Since July 1, 2018, documents filed with the Circuit Court of Cook County must be electronically filed through a website. If you are not e-filing in Cook County, visit the e-filing basics page. You can also find a step-by-step guide on e-filing here.   

E-file your documents using Odyssey File & Serve because it is free and many court clerks have received training on how to help people use it. There are other options found on the Illinois e-filing page.

If you do not have a lawyer, you may qualify for an E-filing Exemption, but only if one of these applies to you:

• You have a sensitive case, like a petition for an order of protection or a civil no contact/stalking order;
• You have trouble reading, writing, or speaking in English;
• You have a disability (under the ADA) that prevents you from e-filing;
• No computer or Internet access in the home and travel presents a hardship.

To e-file, you need:

• An email address
• An account on an e-filing website with a username and password
• A credit card, debit card, e-check, or a fee waiver application
• The documents you want to file in PDF format

If you are the person filing a new case [no-lexicon]plaintiff[/no-lexicon], you also need:

• Cook County district - you will need that information to make sure your case is heard at the correct courthouse
• Case category - you will need that information to make sure your case is heard by a judge in the right division
• Case type

Need help looking up legal information like your case number and division? Call the Circuit Clerk of Cook County at (312) 603-HELP (4357) or email [email protected].

If you are responding to an existing case [no-lexicon]defendant[/no-lexicon], you will also need:

• Case number - you will need that information to file your court papers in the correct case. You can find it in the top right corner of the first document filed in the case (usually called a complaint, a request, or a petition). If you do not have this information, you can search for it on the Cook County Circuit Clerk’s website. 

Use the links below to help walk you through the process, you can also visit the Getting Started page. 

For live help e-filing, please visit Illinois Court Help.