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“The material was easy to follow and provided real-life application that made the legal process feel more approachable.”
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The Just Us Bridge Show · Chicago, Cook County, and all of Illinois
Litigation Literacy. Made watchable.
86 of every 100 tenants in observed Cook County eviction hearings had no lawyer. They still had to act.
Illinois courts opened 390,887 new civil cases in 2024. In Chicago, about 4 in 100 tenants facing eviction got a free lawyer for the whole case. The earlier Just Us Bridge library teaches case steps online and could be adapted for wider distribution under a future agreement.
26 finished episodes · 19 on the public site · treatise-backed scripts
Eviction course tested · built in Illinois, ready for any state
Sources: Chicago Appleseed, 2025 · Illinois Courts, 2024 · Stout, 2024
Measured learning · program reach · reported separately
Every paired learner scored higher.
66 → 83Average score from intake to final exam in the eviction course. All 36 learners with both scores improved. Paired t-test, p < .001.
54 → 88Average score in the eviction-notices unit, built around the topic learners missed most. 29 paired learners.
~1,000People signed up for the learning program.
~47%Of signups watched at least one lesson. We count them as reached, not as course completers. Many came for one topic and got it.
Who took the tests (n = 120): 76% Black · half of households below $30,000 · 66% in an R3 or above-median eviction-filing tract.
Learning and participant data: independent evaluations by Spek Strategies (2024, 2025), reported in Jim Winner's preprint. Signups and views: program records. These are knowledge gains, not court outcomes. No court-outcome study has been run yet.
Episodes are built on written treatises that cite the statutes, rules, and cases they teach.Entertainment on screen. Authority underneath.
Google reviews
From the people who took part.
The deadline does not wait for a lawyer.
“Litigation literacy is the knowledge, skills, and dispositions required to recognize a justiciable problem, invoke or respond to formal legal process, and participate competently in the adversarial resolution of that problem, with or without professional assistance.”Jim Winner · Litigation Literacy in the Lawyerless Court · Public preprint, Sept. 2026
Counsel where possible.
Competence everywhere.More lawyers remain essential. Litigation literacy is what a person carries into the hearing when no lawyer is there, and it makes a better client when one is.
03 / The representation gap
Competence everywhere.More lawyers remain essential. Litigation literacy is what a person carries into the hearing when no lawyer is there, and it makes a better client when one is.
Free help mostly ends at advice.
Cook County Legal Aid for Housing and Debt and its Early Resolution Program connect residents to free legal aid, mediation, and case management. They help. They were not built to carry most people through trial.
“In most instances, clients remaining in the ERP program would not continue contact with the attorney assisting them through the final resolution of the matter.”Stout, Evaluation of Cook County Early Resolution Program, Dec. 2022
Where JUB fits. After the consultation, the tenant or debtor still has to file, appear, answer discovery, argue, and preserve the record. When a lawyer gives advice only, declines the case, or stops before trial, JUB trains the person to carry every remaining step in order.
04 / Where free help stopsBuilt for every courthouse in Illinois.
More than half of Illinois eviction filings are outside Cook County, beyond the reach of its diversion program. Money cases are filed in every circuit.
Built in Illinois. Ready for any state. The format travels. The same case sequence, scenes, treatises, and scored checks can be rebuilt on another state's statutes and court rules. Episodes already teach federal procedure alongside Illinois practice, and federal rules apply in every state.
One library, 102 counties. JUB runs online and on demand. Its treatises teach the Illinois Code of Civil Procedure and Supreme Court Rules, which govern every circuit. Cook County programs and courtroom details are flagged as local.
05 / All of IllinoisEviction is 19% of civil court. JUB teaches the rest.
Of 342,439 new civil cases in Illinois in 2023, 64,313 were evictions. The rest include credit-card suits, car and contract disputes, and claims people cannot afford a lawyer to bring. The same procedure decides all of them.
Sued on a credit cardAnswer or attack the complaint, challenge service, then win on paper or settle. The Art of Dodging Bullets · Pump Them Brakes · Dispositive Motions
Collector crossed the lineThe FDCPA course walks through Jim Winner's own federal complaint, from filing fees to counts. Game Show · Talk Show · Courts Center
Owed money, no lawyerDraft the complaint, pick the venue, plead each element, attach exhibits, and prosecute it. Crafting Your Case · Setting Your Case in Motion
Judgment already enteredVacate a default within 30 days or petition within two years, then protect the record. Post-Trial and Last-Chance Motions
Illinois civil and eviction counts: Illinois Courts 2023 Statistical Summary. Episode names from JUB scripts and the episode guide. The FDCPA course is in the JUB archive.
