DuPage County, Illinois

DuPage County is the second most populous in Illinois with a population of 926,000 and has the highest per capita income in the state. It was founded in 1839 and named after the DuPage River, which in turn is believed to have been named after a French fur trader who settled near the river’s mouth in the 1700’s. The County covers 336 square miles and is bordered by Cook County to the north and east, Will County to the south, Kendall County to the southwest and Kane County to the west. It is divided into 9 townships which include in whole or in part, 11 cities, 27 villages and 9 unincorporated communities. Although Naperville is its oldest community and Aurora its largest city, the county seat is in Wheaton where the original DuPage County Courthouse was built in 1868. The courthouse was later replaced in 1896 with a building designed to look like a castle with a bell tower and multiple turrets, which is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places. In 1924, Clarence Darrow defended George Munding in a trial in this courthouse that made area headlines, and the first defendant to be executed by electrocution was sentenced here in 1931.

What Types of Cases Do You Handle in DuPage County?

Our firm has been helping clients for over a decade seek justice including compensation for injuries they have sustained in DuPage County as well as other counties in Illinois. Our experienced attorneys specialize in civil litigation including employment discrimination, based on race, ethnicity, gender, age and disability, sexual harassment, wrongful termination and retaliatory discharge, as well as, other employment issues, police misconduct, such as, false arrest, excessive force, unlawful search and seizure, wrongful conviction and violation of due process and First Amendment rights, unfair or abusive actions by teachers or private sector employees and any other civil rights violations, personal injury, nursing home abuse and nursing home neglect, evidenced by, dehydration, lack of nutrition, bed sores, falls, bruises, abrasions, improper use of restraints, medication errors, sexual, physical or verbal abuse, threats or intimidation, wandering or elopement and theft or financial abuse, medical malpractice, such as, failure to diagnose or misdiagnose, surgical errors, treatment mistakes, medication errors and failure to supervise or properly train staff and wrongful death as a result of nursing home abuse or negligence, health care professional malpractice, hospital malpractice, police abuse or misconduct and car and truck accidents.

How can You Help Me?

Our firm is dedicated to protecting your rights. We will investigate the incident or events which have caused you or your family injury, interview witnesses and gather all relevant evidence. We may also obtain your medical, employment and financial records and hire doctors, life care planners, economists and other experts to prove your case and the nature and extent of your damages.

If you or someone you love has been injured physically, emotionally or financially or has died because of someone’s wrongful, careless or unlawful actions, we will work hard to obtain justice and the compensation you and your family deserve.

If I Have to Go to Court, Where Will My Case be Filed?

If it becomes necessary for us to file a lawsuit to protect your rights, depending upon the nature of your case, it will be filed in The Circuit Court of the Eighteenth Judicial Circuit, DuPage County, Illinois located in Wheaton or the United States District Court, Northern District of Illinois, Eastern Division located in Chicago.

The present day DuPage County Courthouse was built in 1990 and is the primary location for The Circuit Court of the Eighteenth Judicial Circuit. The Eighteenth Judicial Circuit has 41 trial court judges of which 15 are circuit court judges and 26 are associate judges and is divided into five divisions. All civil cases seeking monetary damages for injuries sustained in DuPage County are heard in the Law Division. If your case is valued between $5,000 and $50,000, it is decided by a panel of three arbitrators, and proceeds to trial only if either side rejects the arbitrators’ decision. If your case is valued over $50,000, it may be sent to mediation to try and settle the matter before proceeding to trial. The Illinois Code of Civil Procedure, the Illinois Supreme Court Rules and the Rules of the Circuit Court of the Eighteenth Judicial Circuit govern civil cases. Information about the Eighteenth Judicial Circuit Court as well as its’ Local Court Rules can be found here.

The United States District Court, Northern District of Illinois, Eastern Division has 50 judges and magistrates, most of who handle civil as well as criminal cases. If your case is filed in the District Court it will be assigned to a judge and magistrate until resolution of the matter. Although cases in the District Court are governed by the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure and the Local Rules of the Northern District of Illinois, Eastern Division, each judge has his or her own set of rules to manage their courtroom, which dictate, among other things, how the case will proceed and motions will be heard. Once your case has been filed and assigned a judge, you may find out about the judge and his or her courtroom rules by clicking here to access the District Court’s website.

How Do I Get Started?

Contact us today by calling 312-345-887 or contact us online. We will schedule a time to meet with you to discuss your case, answer your questions and advise you of your rights. If you are unable to come to our office, we will travel to a location convenient for you.

We handle all injury and death cases on a contingency basis, so we only get paid if we actually recover money for you.

We invite you to review our website to learn more about our various Practice Areas, information about our Attorneys and Settlements and Verdicts we have obtained on behalf of our many clients.