Illinois Judges Association

Pro Bono Spotlight - October

DuPage County Associate Judge Bryan S. Chapman, who presides over cases in the Chancery Division, has a long-standing commitment to pro bono services. He serves as Chair of the Eighteenth Judicial Circuit Pro Bono Committee. In that capacity, Judge Chapman facilitates partnerships between the Public Interest Law Initiative (PILI), Prairie State Legal Services, DuPage Legal Aid, DuPage Legal Answers, the Help Desk Standing Committee, and Veterans Affairs, and encourages these organizations to collaborate with one another in an effort to provide pro bono services to the community. This includes not only legal representation, but community offerings such as the annual Wills/Powers of Attorney Clinic and the Expungement Clinic.

Judge Chapman’s outlook on the delivery of pro bono legal services changed post-COVID. He questioned how to approach pro bono services in an era in which judges are expected to preside over a large number of virtual proceedings and recognized the challenges in providing access to justice in a Zoom world. Judge Chapman encouraged the Pro Bono Committee to consider engaging in fresh thinking about how best to serve the community. "The help desk and so many other existing resources for self-represented litigants are great, but they require a physical presence in the courthouse when many litigants prefer to appear remotely. This reality has caused our PILI committee to engage the challenge and opportunity to do some ‘original thinking’ regarding pro bono services."

Judge Chapman’s commitment to encouraging the delivery of pro bono services to the community and to litigants in a remote landscape reflects his continued commitment to the fair administration of justice to all individuals.