06 / Beyond evictionWin it before it is filed.
Most people meet the legal system after a deadline starts running. JUB teaches the case as a line, from the first dispute to the final record, so a person documents, researches, negotiates, and files in order and knows what each move triggers.
01DocumentPersonal knowledge, witness statements, originals, numbered exhibits. Building Your Lawsuit With Evidence · Ill. R. Evid. 602
02ResearchFind the controlling statute, rule, and case, and know binding from persuasive. Unlocking the Law
03NegotiateSettle from the record, with agreements and stipulations that end the case cleanly. Dispositive Motions · Ill. R. Evid. 408 · 735 ILCS 5/2-1009
04Pick the courtJurisdiction, venue, state or federal. Owning the Courtroom · 735 ILCS 5/2-101
05Draft and fileCaption, elements, exhibits, prayer for relief, and a signature that must be true. Crafting Your Case · Ill. S. Ct. R. 131, 137
06ServeService of process, notice of motion, certificate of service. Notices · Pump Them Brakes
07ProsecutePre-suit discovery, written discovery, motions, and hearings. Setting Your Case in Motion · Hearings · Ill. S. Ct. R. 224
08Resolve or preserveSettle, win on paper, or make the record for appeal. Dispositive Motions · Making a Record
Dispositive Motions, Notices, Hearings, Case Management, and Making a Record are finished episodes beyond the 19 on the public site. Citations are drawn from JUB treatises.
07 / Before a case is filedA form fills a blank. Strategy wins the case.
Illinois Legal Aid Online offers substantial guides, forms, and videos. Its Easy Forms can assemble an appearance, a jury request, and an answer. That gets a paper filed. It does not teach what the paper sets in motion, what the other side does next, or which move keeps the next option open. JUB teaches the case as a linear progression, from notice to judgment to appeal, and tests whether the learner can make each call.
| What it takes to hold a case | ILAO | JUB |
|---|---|---|
| Written legal guidance organized by case stage or topic | ✓ | ✓ |
| Legal video | ✓ | ✓ |
| Answer an interview that assembles court forms | ✓ | ○ |
| Apply for or find free legal help | ✓ | ○ |
| Learn the case as a linear progression: what each filing triggers and what comes next | ○ | ✓ |
| Weigh the strategic choice at each stage: challenge, negotiate, demand proof, or preserve error | ○ | ✓ |
| Follow one eviction case in sequence, from notice to the win or loss paths | ○ | ✓ |
| Score legal choices: eviction quizzes and exams, plus scenario checks for Civil Procedure and Know Your Rights | ○ | ✓ |
| Scenes, comedy, and recurring characters that make procedure memorable | ○ | ✓ |
| Issue index that jumps to the exact video segment, treatise section, and form | ○ | ✓ |
✓ Available now. ○ Not offered as connected training on ILAO's public eviction, civil-practice, and police pages reviewed Sept. 24, 2026. Its linked city videos explain the process but do not test choices.
Try one lesson. A five-day notice arrives. A form cannot tell the tenant whether the notice is defective, whether to challenge service before answering, or what the landlord will file next. The issue index opens Notice Ninja at the scene where the mistake plays out, the treatise supplies the rule, and the quiz forces the call. In the notices unit, paired scores rose from 54 to 88.
Paperwork is a single step. A lawsuit is a sequence. JUB teaches the sequence, and the strategy inside it.
Sources: ILAO eviction hub, Respond to an eviction (Easy Form), linked city videos (reviewed Sept. 24, 2026); Jim Winner, Litigation Literacy in the Lawyerless Court, public preprint; JUB scripts, treatises, and course records.
08 / Forms versus strategyCheck the notice. Build the defense. Prepare for either ruling.
An eviction can turn on a defective notice, a jury demand, missing proof, or a 30-day window after judgment. JUB teaches the choice at each turn before the tenant faces it.
Find the next task.
Stage-by-stage guides, a common-defenses article, and Easy Forms that produce an appearance, jury request, answer, defenses, and counterclaims. After judgment, its page centers on sealing, more time, and moving out. The sequence and the strategy are left to the tenant.
Practice the next legal move.
Six live episodes follow one case: notices, pretrial defenses, discovery, trial, and separate paths for a win or a loss. Each rests on a cited treatise, and the course scores the choices.
