Court Rules

Court-wide rules

Applies court-wide

These 118 rules apply across Circuit Court of Cook County. Where this judge's own standing orders above address the same topic, the judge's requirement controls.

Communication

All 59
  • Contact
    Email

    Questions, comments, or concerns about the eFileIL e-filing system should be directed to Tyler Technologies at efiling.support@tylertech.com.

  • Contact
    Email to chambers

    Courtesy copies for Judge Daniel R. Degnan must be submitted via email to daniel.degnan@cookcountyil.gov.

  • Contact
    Phone to chambers
    Phone
    (312) 603-5943

    Judge Daniel R. Degnan's chambers phone number is (312) 603-5943.

Filing Timing

All 12
  • Deadline
    60 calendar days

    Attorney fee petitions for court-appointed attorneys must be filed within 60 days after final order or 6 months after service/cost, whichever is earlier.

  • Deadline
    2 business days

    Guardianship agreed order requests must be filed and submitted 2-5 business days prior to the scheduled court date.

  • Deadline
    2 business days

    Guardians must email annual reports and guardian training certificates in PDF format, one email per case, 2-5 business days prior to assigned court date.

Filing Requirements

All 11
  • Applies to
    Complaint
    Must include
    caption

    Chancery Division complaints must include specific caption designations based on the relief sought.

  • Applies to
    Motion
    Must include
    caption

    Motions to correct errors in criminal cases must be in writing, accompanied by affidavit, and notice must be served on the prosecution.

  • Applies to
    Complaint
    Must include
    caption

    All initiating papers must include the court name and department/division/district in the caption; small claims complaints must be endorsed 'Small Claims'.

E-Filing

All 9
  • Applies to
    Civil case filing

    E-filing is mandatory for all Cook County civil cases through the eFileIL system as of July 1, 2018, except Quasi-Criminal, Housing, and Wills cases.

  • Applies to
    Verified status report

    Attorneys must e-file a verified status report via Odyssey system before submitting decedent's estate agreed order requests.

  • Attorneys must maintain accurate email address in Odyssey e-filing system and be filed as attorney of record to receive entered orders via email.

About Judge William B. Sullivan

William B. Sullivan is a judge on the Circuit Court of Cook County, the Illinois trial court serving Chicago and suburban Cook County. The court handles civil and criminal cases.

This judge's published procedures consist of a standing order for Chancery Calendar 15, effective April 6, 2026.

Common questions about Judge William B. Sullivan's rules

Are courtesy copies required for Judge William B. Sullivan?

Courtesy-copy rule applies for all covered filings. Details: delivery prior to each new court date. For continued motions, movant must submit a fresh set of courtesy copies prior to each new court date.

View ruleSource: page 8, section VII(i)

Does Judge William B. Sullivan require a pre-motion conference or letter before filing a motion?

Judge William B. Sullivan's rules set a pre-motion procedure for covered motions. Piggy-backing requires leave from a law clerk and proper notice; dispositive motions cannot be piggy-backed if the hearing is less than 14 days away.

View ruleSource: page 14, section X. MOTIONS

What page or word limits apply to brief before Judge William B. Sullivan?

Judge William B. Sullivan's rule states these limits: attorney: 15 pages; attorney: 10 pages. Excludes exhibits. Motions and response briefs limited to 15 pages; reply briefs limited to 10 pages. All motions and briefs must be double-spaced, 1-inch margins, paginated bottom margin, excluding exhibits.

View ruleSource: page 14, section X. MOTIONS

What formatting rules apply to filings before Judge William B. Sullivan?

Judge William B. Sullivan's formatting rule includes submit in a single email and two attachments only: (1) single tabbed pdf containing notice of motion, zoom instructions, all motions, exhibits, prior orders; (2) single microsoft word document containing all proposed orders. Courtesy copies for presentment must be in a single email with two attachments: a tabbed PDF and a Word document with proposed orders.

View ruleSource: page 8, section VII(f)

What must be included with pleading filings before Judge William B. Sullivan?

The rule requires caption and case number. Pleadings must include the full case caption and calendar number.

