Privacy Policy

We reserve the right to change the terms of this Privacy Policy at any time. Please check back periodically for any changes to our Privacy Policy. If we decide to change our data collection and use practices, we will first publish a new policy on this webpage before modifying our practices. YOUR ONLY NOTICE OF CHANGES IN OUR DATA COLLECTION AND USE PRACTICES WILL BE BY READING THIS PRIVACY POLICY. Your continued use of the Legal Aid Chicago website constitutes your agreement to any such changes.

When you visit the Legal Aid Chicago website, you remain anonymous. Legal Aid Chicago collects personally identifiable information from users who fill out forms, make donations, and complete other transactions on this website. Legal Aid Chicago may use your personal information to send you materials about Legal Aid Chicago and its services and to solicit donations.

Personal information would also be available to the third party that collects and processes credit card information for donations and purchases, and to the vendor would ship purchased items. All of our service providers are required to maintain the confidentiality and security of your personally identifiable information and to use it only in compliance with applicable data privacy laws, and are prohibited from using or disclosing your personally identifiable information for any purpose other than providing the services on our behalf or as otherwise required by applicable law.

Legal Aid Chicago does not knowingly collect personally identifiable information from any children under age 13

As you browse this website, Legal Aid Chicago and its web hosting service may collect hit data or other web statistics in order to monitor website traffic patterns. Legal Aid Chicago does not attempt to link web traffic patterns to personally identifiable information. Legal Aid Chicago uses all non-personally identifiable data that it collects internally and together with its website designer and host in order to improve Legal Aid Chicago’s website. The information is used, for example, to evaluate what portions of the website are more popular than others, to determine from where visitors came to the site, and to determine how many times particular pages of the site were accessed in aggregate. Legal Aid Chicago personnel use the data to prepare reports regarding website activity as part of the process of maintaining and improving the site.

Legal Aid Chicago’s public website does not presently require registration to access any portion of the site. Legal Aid Chicago may develop a private extranet area, which is not accessible to the public but only to those with appropriate authorizations including valid user IDs and passwords, requires completion of a registration process that includes basic information about you, such as name, address, e-mail address and the like. That information is accessible to Legal Aid Chicago personnel involved in the transaction or matter for which the extranet area has been created and who have been authorized to access that area and, in some instances, to personnel of other legal services programs also involved in the transaction or matter for which the extranet area has been created and who also have been authorized to access that area. That information also is accessible to personnel of the third-party service provider that administers the extranet for the purpose of such administration.

Legal Aid Chicago must provide your personally identifiable information in response to a search warrant or other legally valid inquiry or order, or to an investigative body in the case of a breach of an agreement or contravention of law, or as otherwise required by law. We may also disclose personally identifiable information to assist us where necessary for the establishment, exercise or defense of legal claims.

The host of the Legal Aid Chicago website may use “cookies.” Cookies are small text files that are placed on a visitor’s computer hard drive that, among other things, allow Legal Aid Chicago and/or the host of its website to record how many times a user or computers within a user’s network of computers has visited the website, the number of times various pages of the website have been accessed and other such information. You may disable receipt of cookies using features of your browser that disable or turn off cookies. Legal Aid Chicago does not use cookies to retrieve information that is unrelated to your visit to or your interaction with Legal Aid Chicago’s site.

Legal Aid Chicago and the host of its website take reasonable security precautions to maintain the privacy of the data that is collected such as ensuring that it is accessible only to appropriate personnel and that the information is user ID- and password-protected.

No attorney-client relationship is created by sending us e-mail or using forms found on this website.

This site provides links to other sites as a benefit to you. Legal Aid Chicago is not in control of the information collection and dissemination practices of the sites to which this site links, nor do we necessarily endorse such practices merely by providing links. We urge you to use discretion in providing personal information to the sites to which we link. Legal Aid Chicago urges you to review the privacy policies posted on these third-party websites at the time you first visit such sites. We undertake no obligation to review or ensure enforcement or compliance with the privacy policy of any website to which the Legal Aid Chicago website links.

If you have submitted personally identifiable information to us through this website and would like to correct or update this information or request that information deleted from our records, please contact us by email at webmaster@legalaidchicago.org.

We will use reasonable efforts to correct or delete this information from our existing files. If you no longer wish to receive communications from Legal Aid Chicago, contact us by email at webmaster@legalaidchicago.org. However, please note that changes may not be effective immediately.

If you have any questions about this privacy statement, this sites information collection and use practices, or any dealings with this website, contact us by email at webmaster@legalaidchicago.org.

Please read this agreement carefully before using this website.

By accessing the website, you agree to be bound by the terms and conditions below. If you do not wish to be bound by these terms and conditions, you should not access or use the website.

