Chicago Bankruptcy Resources

Courts, legal aid organizations, free tools, and research resources for Chicago area bankruptcy filers.

Federal Bankruptcy Court

Northern District of Illinois -- Bankruptcy Court

ilnb.uscourts.gov

Everett McKinley Dirksen Federal Building, 219 S. Dearborn Street, Chicago, IL 60604. Handles all bankruptcy filings for the Chicago metropolitan area.

Legal Aid and Pro Bono Services

Legal Aid Chicago

legalaidchicago.org

Free legal services for low-income Cook County residents, including bankruptcy assistance and foreclosure defense.

Chicago Volunteer Legal Services (CVLS)

cvls.org

Pro bono legal assistance connecting low-income residents with volunteer attorneys for civil legal matters.

Prairie State Legal Services

pslegal.org

Free legal help for residents in northern and central Illinois suburbs.

Chicago Bar Foundation -- Legal Aid Referral

chicagobarfoundation.org

Connects consumers to legal aid programs and pro bono attorneys across Cook County.

Free Screening and Research Tools

1328(f) Discharge Eligibility Screener

1328f.com

Free tool to check whether a prior discharge creates a time bar. Runs entirely in your browser -- no data collected.

Open Bankruptcy Project

openbankruptcyproject.org

National research platform analyzing Chapter 13 outcomes across all 94 federal districts.

1328(f) Research Platform

1328f.org

In-depth research on repeat filing patterns and eligibility violations.

Federal Resources

U.S. Trustee Program -- Region 11

justice.gov/ust

Oversees bankruptcy case administration in N.D. Ill. File complaints about attorney or trustee misconduct.

PACER

pacer.uscourts.gov

Access federal court records. Fee-based ($0.10/page, capped at $3.00/document).

Federal Judicial Center -- Integrated Database

fjc.gov/research/idb

The source database for all statistics on this site.

Illinois State Resources

Illinois Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission (ARDC)

iardc.org

Look up attorney registration status and file complaints about Illinois-licensed attorneys.

Illinois Legal Aid Online

illinoislegalaid.org

Free legal information and self-help resources for Illinois residents, including bankruptcy guides.

More from the OBP Network

Chapter 7 vs. Chapter 13

chapter7vs13.org

Side-by-side comparison of Chapter 7 and Chapter 13 bankruptcy.

Bankruptcy Dismissed -- What Now?

bankruptcydismissed.com

Next steps after a dismissed bankruptcy case.

How Much Does Bankruptcy Cost?

howmuchdoesbankruptcycost.com

Fee breakdowns for Chapter 7 and Chapter 13 bankruptcy.