View ruleSource: page 3, section I(c)

What must be included with service notice filings before Judge William B. Sullivan?

The rule identifies required filing content or certificates. Service notices must include the address, phone number, and email of each attorney or pro se litigant.

View ruleSource: page 3, section I(c)

How may parties contact Judge William B. Sullivan's chambers?

The rule addresses email communications with Judge William B. Sullivan's chambers. All parties who have appeared must be CC'd on courtesy copy emails; failure may result in motion being stricken.

View ruleSource: page 11, section Calendar 15

How do I request an adjournment or extension before Judge William B. Sullivan?

Advance notice is not fully stated in the structured details. The request must include proposed new dates. After a motion's oral argument is continued without a new date, movant must file a motion to set a new hearing date or contact a law clerk.

View ruleSource: page 17, section XI(d)

Does Judge William B. Sullivan require motion papers to be bundled?

Yes. Judge William B. Sullivan requires bundling for covered papers. Motions must be bundled into a single tabbed PDF with all supporting documents.

View ruleSource: page 11, section Calendar 15

When is a filing treated as filed before Judge William B. Sullivan?

The rule states a 5:00 PM filing cutoff. Proposed orders must be submitted by 5:00 PM the same day as the court proceeding.

View ruleSource: page 6, section VI. ORDERS

What rule applies to service for notice of motion before Judge William B. Sullivan?

The rule addresses service method, recipient, or timing requirements. Details: method: personal service, timing: 2 business days before hearing. Personal service of notice of motion must be before 4 PM on the second court day before hearing; improper service results in motion being struck.

View ruleSource: page 16, section (k)(1)
Complete rules summary for Judge William B. Sullivan

Pleadings must include the full case caption and calendar number.

Service notices must include the address, phone number, and email of each attorney or pro se litigant.

Pro se litigants with an email must designate a single email for service and include it on all documents.

Parties must file an appearance before appearing in court, except for petitions to intervene.

If unable to connect to Zoom hearing, immediately call (312) 603-6025 or email calendar15.chancery@cookcountyil.gov.

Pro se litigants may schedule a one-time Zoom test run by calling (312) 603-6025 at least three business days before their court date, and must keep or cancel the appointment.

Proposed orders must be submitted after a court proceeding.

For continued motions, movant must submit a fresh set of courtesy copies prior to each new court date.

Proposed orders must be in Microsoft Word format.

Proposed orders must be submitted by 5:00 PM the same day as the court proceeding.

Proposed orders must be submitted via email to calendar15.chancery@cookcountyil.gov.

Proposed orders must include the Court's contact and Zoom information.

Proposed orders for withdrawn, continued, or stricken motions must include the original motion date and time.

Do not email the general calendar email address to request copies of orders.

The moving party must supply courtesy copies prior to each court date; failure may result in denial.

Courtesy copies must include the briefing schedule order and relevant procedural orders.

Documents for the Court's consideration must bear a filed stamp and be signed per Rule 137.

Courtesy copies must be legible; illegible copies may be struck or result in denial.

Courtesy copy submissions must be under 30 MB including attachments.

Courtesy copies for presentment must be in a single email with two attachments: a tabbed PDF and a Word document with proposed orders.

Courtesy copies of briefs for hearing must be in PDF format, clearly labeled; exhibits must be clearly labeled with corresponding brief.

When delivering physical courtesy copies, the courier must call a law clerk upon arrival at Courtroom 2410.

Physical courtesy copies must be neatly organized and bound with labeled tabs.

When an in-person hearing is set, the movant must provide physical courtesy copies to Courtroom 2410.

Courtesy copies for hearings are due by 4:30 PM, either 10 court business days in advance or on the date of filing the reply brief.

Physical courtesy copies are not accepted unless ordered by the Court or an in-person hearing is set.

All electronic courtesy copies must be emailed to calendar15.chancery@cookcountyil.gov.

Courtesy copy email subject line must include case number, case name, and court date (or 'off call' for routine motions).

Case numbers in courtesy copy emails must be formatted as 26-CH-00000 with hyphens and omitted '20' in year.

Email body must include case number, court date, and brief motion description.

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