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Court Rules
Judge

Judge Nichole C. Patton

Individual Rules, Standing Orders & Policies

Rules last changed:
Circuit Court of Cook County

Limits & Logistics

Document Limits

Courtesy CopyCourt-wide
20 pgs

Courtesy Copies

Petition to Approve Settlement

  • Email • Before E Filing

Communication

Filters:

Document Filing Requirements10 rules

Filing RequirementsMandatoryCivil cases

Parties must jointly prepare a complete list of all exhibits with objections noted.

Court's wording

A complete and jointly prepared list of all exhibits, including demonstrative exhibits, each party intends to use at trial, and whether the opposing side has any objections. In the event of objections, the nature of the objections must be noted, i.e., foundation, relevance, motion in limine, etc.

Law - Courtroom 2407 - Standing Order (eff Feb 7, 2025) 0 · Feb 2025 · p. 1|SectionI. JURY TRIALS
Filing RequirementsMandatoryCivil cases

Jointly prepared statement of the case to be read to the venire, including the expected length of the trial (i.e., number of days/weeks);

Law - Courtroom 2407 - Standing Order (eff Feb 7, 2025) 0 · Feb 2025 · p. 1|SectionI. JURY TRIALS
Filing RequirementsMandatoryCivil cases

Jointly prepared list of all potential witnesses to be read to the jury;

Law - Courtroom 2407 - Standing Order (eff Feb 7, 2025) 0 · Feb 2025 · p. 1|SectionI. JURY TRIALS
Filing RequirementsMandatoryCivil cases

Copies of each party's motions in limine;

Law - Courtroom 2407 - Standing Order (eff Feb 7, 2025) 0 · Feb 2025 · p. 1|SectionI. JURY TRIALS
Filing RequirementsMandatoryCivil cases

Two copies of proposed jury instructions (one marked with IPI numbering and citations and the other unmarked for the jury), which are to be sorted in the order of their numbering under the IPI system.

Law - Courtroom 2407 - Standing Order (eff Feb 7, 2025) 0 · Feb 2025 · p. 1|SectionI. JURY TRIALS
Filing RequirementsImportantCivil cases

A list of each party's Supreme Court Rule 216 Request for Admission of Facts and responses thereto, if any;

Law - Courtroom 2407 - Standing Order (eff Feb 7, 2025) 0 · Feb 2025 · p. 1|SectionI. JURY TRIALS
Filing RequirementsImportantCivil cases

Parties must first obtain an Order from Room 2005 transferring the case to Room 2407 for pre-trial purposes only.

Law - Courtroom 2407 - Standing Order (eff Feb 7, 2025) 0 · Feb 2025 · p. 1|SectionII. PRETRIAL SETTLEMENT CONFERENCES
Filing RequirementsImportantCivil cases

After the transfer order is entered, the parties must present a second order to the courtroom clerk or nichole.patton@cookcountyil.gov setting it for the agreed date and time assigned by the Judge.

Law - Courtroom 2407 - Standing Order (eff Feb 7, 2025) 0 · Feb 2025 · p. 1|SectionII. PRETRIAL SETTLEMENT CONFERENCES
Filing RequirementsImportantCivil cases

Any stipulations between the parties;

Document
Stipulations

Include

  • Any stipulations between the parties
Law - Courtroom 2407 - Standing Order (eff Feb 7, 2025) 0 · Feb 2025 · p. 1|SectionI. JURY TRIALS
Filing RequirementsImportantCivil cases

If evidence depositions are to be used, the parties must meet and confer with regards to objections before copies of transcripts are submitted to the Court;

Law - Courtroom 2407 - Standing Order (eff Feb 7, 2025) 0 · Feb 2025 · p. 1|SectionI. JURY TRIALS

Filing & Service rules

Filing Timing and Cure Windows

Pretrial settlement submissions should be submitted to the Court at least five (5) days prior to the conference.

Pretrial settlement submissions should be submitted to the Court at least five (5) days prior to the conference.

Civil cases

Page 2 | II. PRETRIAL SETTLEMENT CONFERENCES

Service and Proof of Service Rules

All email transmittals for petitions to approve settlement must copy all counsel of record.

All email transmittals must copy all counsel of record.

Civil cases

Page 2 | III. PETITIONS TO APPROVE SETTLEMENT

Courtesy Copy Requirements

Petitions to approve settlement must be emailed to chambers before e-filing, copying all counsel.

Petitions to Approve Settlement in cases involving wrongful death, survival, minor(s) or disabled individuals must be emailed to nichole.patton@cookcountyil.gov or hand-delivered to Courtroom 2407 before e-filing.