Start with one paper. The issue index takes a tenant from the paper in hand to the exact segment, treatise section, and form. The scored course then checks the choice. A future distribution agreement could make it available through libraries, housing sites, and courts.
ILAO comparison: eviction hub, common defenses, Respond to an eviction, after judgment. JUB: scripts, treatises, and Winner's preprint. Citations from JUB treatises. Not legal advice.
09 / Eviction defense head to headFour turns a tenant can prepare for
If a notice arrives
Test the notice first.
Prepare: identify a 5-day, 10-day, or termination notice, then check its contents, timing, and service. Choose: challenge a defective notice or service before arguing the merits.
If the landlord wants a deal
Know your leverage.
Prepare: file the jury demand with the appearance, which raises the landlord's cost of trial. Choose: negotiate from that position. After a judgment, bargain for an agreed order sealing the file.
If proof is missing
Demand the proof.
Prepare: written discovery, a good-faith conference, then a motion to compel. A Rule 237 notice brings the landlord and records to trial. Choose: win on paper or test the case at trial.
After judgment
Win or lose, a clock starts.
If you win: enter the judgment, collect through a citation to discover assets, and seal the file. If you lose: weigh a stay, a motion to vacate, a 2-1401 petition, a new-trial motion, and the record for appeal.
Challenge service. Pursue proof. Preserve the error.
A person can find the right rule and still lose it by acting in the wrong order. JUB teaches the sequence of a lawsuit, including the move that keeps the next move available.
Read the rule for this step.
A detailed Illinois civil practice guide, which ILAO labels advanced content for lawyers, plus plain-language guides on being sued, motions, and appeals, a notice-of-appeal Easy Form, and an appeals video series. The order of moves is left to the reader.
Practice the order of moves.
Eleven live episodes run from research and investigation through complaints, answers, motions to quash, jury selection, motions, and objections. Finished episodes on settlement, notices, hearings, case management, the record, and Zoom court are ready to publish.
Make sequence visible. The issue index returns a learner to the exact segment, rule, and form when a real filing approaches, and scored scenario checks test the order of moves. A future production agreement could publish the finished episodes on settlement, notices, hearings, and the record, then add appeals and discovery.
ILAO comparison: Illinois civil practice, what to know if sued, motions basics, appeals basics. JUB: scripts, treatises, episode guide. Citations from JUB treatises. Check rules before use.
11 / Civil procedure head to headFour forks a litigant must see coming
Before you sue
Investigate before pleading.
Prepare: proof from personal knowledge, witness statements, and original documents, numbered for production. Choose: the right parties, court, and venue, then plead each element of the claim.
If you are served
Check service before answering.
Prepare: compare the return of service with the facts. A challenge needs a verified affidavit. Choose: a motion to quash first, then a 2-615 or 2-619 motion, or an answer with defenses.
If evidence is withheld
Pursue the missing proof.
Prepare: put the request in writing and make a good-faith attempt to resolve the dispute. Choose: a motion to compel, then sanctions if the refusal continues.
If a ruling goes against you
Object and preserve review.
Prepare: state the objection and its ground on the record, and secure a transcript or bystander's report. Choose: a post-trial motion, a motion to vacate, or an appeal before time runs.
Use calm words during the stop. Save the facts afterward.
ILAO already lists the rights and suggested words. JUB shows the pressure around the choice, then rehearses a response that protects safety, cooperation, and the legal record.
Look up the right.
Police-stop and arrest FAQs cover identification, silence, searches, Miranda, and misconduct. They give suggested words, explain how to document a violation, and point to First Defense Legal Aid and complaint routes. It is reference material, not rehearsal.
Practice saying it under pressure.
In The Art of War, Parts I and II, Jim and Officer Popo, a puppet cop, walk through field interviews, Terry stops, pat-downs, consent, Miranda, and counsel, then the record to build afterward.
Useful in the room. Two live episodes, a written treatise, and scored scenario checks on the words and the order of moves. A future institutional edition for schools or public agencies would need its own agreement and current-law review.
ILAO comparison: police stops and searches, investigation and arrest, police resources. JUB: scripts, treatise, episode guide. Citations from JUB treatises. Review current law before distribution.
13 / Police KYR head to headFour turns in one encounter
If questions begin
Ask if you are free to leave.
Prepare: know the difference between a field interview, a Terry stop, and an arrest. Choose: give the identification the law requires, then ask whether you are being detained.
If a search is requested
Say you do not consent.
