Cook County Domestic Relations Division: A Practical Guide

What the Domestic Relations Division hears

If you live in Chicago or suburban Cook County and you are going through a divorce or a parenting case, your case belongs to the Domestic Relations Division of the Circuit Court of Cook County. The court's Domestic Relations Division page lists the main case types:

• Dissolution of marriage (divorce), dissolution of a civil union, legal separation and declarations of invalidity
• Parentage cases
• Child support and maintenance (formerly called alimony)
• Allocation of parental responsibilities, which means decision-making and parenting time (formerly called custody and visitation)
• Visitation by a non-parent
• Division of property and debts in a divorce
• Enforcement and modification of judgments in these cases

The division also hears a civil order of protection when a divorce or parentage case between the same people is already pending. A stand-alone order of protection is commonly filed in the Domestic Violence Division at 555 West Harrison Street or in a suburban district. Adoption cases go to the County Division, and guardianship of a minor goes to the Probate Division.

The division follows Part 13 of the Rules of the Circuit Court of Cook County, along with Illinois statutes and Supreme Court Rules. Chicago Family Attorneys practices family law only. If you are facing a criminal charge, speak with a criminal defense lawyer about that charge.

Where family cases are heard in Cook County

Richard J. Daley Center

The division's main location is the Richard J. Daley Center, 50 West Washington Street, Chicago, which many people simply call Daley Center family court. The Office of the Presiding Judge of the Domestic Relations Division is in Suite 1901A. The Clerk of the Circuit Court's Domestic Relations office is in Room 802, open Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., where you can ask about filings, court dates and copies of court papers.

Daley Center room numbers start with the floor number, so Courtroom 1605 is on the 16th floor. Rooms marked CL are on the concourse level.

Suburban municipal districts

Cook County also hears Domestic Relations cases in five suburban courthouses:

• Second Municipal District: Skokie Courthouse, 5600 Old Orchard Road, Skokie
• Third Municipal District: Rolling Meadows Courthouse, 2121 Euclid Avenue, Rolling Meadows
• Fourth Municipal District: Maywood Courthouse, 1500 Maybrook Drive, Maywood
• Fifth Municipal District: Bridgeview Courthouse, 10220 South 76th Avenue, Bridgeview
• Sixth Municipal District: Markham Courthouse, 16501 South Kedzie Parkway, Markham

Under the local rules, a new case may be filed in a suburban district if at least one party lives within that district's boundaries. A respondent served with a suburban pre-judgment case can move it to the Daley Center by filing an appearance together with the District Transfer form. Unless the court allows more time, the transfer must be filed no later than 30 days after service, not counting the day of service. The court's own FAQ notes that the form cannot be filed after your appearance is already on file.

For a divorce, the court's FAQ explains that you or your spouse must live in Cook County to file here, and that a judgment cannot be entered unless one of you has lived in Illinois for at least 90 days (750 ILCS 5/401).

How calendars are assigned

When a case is filed, it is randomly assigned either to a judicial team or to an individual calendar judge. Domestic Relations Division calendars in Cook County are identified by a letter for a team and by a number for an individual calendar. That assignment generally follows the case from the first filing through judgment and later post-decree motions.

On a team, one judge serves as the preliminary judge. That judge hears motions and other pretrial matters, refers cases to mediation, monitors progress through case management conferences and certifies when a contested case is ready for trial. The other judges on the team are trial judges. They hear contested trials, default and agreed prove-ups, and post-decree matters. Individual calendar judges, including the judges on suburban Domestic Relations calendars, handle every one of these steps themselves.

The division also keeps special calendars, including a daily emergency judge for urgent matters when the assigned judge is unavailable, a reconciliation calendar, a collaborative process calendar and a military calendar.

Your calendar letter or number appears on your filed papers and court orders. If you are unsure, the Clerk's Domestic Relations office can confirm it at 312-603-6300.

Pre-decree and post-decree courtrooms

The local rules divide every case into three phases: pretrial, trial and post-judgment. Lawyers and judges usually call the time before judgment "pre-decree." During that phase you may see motions for temporary support or parenting time, discovery disputes, mediation referrals and status dates. The Clerk sends notice of the first automatic status call, and every case must be called for status within six months after it is filed. If the petitioner does not answer a status call, the case can be dismissed for want of prosecution.

