About Us
Indiana Legal Services, Inc. (ILS) is a not-for-profit law firm and the largest provider of free civil legal assistance to eligible low-income people in Indiana. ILS helps clients who are faced with legal problems that harm their ability to obtain basic needs such as food, shelter, income, medical care or personal safety. ILS also handles cases in other areas including family law where there is domestic violence, housing, consumer law, access to health care, and access to government benefits. ILS does not handle any criminal matters.
Who We Serve
ILS was established in 1966, and today we serve clients in every county in Indiana. (To see which of our offices serves the various counties, click here.) We have about 100 attorneys and many other staff members working in offices around the state in areas including family law, housing, comsumer law, expungements and driver’s licenses. ILS has several specialized projects to address the needs of particular client communities, including the Senior Law Project, the Immigrants and Language Rights Center, the Low Income Taxpayer Clinic, the Military Assistance Project, the Legal Assistance for Victimized Adults (LAVA) Project, and the LGBT Project, and the Worker’s Rights & Protection Project (WRAPP) addressing the need of migrant farmworkers, other agricultural workers, and survivors of human trafficking. ILS is governed by a Board of Directors that includes private attorneys and low-income people who are eligible for services at ILS.
In 2022, ILS served over 15,000 low income people. Some of these cases were full representation cases, where an ILS attorney represented the client in a court or agency action. Others involved giving a client advice about his or her legal rights and what action the client could take.
Why
More than 800,000 people in Indiana live with incomes below the poverty level. There are several agencies and programs around the state that try to meet the legal needs of the poor. ILS is the largest of these agencies in Indiana. ILS recognizes and supports other agencies around the state that provide legal assistance to the poor, such as legal aid societies and pro bono programs. We also partner with organizations outside of Indiana, such as the Mid-America Pension Rights Project. Even with all of these agencies working hard, it is difficult to meet the legal needs of the poor in Indiana.
Indiana Legal Services uses the law to fight poverty and racism, empower clients, and improve access to justice.
Dignity, fairness, and equality for all people under the law.
“To ensure that ILS policies and practices respect, value, appreciate and leverage the unique and varied attributes of ILS’s clients, board, staff and stakeholders.”
Support
ILS receives funds from many different sources including funding from Congress through funding through and other agencies around the state. However, you can Donate and help support the most vulnerable residents of Indiana.
Last updated on June 13, 2023
ILS News
IRS Introduces In-Person Identity Verification for Taxpayers
In an important move towards enhancing security measures, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) now offers taxpayers the option of in-person
File Tax Returns Now – Don’t Wait on Congress
Congress is currently working on a large tax deal. The deal has the potential to enhance and expand certain tax