Pro se appellant gets free transcripts

Trial Notebook

By Steven P. Garmisa

Hoey & Farina

Posted November 30, 2020 10:30 AM

Unable to pay $3,000 for the trial transcripts he needed to pursue a pro se appeal from a divorce judgment that curtailed his parental rights, Michael S. Main — who qualified for a pass on court fees, costs and charges as an “indigent person” under Section 5-105 of the Illinois Code of Civil Procedure — asked a Lake County judge to extend the waiver to court reporter fees. There would have been no problem if Main had pro bono counsel — either through a court-sponsored pro bono program or a nonprofit “civil legal services …

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