DuPage Legal Answers
GUARDIANSHIP
Resources for Guardianships
This website is intended to help people who do not have a background in the law but are trying to work their way through legal problems in DuPage County, particularly issues involving cases filed at the DuPage County Judicial Center. This page is thus intended to provide specific resources for cases assigned to the Arbitration calendar. If you have concerns not covered by these topics, we recommend a search in the Illinois Legal Aid Online database or writing to the volunteer attorneys at Illinois Free Legal Answers.
DCBA Guardianship Help Desk. The DuPage County Bar Association, in conjunction with the 18th Judicial Circuit, staffs three helpdesks weekly to assist self-represented (pro se) litigants in the areas of Family Law, Guardianship, and Civil Law (small claims, insurance, eviction, etc.). These helpdesks offer limited services for the purpose of completing documents, reviewing and assisting in the completion of court forms, and answering general questions. If appropriate, the helpdesk may refer litigants to DuPage Legal Aid, the DuPage Lawyer Referral Service, or some other agency that may be able to more effectively address the issues presented. The helpdesk volunteer attorneys will not provide legal advice nor will they represent you in court. This service is exclusively for those representing themselves in court. A scheduling system is provided for you to indicate a time you would like to visit the helpdesk and to share notes and documents related to your issue. The timeslot is not an appointment or reservation, however it will give you preference over walk-ups.
The DCBA Guardianship Helpdesk is available every Tuesday from 8:30am to 12:30pm in Courtroom 2009 (YOU MUST HAVE A CASE FILED AND UP FOR HEARING ON THAT DAY)
How to Apply for Guardianship in DuPage County. This video, developed by the Eighteenth Judicial Circuit and hosted by Judge James Orel, Sheriff James Mendrick and Circuit Clerk of the Court Candice Adams explains where to find important forms, how to fill them out, and what to do from there to get the process started. The forms discussed in this video appear on the court's website: CLICK HERE.
Guardianship Annual Reporting. This video, developed by the Eighteenth Judicial Circuit, and hosted by Judge James Orel, explains that, once you have a guardianship in place, there are annual forms that need to be submitted. The forms discussed in this video can be found on the clerk of the court's website: CLICK HERE.
Illinois Guardianship and Advocacy Commission. The Office of State Guardian (OSG) is the largest public guardianship agency of its kind in the United States, serving nearly 5,300 adult disabled wards. With cases in virtually every Illinois county, the Office of State Guardian handles the personal, financial, and legal affairs of many developmentally disabled, mentally ill and elderly persons with disabilities. A Guardianship Fact Sheet is available from OSG which provides some useful insight into how the process works: "Illinois has one of the most unique and progressive guardianship laws in the United States.... In 1979, the Illinois Probate Act was amended to provide statutory protection for disabled persons. Entirely new forms of guardianship were established. Most importantly, new procedures for the appointment of guardians and for the supervision of disabled persons and their estates were created...." [MORE]
E-Filing is Required of anyone participating in a court proceeding in DuPage County. The local rules require that you file an "appearance" and any pleadings necessary to your case through an electronic filing system which makes most of the filings in a given case available to the parties, the court, the clerk's office, and the public at large. Anyone seeking to represent themselves in DuPage County should therefore visit the courthouse website page on e-filing, DuPage County E-Filing Information, to make sure they get familiar with the system and how it works. There are also a couple of training videos you may find useful on the Court Info page of this website and both the state-wide e-filing provider, Odyssey, and others (like i2file), provide access to training materials on their landing pages. If those resources prove difficult to navigate, you should know that Illinois Legal Aid Online also has a page on e-Filing Basics and the DuPage County Law Library has a knowledgeable professional staff who can often explain things better than any video or printed word. The e-filing systems are fairly easy to use in the end, it bears emphasizing in this context, but it may take you a bit of time to get the hang of it. Hopefully these resources will help you get there!
