More than 40 dedicated legal aid and public interest law organizations provide vital legal services to many thousands of Chicagoans in need. Unfortunately however, due to a chronic underinvestment in our pro bono and legal aid system, there are currently less than 300 legal aid attorneys in the Chicago area to serve more than one million low-income Cook County residents. As a result, more than half of the disadvantaged Chicagoans who seek legal assistance that is often critical to their safety and independence are turned away and left to solve complex legal problems on their own.