The St. Clair County Judiciary and Court System are pleased to announce the award of a Self­-Represented Litigant Coordinator grant in the amount of $18,000.00 provided by the Illinois Supreme Court Commission on Access to Justice. The purpose of the grant is to upgrade the technology and related support systems for the operations of the St. Clair County Self-Represented Litigant Center.

As the person responsible for the technology systems for the judicial department, Deputy Trial Court Administrator Maggie Smith states: "Receiving the Access to Justice grant is vital to expanding our ability to serve the Self­-Represented Litigants community by providing updated computers and more access to legal resources."

Asked for her assessment, Self-Represented Litigant Coordinator Juli Donahue states: "The grant funds received from the Illinois Supreme Court Commission on Access to Justice will be incredibly valuable in the process of providing assistance to self-represented litigants in St. Clair County. The Law Library will be equipped with six self-help stations with upgraded computers and a new copier and scanner which will allow clients efficient access to the technology necessary to create court documents, attend remote hearings, conduct research and prepare vital materials to be used throughout the judicial process."

Chief Judge Andrew J. Gleeson states: "This grant will enable the Court in St. Clair County to continue its commitment to serving self­-represented litigants and guiding them through the sometimes complicated and daunting court system. The judiciary, staff and vendors, collaboratively led by Maggie Smith and Juli Donahue, exceeded our expectations in preparing and executing this grant process. Great job by all."