Prepare: the words, and hands where the officer can see them. Choose: state non-consent before a pat-down or search. Do not physically resist, even if the search proceeds.
If custody follows
Invoke silence and counsel.
Prepare: the exact words: “I want a lawyer.” Choose: stay silent after invoking, even when an officer changes tone or baits a reply.
After the encounter
Preserve the facts.
Prepare: badge and patrol car numbers, witnesses, video, injuries, and a written account while memory is fresh. Choose: a complaint, a defense lawyer, or a civil-rights claim.
293,150 traffic stops · 82,437 investigatory stops in one year
Teach the stop before the lights come on.
Lights. Commands. Questions. Decisions demanded before there is time to search a website or reread a card.
293,150Reported CPD traffic stops in 2024.
82,437CPD investigatory stops documented in 2024.
30,491Pat-downs during reported investigatory stops.
36,826Searches during reported investigatory stops.
3,135Use-of-force incident reports in 2024, with 59 Level III occurrences involving deadly force, life-threatening injury, or hospital admission.
Sources: CPD Traffic Stops, 2024; Chicago OIG Public Safety Annual Report, 2024; CPD Annual Report, 2024.
63.7%of reported investigatory-stop subjects in 2024 were identified as Black. Black residents were 28.7% of Chicago's population.Chicago Office of Inspector General, 2024 Public Safety Annual Report.
Practice the words so panic does not choose them.
Chicago already has ads, cards, FAQs, brochures, videos, and workshops. JUB turns the rules into an encounter viewers can watch, rehearse, and recall under pressure. Stress can scramble detailed memory. Practice testing helps it hold.
01RecognizeField interview, detention, traffic stop, search request, arrest, or interrogation. Name the moment before choosing the move.
02Say it“Am I free to leave?” “I do not consent to a search.” “I am exercising my right to remain silent.” “I want a lawyer.”
03ControlHands visible. No sudden movement. No roadside argument. No physical resistance. Protect the legal issue for the proper forum.
04PreserveRecord the time, location, badge, vehicle, witnesses, video, injuries, medical care, and a written account while memory is fresh.
05ChallengeCarry the record into the complaint process, criminal defense, or civil-rights claim the facts support.
Why rehearsal matters: acute stress can impair retrieval of detailed memories (Gagnon et al., Cerebral Cortex, 2019). In a laboratory study, material learned through practice tests held up under acute stress better than material that was only restudied (Smith, Floerke & Thomas, Science, 2016). Current-model review: CPD KYR campaign; ILAO police-stop FAQ; ACLU of Illinois; First Defense Legal Aid.
16 / Rehearsal under pressureStart with one series. Scale to the county.
These are planning budgets, not Society offers or charitable asks. The first two examples use the existing Professional Litigant, Inc. library. The upper examples contemplate new production. Any Society role would require a written license, conflict review, authority to operate where required, and separate approval before money or work changes hands. A future project would report signups, viewers, test-takers, and paired learning separately.
$50KOne-Series PilotExisting libraryOne complete series for 12 months · captions · public access page · discussion materials · four community programs
$150KFull-Archive AccessExisting libraryAll 26 finished episodes · 12 programs · partner hub · facilitator materials · quarterly reach and learning report
$350KUpdated ArchiveLibrary + new shortsFull library · current-law review · accessibility review · six new short videos · optional knowledge checks
$650K12-Episode SeasonNew production12 original episodes · 36 short videos · live premieres · captions · learning evaluation
$1MChicago + Cook CountyNew production20 original episodes · 60 short videos · KYR institutional edition · eviction updates · multilingual access · regional distribution
The library that exists today · 26 finished episodes
19 are on the public site. Seven more are finished and ready to publish, shown with yellow frames: Dispositive Motions, Notices, Hearings, Case Management, Making a Record, Zoom Court, and the Monopolaw special.
Chicago and Cook County residents will face summonses, notices, hearings, and police stops this year. These examples show how a future licensed project could help them prepare. No Society project or funding is approved.
17 / Illustrative future scopesReach residents where they already go.
Review the existing library and test the notices lesson. The Society may consider a license later; it is not taking funding, pledges, or project commitments now.
LibrariesSchoolsCollegesParksHousingReentryCourtsPublic TV
Current production inquiries go to Professional Litigant, Inc.
Visit the Just Us Bridge Show
18 / Book the demonstration
thejustusbridgeshow.com
Jim Winner, creator and host
Public legal education. Not legal advice.
Produced by Professional Litigant, Inc. No Society license or production contract is in effect.