Cook County residents looking for answers to legal questions concerning their home, chain of title, or other land records can now receive free legal assistance through a new help desk service that will be open to the public each month, Clerk Karen A. Yarbrough announced last week.
The new help desk will assist customers who have legal questions about any of the services provided by the clerk’s Recording Operations Division, which is responsible for recording, storing and maintaining land records and other official documents for all of Chicago and suburban Cook County.
The help desk will be staffed by legal aid attorneys from the Center for Disability and Elder Law (CDEL) who will provide pro bono legal advice for customers on matters such as the recording of deeds, liens, and Transfer on Death Instruments (TODI). Clerk’s Office employees who process Recording transactions are prohibited from preparing legal documents or providing legal advice, so the new Recording Operations Help Desk will enhance services for customers with legal questions.
The help desk will operate on the third Thursday of each month from 10 a.m. to noon and 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Customers can fill out a form at the Clerk’s Recording Operations Division to schedule a date and window of time to meet with an attorney.
The help desk opened on Oct. 20.
“This unique public-private partnership is going to greatly enhance our service by providing much needed legal assistance so that our customers can be confident when filing some of their lives’ most important documents, and save some legal fees in the process,” Yarbrough said.
The Clerk’s Recording Operations Division also has a Property Fraud Unit with investigators and caseworkers who respond to and investigate complaints of property fraud.
The Property Fraud Unit also offers Cook County residents a free Property Fraud Alert that provides a telephone call or email to the property owner anytime a document is recorded against their property or the property of a loved one.
The Clerk’s Recording Operations Division is located at 118 N. Clark Street, Room 120. Additional information about services can be found at cookcountyclerk.com/recordings