After the judge enters a judgment, the case becomes "post-decree." A post-decree motion, such as a request to change child support, adjust parenting time or enforce the judgment, generally goes back to the team or individual calendar that entered the judgment. At each post-decree court date, the person who filed the motion must make the important papers available to the judge: the pending motion, the notice of motion, the judgment and any agreement it references, and the most recent order.

Many trial courtrooms set aside particular weekdays for prove-ups (short final hearings on agreed or default cases) and for post-decree calls. The division lists those days with each calendar's courtroom and Zoom details, and our Cook County Domestic Relations Zoom links page points to the current list.

Remote hearings and courtroom etiquette

Illinois Supreme Court Rule 45 allows people in civil cases, including divorce and other family cases, to appear by phone or video for most court dates without asking first. The judge's approval is still required for evidentiary hearings (other than emergency hearings where only one side presents evidence), settlement conferences and trials. A judge may also require someone to come to court in person for reasons specific to the case.

The division publishes a contact and Zoom sheet that lists each calendar's courtroom, staff email, meeting ID and passcode. The court asks you to enter your name before joining, in a format such as "P - Your Name" for a petitioner or "D - Your Name" for a respondent. People who are not properly identified may not be admitted. Recording, photographing or saving a remote court proceeding is prohibited.

Inside the courthouse, devices must be silenced or turned off in courtrooms, and photos or recordings require a judge's approval. Dress, speak and behave as you would in a courtroom, whether you are there in person or on a screen. Our guide on how to prepare for a Zoom court hearing walks through the details.

Help desks and self-represented litigant resources

Judges, clerks and court staff cannot give legal advice. These court-listed resources can still help people who do not have a lawyer:

• Clerk's Domestic Relations office, Room 802: filing questions, a packet of dissolution forms on request, court dates and the application to proceed without paying fees.
• Domestic Relations Advice Desk (CARPLS): on the Daley Center concourse level, Room CL-29. The court's help desk page describes legal advice on divorce, parenting and child support, with some document drafting but no representation in court.
• Self-Help Resource Center (Chicago-Kent College of Law): Room 602 of the Daley Center, where law students help with online resources and court forms but do not give legal advice.
• Remote Access Centers: court computers for joining a Zoom hearing, including Room CL-16 at the Daley Center and a room in each suburban courthouse.
• Interpreters: the court provides foreign language interpreters at no cost. Tell the courtroom clerk or the judge that you need one.
• Family Court Services: court-ordered mediation, parent education, emergency intervention and evaluations for families in the division.

See our page on Cook County family law forms for self-represented filers, our guide on how to file for divorce in Cook County and our article on the case management conference.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Contacting the judge directly. Judges cannot discuss a pending case outside of court. To be heard, file a written motion or petition, schedule it and give notice to the other side.
• Missing a court date. A phone call or letter does not excuse an absence. If you know you cannot attend, file a motion asking for a new date and give notice.
• Serving the wrong person. If the other side has a lawyer, notice goes to the lawyer. If a lawyer filed a limited scope appearance, the court's FAQ says to serve both the party and that lawyer.
• Skipping the parenting class. Parents in cases involving children must complete an approved program. See our guide to the parenting class for divorce in Cook County.
• Ignoring a judge's standing order. Many judges post standing orders with rules for courtesy copies, exhibits and remote appearances. Read yours before each court date.

How Chicago Family Attorneys can help

Chicago Family Attorneys handles Illinois family law cases at the Daley Center and the suburban Cook County courthouses, as well as in DuPage, Will and Lake Counties. Depending on what you need, the firm can:

• Review your court papers and explain your calendar, your next court date and what is expected at it.
• Draft petitions, motions, responses, financial affidavits and proposed orders.
• Appear for a single hearing under a limited scope arrangement, or represent you through the whole case as a Cook County divorce lawyer.
• Prepare Self Represented Documents for an agreed divorce or an initial custody case when you plan to handle filing, service and court dates yourself.

Limited scope drafting starts at $500, and one hearing appearance starts at $1,200. Self Represented Documents is a $399 flat fee. See our limited scope fees for details. Your fee and scope are confirmed in writing before you engage the firm, and no particular result can be promised in any case.

For an overview of every stage, visit our guide to the Illinois family law case process.