Civil cases

Page 2 | III. PETITIONS TO APPROVE SETTLEMENT

Chambers Communication Rules

Attorneys should submit 3-5 possible dates and times that work for all parties to nichole.patton@cookcountyil.gov. Please include the case name and number. Copy all counsel of record on the communication with the Court.

Attorneys should submit 3-5 possible dates and times that work for all parties to nichole.patton@cookcountyil.gov. Please include the case name and number. Copy all counsel of record on the communication with the Court.

Civil cases

Page 1 | II. PRETRIAL SETTLEMENT CONFERENCES

Chambers can be contacted by phone at (312) 603-6037.

Ante-Chambers - (312) 603-6037

Civil cases

Page 1

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
    Email

    Stamped order inquiries for Judge Daniel R. Degnan must be submitted via email to tlhudson@cookcountycourt.com.

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

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

  • Deadline
    2 business days

    Pursuant to the Illinois Supreme Court Remote Access Policy, after the judge signs an order, the Clerk of the Circuit Court will upload it to the Odyssey system, where it should appear within two (2) business days.

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

    In order to ask the Court to consider entering such agreed orders via e-mail, regular mail or courier, attorneys must first e-file a brief “verified status report” that explains the status of the case and the basis for the request.

  • You will not receive orders if your e-mail address is not accurate in the e-filing system and/or you have not filed as the attorney of record.

More categories

View all Circuit Court of Cook County rules
About Judge Nichole C. Patton

Nichole C. Patton is a judge in the Circuit Court of Cook County, the Illinois trial court serving Chicago and suburban Cook County.

Practitioners will find a standing order for Courtroom 2407, effective February 7, 2025, covering procedures in the Law division.

Common questions about Judge Nichole C. Patton's rules

Are courtesy copies required for Judge Nichole C. Patton?

Courtesy-copy rule applies for petition to approve settlements. Details: delivery before e filing, by email. Petitions to approve settlement must be emailed to chambers before e-filing, copying all counsel.

View ruleSource: page 2, section III. PETITIONS TO APPROVE SETTLEMENT

What must be included with statement of case filings before Judge Nichole C. Patton?

Parties must jointly prepare a statement of the case for the venire, including expected trial length.

View ruleSource: page 1, section I. JURY TRIALS

What must be included with motions in limine filings before Judge Nichole C. Patton?

Parties must provide copies of each party's motions in limine.

View ruleSource: page 1, section I. JURY TRIALS

How may parties contact Judge Nichole C. Patton's chambers?

The rule lists email nichole.patton@cookcountyil.gov. Attorneys should submit 3-5 possible dates and times that work for all parties to nichole.patton@cookcountyil.gov. Please include the case name and number. Copy all counsel of record on the communication with the Court.

View ruleSource: page 1, section II. PRETRIAL SETTLEMENT CONFERENCES

What filing deadlines does Judge Nichole C. Patton set?

Pretrial settlement submissions should be submitted to the Court at least five (5) days prior to the conference.

View ruleSource: page 2, section II. PRETRIAL SETTLEMENT CONFERENCES

What rule applies to service by email before Judge Nichole C. Patton?

Details: method: service by email. All email transmittals for petitions to approve settlement must copy all counsel of record.

View ruleSource: page 2, section III. PETITIONS TO APPROVE SETTLEMENT
Complete rules summary for Judge Nichole C. Patton

Chambers can be contacted by phone at (312) 603-6037.

Parties must jointly prepare a statement of the case for the venire, including expected trial length.

After transfer order, parties must present a second order setting the pretrial date to chambers or clerk.

All email transmittals for petitions to approve settlement must copy all counsel of record.

Parties must provide copies of each party's motions in limine.

Parties must provide two copies of proposed jury instructions, one marked and one unmarked, sorted by IPI numbering.

Parties must meet and confer on objections before submitting evidence deposition transcripts.

Parties must provide any stipulations between them.

Parties must jointly prepare a list of all potential witnesses for the jury.

Petitions to approve settlement must be emailed to chambers before e-filing, copying all counsel.

Parties must provide a list of Supreme Court Rule 216 requests for admission and responses.

Parties must obtain a transfer order from Room 2005 before pretrial settlement conference.

Parties must jointly prepare a complete list of all exhibits with objections noted.

Pretrial settlement submissions should be submitted to the Court at least five (5) days prior to the conference.

Attorneys should submit 3-5 possible dates and times that work for all parties to nichole.patton@cookcountyil.gov. Please include the case name and number. Copy all counsel of record on the communication with the Court.

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