Scheduling a hearing in Cook County can be confusing and frustrating if you are not familiar with Cook County’s unique requirements and special rules. Keep reading below to figure out what you should do to schedule a hearing depending on the type of case you are filing into.
As always, if you have any questions about eFiling, please do not hesitate to reach out to us at (844) 340-3096 or email us at [email protected].
The one thing you must do in every Cook County case
For all Cook County cases, you must enter your Cook County Attorney Code in the Case Cross Reference Number field. Your filing will get automatically rejected if you do not enter your attorney code. If you don’t have a Cook County Attorney Code, you can click here to download a form.
How to schedule a hearing
Chancery, Domestic Relations, Law (Calendar 5/M1) or Probate divisions
If you are filing into Chancery, Domestic Relations, Law (Cal. 5/M1), or Probate, and need to schedule a motion hearing, you must ADD an additional Case Cross Reference Number with the word “MOTION” in the Case Cross Reference Field and select the type of motion. This will allow you to select from available date to schedule a hearing after you submit the filing.
After scheduling the hearing date, just sit back and wait until the clerk’s office confirms it.
Civil (non-Post-Judgment) or Law Division (NOT Calendar 5/M1)
If you are filing in the Civil or Law Division, you can click on the Schedule Hearing button without adding the additional Case Cross Reference Number field as described above. The Clerk’s office states that you DO NOT have to choose a hearing date unless the filing require it.
Civil Division Post-Judgment (Districts 1 – 6)
For post judgment cases in the Civil Division Dist. 1 – 6, you will use the Return date to obtain a court date. To obtain a return date, follow the process below.
Selecting a return date
If you are filing a summons and need a return date, or you’re not quite sure if you need a return date, uncheck the “Return Date Not Applicable”, select a date, and click on Verify. The system will provide you a Return Date if it is required. If not, it will tell you that the “Return Date is Not Applicable.”
If you need additional assistance for have questions, please call us at (844) 340-3096 or email us at [email protected].
Author
Lindsey Dean leads strategic marketing and growth at InfoTrack, where she is focused on exploring and sharing concepts and ideas in accessible and nuanced ways. She has been a writer and researcher in the legal profession for more than 6 years and has authored reports and articles on eFiling, service of process, trends in the legal support field, and more.
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