2026 Indiana Civil Legal Assistance Conference

A Clinic attorney helped a veteran client who was not present at the birth of his youngest son due to deployment. Through court representation the attorney helped the client establish paternity while also being awarded primary physical and sole legal custody. The client now qualifies for the Child Care Development Fund, which allows him to work full-time knowing his children are cared for.

A young family was homeless and living in hotels, but on Notre Dame football weekends they could not afford hotels and instead lived in their van. They had always paid their rent on time, but nine months into their lease they received notices that their child was being too noisy. The landlord refused to renew the lease and filed to evict them. When the family moved out, the landlord did not pursue the court case, but the eviction filing precluded the family from getting new housing. With cold weather approaching, a legal aid attorney filed a motion to seal the eviction, which was granted. Sealing the eviction allowed the family to obtain new housing.

Legal Aid assisted a young man from the Indiana School for the Deaf who learned he had been evicted without ever receiving notice or a chance to appear in court. Communicating through American Sign Language interpreters, an attorney met with him and took his case. Legal Aid successfully had the eviction judgment set aside, dismissed, and later sealed. By June, he graduated and was able to secure housing without the burden of an eviction record. Thanks to Legal Aid, he was able to get the legal help he needed, the justice he deserved, and a clear record to obtain housing.