Since January 2006, Joe Dailing has served as Executive Director of the Illinois Coalition for Equal Justice. The Coalition is a joint project of the Chicago Bar Association, the Illinois State Bar Association and The Chicago Bar Foundation, with major funding from the Lawyers Trust Fund of Illinois.  The Coalition’s mission is to create a more transparent, responsive, and accessible justice system in Illinois, particularly for low income individuals and families. The Coalition works with judges, lawyers, the organized bar, elected officials and private individuals and groups to achieve this mission. In collaboration with Illinois Legal Aid Online and local officials, the Coalition has been involved in opening eighteen new legal self-help centers throughout Illinois since May, 2007.

Previously Joe was the Executive Director of Prairie State Legal Services (PSLS) for almost 29 years. Prairie State Legal Services is the primary provider of free legal services in northern and central Illinois outside of Cook County. Among other successes, he supervised the expansion of PSLS’s coverage area from 10 counties to 36 counties, thereby allowing hundreds of thousands of Illinoisans access to legal assistance. In addition to his work at Prairie State Legal Services, Joe Dailing has consulted with legal aid programs nationally and internationally. For over two years he worked as a consultant with the federal Legal Services Corporation on state planning and development issues.

Joe is a graduate of the University of Iowa College of Law and the University of Notre Dame.  He has been extensively involved in the Illinois State Bar Association, particularly in connection with efforts to increase the capacity and availability of pro bono and legal services to the poor.  Joe is a part Chair of the ISBA's Delivery of Legal Services Standing Committee and the Standing Committee on Law Office Management and Economics.  He has also been a member of the Board of Directors and past President of the Winnebago County Bar Association.  Joe serves as a member and past Chair of the City of Rockford's Fair Housing Board.