To meet patrons’ legal needs, Bloomington Public Library offers a collection of legal materials available for checkout. Located near the Help Desk, these materials include city codes for Bloomington and Normal, tax handbooks, West’s Encyclopedia of American Law, the Illinois Compiled Statutes, and more.
Self-Help Center
Bloomington Public Library and the McLean County Law Library are registered Legal Self-Help Centers. Though staff cannot offer legal advice or represent patrons in court, as scheduling allows, staff will help patrons navigate the Legal Self-Help Center.
- Bloomington Public Library’s Legal Self Help Center is located in the Adult Services Department and is open anytime the Library is open.
- The McLean County Law Library, in Room 665 of the McLean County Law and Justice Center (104 W. Front St.), is open Monday through Friday from 8:30am-4:30pm. For questions regarding hours and available resources, call 309.888.4801.
Illinois JusticeCorps
The Illinois JusticeCorps Program places law student volunteers inside the McLean County Law and Justice Center and its law library to help those without a lawyer navigate the judicial system. Volunteers are not attorneys and cannot give patrons legal advice or represent patrons in court. Volunteers can help patrons navigate the courthouse, explain the court process, find and help complete forms, review forms, explain where to file court papers, provide legal information, assist people as they look for a lawyer, and answer general questions. More information can be found at Illinois JusticeCorps.
Legal Information Source
This resource offers thousands of legal forms by topic including Bankruptcy, Divorce, Name Changes, Wills & Estate Planning, and more. Legal Guides and full-text articles are also available to assist attorneys, educators, paralegals, and students. With your library card from Bloomington Library, you can access Legal Information Source for FREE. To login from outside the library, patrons will need to enter their library card number and PIN/password.
Additional Self-Help Resources
This legal aid nonprofit also runs a free online legal clinic with the American Bar Association. People who are within 300 percent of the federal poverty line or just lost a job can logon and ask non-criminal legal questions about unemployment benefits, housing law, family law and more. Visit Illinois Free Legal Answers for more information.
Illinois Legal Aid provides Illinois residents with free information about their legal rights and responsibilities, quick referrals to free and low-cost legal aid offices, interactive forms, and self-help instructions for common legal problems. Information is available in English and Spanish.
This free service connects people with information about going to court. With court guides to help understand the court process, patrons can find support for any court in Illinois. For more information, visit Illinois Court Help.
Based out of Harvard University’s Innovation Lab, this legal aid nonprofit helps prepare and file immigration documents at no cost to the filers.
Users employ a free “TurboTax-style” application to prepare the required forms and supporting documents. Those who earn more than the state median income will not receive a pro bono review. However, they can still use the platform to prepare their application at no cost. For more information, visit Immigrants Like Us.
The McLean County Circuit Clerk provides access to forms specific to McLean County. These forms include common legal needs, such as divorce, name change, and guardianship.
NOLO is a publishing company specializing in legal content. Its goal is to provide users with the DIY tools needed to take matters into their own hands. NOLO offers practical legal advice, access to state statutes, the latest legal updates, and general forms.
Finding a Lawyer
The McLean County Bar Association's lawyer directory.
The Illinois State Bar Association's lawyer directory.
This not-for-profit civil law firm provides free legal service to qualifying low-income and senior community members. Prairie State Legal Services can provide limited service in family and consumer law but does not handle criminal, malpractice, or personal injury law. Call Prairie State at 800.874.2536 for more information.
State law
This site provides basic judiciary information for the State of Illinois.
The website for the Illinois General Assembly, contains Illinois Compiled Statutes, Public Acts, and status of legislation.
Federal Law
USA.gov provides access to federal regulations, U.S. laws, and bills in Congress.
Legal Information Institute provides open access to state-by-state legal information, legal dictionaries, opinions of the Supreme Court since 1990, and historical and landmark cases.
This is the official website of the United States Supreme Court.