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In her role as DeKalb County Circuit Clerk this past three years, Lori Grubbs has worked tirelessly to bring services to all members of the public.
Her goal has been for county residents to have 100% access to civil justice.
She was able to establish the Self-Help Legal Center (SHLC), located on the first floor of the courthouse, by securing three years of funding from the Illinois Access to Justice Commission. The three years of funding have brought profound changes to the courthouse in terms of assisting court patrons (called Self-Represented Litigants-SRLs) to access the justice system.
The internet-based Center provides legal forms and access to legal information free of charge to the public. The Center is usually the first stop when beginning a legal procedure for people representing themselves. By providing accurate and correct information on court operations, the Center is intended to help alleviate some of the problems that courts and SRLs are experiencing.
The SHLC is an example of a positive approach to helping people be successful in accessing the courts when they can’t afford a lawyer.
Other programs she instituted are a digital reminder system called e-notify which will remind SRLs of court dates they may have and thus help ensure they don’t have to deal with the consequences of not appearing in court and increased Spanish signage throughout the Courthouse.
Lori has demonstrated her commitment to increasing access to the courts and deserves our vote.
Marilyn Stromborg
Sycamore