Municipal District Mandatory Arbitration

Municipal Division cases that fall under local Circuit Court Rule 18.3 are assigned to the arbitration judge(s) in Courtroom 1501 of the Richard J. Daley Center or to the appropriate arbitration judge in the respective suburban district where your case is being heard. Actual arbitration hearing dates are assigned by a computer program maintained by the Clerk of the Circuit Court and the date is set based on the case discovery closure date (ADC date). By rule, the hearing must be at least 30 days after discovery has closed, unless otherwise agreed to by the parties and assigned by the Judge. 

Municipal Division cases that fall under local Circuit Court Rule 18.3 are assigned to the arbitration judge(s) in Courtroom 1501 of the Richard J. Daley Center or to the appropriate arbitration judge in the respective suburban district where your case is being heard. Actual arbitration hearing dates are assigned by a computer program maintained by the Clerk of the Circuit Court and the date is set based on the case discovery closure date (ADC date). By rule, the hearing must be at least 30 days after discovery has closed, unless otherwise agreed to by the parties and assigned by the Judge. 

Notices for arbitration hearings are sent to all attorneys of record according to appearances on file with the Office of the Circuit Clerk of Cook County. The Clerk will send a notice through USPS or by email, however you have selected to receive official court notices for the hearing. Per rule, notice must be sent at least 60 days before a scheduled arbitration hearing date. Please note that it is important to keep your firm's attorney code information up to date with the Office of the Circuit Clerk which sends arbitration notices to the address or email your firm has listed with the Clerk.

Arbitration hearing dates and times may only be continued by a properly executed order of court. Once you have seen the appropriate arbitration judge for your case, you are responsible for delivering a copy of the stamped court order to the arbitration center where your case is scheduled to be heard (Circuit Court Rule 18.10). Please note that arbitrators are not allowed to grant continuance motions and no arbitration staff can change a date administratively.

See the Locations for Mandatory Arbitration Hearings section on the main Mandatory Arbitration overview page.

The arbitration notice sent by the Clerk’s Office will show the location of your arbitration hearing as well as the date and time of your case. Please note on the day of your hearing you must check in with the arbitration staff in the correct arbitration location; they will direct you to the appropriate hearing room. Arbitration hearings begin on time. Although a 15-minute grace period is given to accommodate attorneys or litigants who may be running late, these are formal court hearings and professionalism dictates that attorneys should ensure that they arrive in a timely manner. The Illinois Supreme Court has held that attorneys and litigants must participate in these hearings in good faith and arriving late in some instances can jeopardize this finding. See Illinois Supreme Court Rule 91 (a) and 91 (b) and Committee Comments.

See the Locations for Mandatory Arbitration Hearings section on the main Mandatory Arbitration overview page.

The arbitration notice sent by the Clerk’s Office will show the location of your arbitration hearing as well as the date and time of your case. Please note on the day of your hearing you must check in with the arbitration staff in the correct arbitration location; they will direct you to the appropriate hearing room. Arbitration hearings begin on time. Although a 15-minute grace period is given to accommodate attorneys or litigants who may be running late, these are formal court hearings and professionalism dictates that attorneys should ensure that they arrive in a timely manner. The Illinois Supreme Court has held that attorneys and litigants must participate in these hearings in good faith and arriving late in some instances can jeopardize this finding. See Illinois Supreme Court Rule 91 (a) and 91 (b) and Committee Comments.

Court reporters are NOT provided at arbitration hearings and are not recorded; however, a party may make a stenographic record of the proceeding at their own expense. (See Circuit Court Rule 18.6(b)). 

A hearing will last a maximum of two hours, unless the Supervising Judge for Arbitration has granted a party's request for additional time. Parties are allowed a fifteen (15) minute grace period before the arbitration panel proceeds with the hearing.

After the parties have presented their cases, the panel of arbitrators will deliberate for no longer than 30 minutes and make a written award. An award is determined by the majority of the three-member arbitration panel. If a two-member panel heard the case (by stipulation of the litigants) and cannot agree on an outcome, the chairperson's decision will prevail. Any dissenting panelist may sign without comment in the space provided on the award form.

No. The Cook County Circuit Court does not provide interpreters for Municipal Division arbitration hearings. It is your responsibility to arrange for one prior to the hearing date and time. 

IMPORTANT: You should consider arranging for a qualified or certified interpreter for your hearing as the opposing party may object to a friend or family member interpreting for you. [Link here to the Access to Justice site]

Attorneys should not send courtesy copies of their 90(c) packet to the arbitration center in advance of their hearing date. Please come to your hearing prepared with three (3) courtesy copies of your packet (one for each panel member) which you will give to them at the start of the hearing.  You will not be able to make copies on site.

The court maintains a list of arbitrators who are assigned to cases randomly by a computer program. Each panel will have three members with one person designated as the chairperson. The chairperson oversees the hearing and makes rulings on evidence or procedure during the presentations, much like a judge would if you were in court. Arbitration awards are collectively decided by the panel and can either be unanimous or be a decision by two arbitrators with one person dissenting without comment. The arbitrators should introduce themselves to you at the beginning of the hearing; the arbitration staff can assist you if you fail to get this information. Please note that attorneys are not allowed to ask an arbitrator to recuse him or herself from a panel. See Illinois Supreme Court Rule 87(c) and Committee Comments.  Arbitrators should withdraw from any case if they personally feel there are grounds for disqualification found in the Illinois Code of Judicial Conduct.

In numerous instances, the Illinois Supreme Court has maintained that an arbitration hearing should be a final resolution in the case.  Supreme Court Rule 90(g) mandates that a party may be absent if his or her presence is waived by stipulation of the parties or excused by court order for good cause at least seven (7) days before the hearing.  In all the arbitration locations in Cook County, litigants may testify remotely only if a properly executed court order is presented in advance of the arbitration hearing.  

When you have an order, this means that clients or witnesses can testify remotely, it does not mean that attorneys do not need to appear.  Attorneys need to appear in person and bring whatever device needed to effectuate their client’s remote testimony (i.e. cell phones, tablets or laptops).  

We do have Wi-Fi at the Arbitration Center and this information is posted at the front desk.   Please note that only the arbitration judges can grant this motion; it cannot be agreed to by the lawyers.  

Arbitration awards are official court documents that are maintained as part of the official court record.  Under Circuit Court Rule 18.7, the arbitration staff will file the award with the Clerk of the Circuit Court once the hearing is complete.  The Office of the Clerk of the Circuit Court is responsible for issuing and sending out notices of award to all parties of record in each case.  Please remember that the Clerk can only send notices to the address on file for your firm; it is vitally important to keep your information up to date with the Clerk's Office to get notices of award in a timely manner. Since time limitations apply, the arbitration staff keeps a copy of each award for about a week and posts it at our front counter so that anyone can see the result.  Please note that arbitration staff cannot fax or email awards to you, nor can they make copies for you or read the awards to you over the phone. 

Court reporters are NOT provided at arbitration hearings and are not recorded; however, a party may make a stenographic record of the proceeding at their own expense. (See Circuit Court Rule 18.6(b)). 

A hearing will last a maximum of two hours, unless the Supervising Judge for Arbitration has granted a party's request for additional time. Parties are allowed a fifteen (15) minute grace period before the arbitration panel proceeds with the hearing.

After the parties have presented their cases, the panel of arbitrators will deliberate for no longer than 30 minutes and make a written award. An award is determined by the majority of the three-member arbitration panel. If a two-member panel heard the case (by stipulation of the litigants) and cannot agree on an outcome, the chairperson's decision will prevail. Any dissenting panelist may sign without comment in the space provided on the award form.