LaSalle, Suite 900 represents low-income Cook County mothers in custody, parentage, and order-of-protection cases. Staff attorneys handle full representation when income falls below 200% FPL and offer brief advice clinics weekly. Call (312) 341-1070 Mon-Fri 9am-5pm to start intake; bilingual Spanish, Polish, and Mandarin services are available, and they prioritize cases tied to domestic violence.
(312) 341-1070 · 120 S LaSalle St Suite 900, Chicago, IL 60603 · Mon-Fri 9am-5pm
The DuPage County Family Court at 505 N County Farm Road in Wheaton handles custody and parentage cases for the western suburbs including Naperville, Aurora, and Downers Grove. The court runs a free self-help desk and mandates parent-education classes before final orders are entered. Call (630) 407-8700 weekdays 8:30am-4:30pm; mediation services through the court's Family Center can resolve parenting disputes without a full trial.
(630) 407-8700 · 505 N County Farm Rd, Wheaton, IL 60187 · Mon-Fri 8:30am-4:30pm · Visit Website
Located at 18 N County St in Waukegan, the 19th Judicial Circuit's family division serves Lake County mothers from Gurnee, Highland Park, and Mundelein. The court offers a Family Self-Help Center with free forms, computer access, and procedural guidance for custody and parenting-time matters. Phone (847) 377-3600 Mon-Fri 8:30am-4:30pm; mediation is required in contested allocation cases and a sliding-scale roster is available.
(847) 377-3600 · 18 N County St, Waukegan, IL 60085 · Mon-Fri 8:30am-4:30pm · Visit Website
The 12th Judicial Circuit family division at 14 W Jefferson in Joliet handles custody, parentage, and parenting-time disputes for Will County residents in Bolingbrook, Plainfield, and Romeoville. A free self-help center near the clerk's office assists pro se mothers with paperwork. Reach the court at (815) 727-8535 weekdays 8:30am-4:30pm; the parent-education class required by 750 ILCS 5/404 is offered locally several times each month.
(815) 727-8535 · 14 W Jefferson St, Joliet, IL 60432 · Mon-Fri 8:30am-4:30pm
ISBA's statewide lawyer referral service at 424 S 2nd St in Springfield matches Illinois women with vetted family-law attorneys for a flat 5 initial consultation fee. The referral covers custody, parentage, divorce, and post-decree modifications anywhere in the state. Call (800) 252-8908 weekdays 8:30am-5pm; ISBA-approved lawyers carry malpractice insurance and many offer flat-fee unbundled services for budget-conscious mothers.
(800) 252-8908 · 424 S 2nd St, Springfield, IL 62701 · Mon-Fri 8:30am-5pm · Visit Website
Kane County's 16th Judicial Circuit family court at 37W777 IL Route 38 in St. Charles hears custody cases for Aurora, Elgin, Geneva, and Batavia residents. The court partners with the Kane County Bar Association on a Wednesday-afternoon walk-in advice clinic for unrepresented mothers. Call (630) 232-3413 Mon-Fri 8:30am-4:30pm; mandatory parent-education classes meet state requirements at low cost.
(630) 232-3413 · 37W777 IL Route 38, St. Charles, IL 60175 · Mon-Fri 8:30am-4:30pm · Visit Website
Run by the National Network to End Domestic Violence, WomensLaw.org publishes attorney-reviewed Illinois custody guides explaining allocation of parental responsibilities, relocation rules, and how Illinois treats domestic violence in custody decisions. The site is read-only and anonymous, helpful for mothers researching options before contacting a lawyer. Its Illinois page links directly to Cook County and downstate court resources and is available in English and Spanish.
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The American Bar Association's Family Law Section publishes free consumer guides on custody, relocation, and parenting plans plus a directory used by Illinois practitioners statewide. Mothers can read articles on Illinois's allocation framework and use the section's lawyer finder to screen for ABA members in Chicago, Rockford, or Peoria. All content reflects current law and is reviewed by family-law specialists who practice in multi-state cases.
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OCSS, part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, oversees Illinois's child-support enforcement and publishes parent guides on establishing paternity, intercepting wages, and crossing state lines. Illinois mothers can use the federal site to look up the state agency contacts at HFS in Springfield and learn how the Uniform Interstate Family Support Act applies when a non-custodial father lives in Indiana, Wisconsin, or Missouri.
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The federal government's public-information portal centralizes plain-English answers on custody, parenting plans, and support enforcement, with direct links to the Illinois Division of Child Support Services and the state courts' self-help center. Mothers can navigate Illinois-specific paths from a single page covering paternity, modification, and out-of-state enforcement under UIFSA. Content is updated by federal staff and translated into Spanish.
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The federal Children's Bureau information gateway compiles state-by-state custody, kinship-care, and guardianship resources, including how Illinois handles relative placement and DCFS-involved custody cases. Mothers and grandmothers navigating informal custody after a DCFS investigation will find Illinois-specific kinship-navigator program information and links to Cook County Juvenile Court self-help materials maintained at no cost by HHS.
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NCJFCJ provides Illinois judges and litigants with evidence-based resources on custody best practices, the Safe & Together model, and domestic-violence-informed parenting plans used in Cook County and downstate. Mothers can read bench cards explaining how Illinois judges weigh abuse history under 750 ILCS 5/602.7 when crafting custody orders. The site also lists free webinars open to the public.
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Cornell Law School's LII offers free annotated Illinois statutes, including the Illinois Marriage and Dissolution of Marriage Act and the Parentage Act of 2015 that govern custody decisions. Mothers preparing pro se filings can read 750 ILCS 5 in full with cross-references to appellate decisions. The site is searchable by keyword and links to Cook County local rules and Supreme Court forms at no cost.
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Thomson Reuters' FindLaw publishes free Illinois custody guides covering allocation of parental responsibilities, relocation under the 25-mile rule, and parenting-plan requirements. Mothers can read attorney-authored explainers on how Cook County judges weigh the 15 best-interest factors and find local family lawyers by ZIP code. Content is updated as Illinois law changes and includes Spanish translations for many key articles.
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