Legal Aid Chicago presents the information on this website as a service to low-income people in the Chicago metropolitan area and other Internet users, including members of the general public. Use of this site does not constitute, in any manner, an attorney-client relationship between Legal Aid Chicago and the user. While the information on this site is about legal issues, it is not intended as legal advice or as a substitute for the particularized advice of your own counsel. People seeking specific legal advice or assistance should contact an attorney, either by using the site to locate legal assistance in your county, or another source. The content of any e-mail sent to Legal Aid Chicago or any of its lawyers at the e-mail address set forth in this website will not create an attorney-client relationship and will not be treated as confidential.

Legal Aid Chicago shall have the right at any time to change the website, including eliminating or discontinuing certain content or features of the website. Such changes, modifications, additions, or deletions shall be effective immediately upon notice thereof, which may be given by means including, but not limited to, posting on the website, or by electronic mail. Your use of the website after such notice shall be deemed to constitute your acceptance of such changes, modifications, additions, or deletions.

This website is provided as is without warranty of any kind, either express or implied, including, but not limited to, the implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, or non-infringement.

This publication could include inaccuracies or typographical errors. Changes are periodically added to the information herein; these changes will be incorporated into new editions to this publication.

Statements or expressions of opinion herein are those of the author and not necessarily those of Legal Aid Chicago, its staff or Board of Trustees.

We provide links to other sites that we believe may be useful or informative. These links to third party sites or information are not intended as, and should not be interpreted by you as constituting or implying our endorsement, sponsorship or recommendation of the third-party information, products or services found there. We do not maintain or control these sites and, accordingly, make no guarantee concerning the accuracy, reliability or currency of the information found there.

While using the website you agree not to: restrict or inhibit any other user from using and enjoying the website and services; post or transmit any unlawful, fraudulent, threatening, abusive, libelous, defamatory, obscene or otherwise objectionable or harmful information or materials, or any information or materials that could constitute or encourage conduct that would be considered a criminal offense, give rise to civil liability, or otherwise violate any law; post or transmit any information or software that contains a virus, worm, Trojan horse or other harmful or disruptive component; post or transmit materials in violation of another party’s copyright or other intellectual property rights (and you acknowledge that the burden of determining whether any material posted or transmitted to the website by you is protected by a third party’s copyright rests solely with you); use the website for any commercial or unlawful purposes; or modify, adapt, sublicense, translate, sell, reverse engineer, decompile or disassemble any portion of the website.

You may download, use and copy the materials found on the Legal Aid Chicago website for your personal, informational, noncommercial use only, provided that all copies that you make of the material must bear any copyright, trademark or other proprietary notice located on the site which pertains to the material being copied. Except as authorized in this paragraph, you are not being granted a license under any copyright, trademark, patent or other intellectual property right in the material found or described herein. All such rights are retained by Legal Aid Chicago and/or any third-party owner of such rights. You may not create framed links to Legal Aid Chicago’s webpages without express written permission from Legal Aid Chicago.

Legal Aid Chicago uses text messaging (“SMS”) to share important updates, reminders, and information with clients and community members who have chosen to receive these messages. This SMS Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, and protect your information when you sign up to receive text messages from us.

When you sign up for text messages, we collect:

• Your mobile phone number;
• Your name or case information (if you provide it to us directly); and/or
• Message content and delivery information (for example, when messages are sent or received).

We do not collect sensitive personal information through text messages, such as Social Security numbers or financial account information.

We use your mobile number and related information to send reminders, updates, or alerts related to your case or our services; share information about programs, events, or legal rights that may affect you; communicate about scheduling or service availability; or improve our communication and outreach. We will not use your phone number for marketing or fundraising without your explicit consent.

We may share limited information with our service providers that help send and manage text messages, mobile phone carriers as needed to deliver messages, and/or other parties as required by law (for example, a court order). We do not sell, rent, or trade your phone number or any personal information to outside organizations for marketing or other purposes.

You will only receive text messages if you have provided your mobile phone number to us and you consent to receive text messages from us.

You may opt out of receiving text messages at any time by replying STOP to any message, or by contacting us directly. After opting out, you will no longer receive text messages unless you re-enroll.

Message frequency will vary depending on your relationship with us and the services you receive. Standard message and data rates may apply according to your mobile carrier plan.

We retain text message records only as long as needed for operational, legal, or reporting purposes. We take reasonable steps to protect all information from unauthorized access, loss, or misuse. However, text messaging is not a secure communication method because messages may be accessible to your mobile provider or others with access to your device, and text messages on your device may be viewable by others. We recommend deleting sensitive messages and securing your mobile device with a password.

We do not sell, rent, or share your mobile number or personal information with third parties for marketing purposes. Your data is only used internally or with approved service providers who support our communication systems under strict confidentiality agreements.

We may update this SMS Privacy Policy periodically. If we make significant changes, we will post the revised policy on our website and update the “Last Revised” date below.

If you have questions about this Policy or about your information, please contact us at:

Legal Aid Chicago
Email:  webmaster@legalaidchicago.org
Phone: 312-341-1070
Website: https://legalaidchicago.org/

Last Revised: 10/28/25