There is a lot of information on the Internet that allows us to research everything from restaurants to shoemakers. And Illinois law is no exception. A number of free websites allow both lawyers and Illinois citizens to readily access a wide variety of legal information.
The Illinois Supreme Court and Illinois Appellate Courts can be found at a site located at http://www.state.il.us/court. The website contains past opinions and rulings of the Illinois Supreme Court, along with links to legal research and guides for lawyers. But there are also useful tools for citizens wanting to find out more about nuances of the law. Some of these include a Juror Handbook, Illinois Child Support Information, and Becoming an Adult: Legal Rights & Responsibilities at Age 18.
The Illinois Supreme Court website also has a link to any of the Illinois Circuit Courts. Currently 15 of Illinois’ 23 Circuit Courts have websites, including Cook County, Lake County, Kane County, DuPage County, McHenry County and Kankakee County.
Although the individual county circuit courts vary, the websites generally contain contact information, county courthouse addresses, lists of the circuit and associate judges, and local rules and forms. The Cook County website also has links to traffic court information, or information on how to set up courthouse tours.
But if you’re in Cook County and need to look up information about a specific case, then you need the website for the Clerk of the Circuit Court of Cook County. Through this site you can search for up-to-date information on your case on the docket sheet, which is essentially a list of all activity for an individual case. In addition, there are numerous forms and answers to many common legal questions, or FAQs.
In short, there is a wide array of useful and valuable information available to the public about our court systems so that you can be your own advocate.
Kreisman Law Offices has been practicing law for over 30 years in Chicago, Cook County and its surrounding areas, including Elk Grove Village, Glencoe, Oak Forest, and Tinley Park.
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