Civil Practice Clinic

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Last Updated: Aug 31, 2026, 04:02 PM

Cost of Services

The legal services provided by this program are provided without cost to the client. Sometimes, however, it is necessary to pay filing fees, service fees, or other costs in cases brought by the clinic. Under these circumstances the client will be asked to assume these costs, if the client is able to do so.

Under no circumstances will representation be refused because a client is unable to pay these costs, and complete and thorough representation will be provided whether or not the client can pay the costs. In a typical case the filing fee runs around $300, while service fees average $60. These fees are paid to the court and sheriff, and are not retained by the clinic.

The Legal Services to Elders program is part of the Legal Clinic at the Simmons Law School at Southern Illinois University at Carbondale. Through this program, 2L & 3L students, working under the supervision of an experienced attorney, are given the opportunity to provide basic estate planning legal assistance while receiving academic credit for their work.

The primary client population served by the Legal Clinic are those 60 years of age or older who reside in the thirteen southernmost counties of Illinois. In addition to substantial University funding, the Simmons Law School receives continuing grants from the Egyptian Area Agency on Aging and the Lawyers Trust Fund of Illinois to support this project.

Who Is Eligible for Legal Assistance

Any citizen of the United States 60 years of age or older whose legal residence is Alexander, Franklin, Gallatin, Hardin, Jackson, Johnson, Massac, Perry, Pope, Pulaski, Saline, Union, or Williamson counties is eligible for legal assistance through the Legal Clinic.

The law establishing legal services to older persons prohibits any financial test as a condition for services. The Legal Clinic reserves the right to control the intake of cases to ensure the best educational experience for the students enrolled.

CONTACT: (618) 536-4423

Students, click here for more information about assisting the Legal Clinic.

Services

  • Types of Services Provided

    The Civil Practice Clinic provides civil legal services entailing wills, powers of attorney for health care and property, and property transfers consisting of quitclaim deeds and transfer on death instruments.

    The clinic also assists families of those who are no longer able to care for themselves or their property with the difficult issues arising out of the need for guardianship. Attorneys and law students from the Legal Clinic provide educational and informative presentations to senior citizens on legal matters of concern to older persons. Those not accepted as clients may still benefit from the educational programs provided each year.

  • Types of Services Not Provided

    The program does not provide legal assistance in criminal cases or provide representation in the probate of estates, commercial or business matters, cases in which an attorney's fee is determined by the amount of the recovery (fee generating or contingency fee cases), or cases which exceed the expertise of the clinic attorneys or do not provide appropriate educational experiences to the law students.

    Clinic attorneys and students are governed by the Code of Professional Responsibility, as are all lawyers, and will decline to provide assistance in cases in which the client's position lacks merit.

Funding

Funded in part by the Older Americans Act through the Egyptian Area Agency on Aging. Legal Services to Older Persons does not discriminate in admission to programs or activities, or treatment of employment in programs or activities in compliance with the Illinois Human Rights Act; Title VI or Title VII or the U.S. Civil Rights Act, as amended; Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, as amended; the Age Discrimination Act, as amended; the Age Discrimination in Employment Act, as amended, their applicable rules and regulation pursuant thereto; and the Constitution of the U.S. and Illinois Constitution.

  • How to Report Discrimination

    If you feel you have been discriminated against, you have a right to file a complaint with the Illinois Department on Aging at 1-800-252-8966 (Voice and TTY), or contact the Civil Rights Coordinator at the SIU Legal Clinic at 1-618-536-4423.