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(312) 793-3250 (Chicago Office)
(217) 558-4490 (Springfield Office)
The Executive Office is comprised of the
Administrative Director,
Chief Legal Counsel, the Senior Attorney,
and other legal and administrative
staff. With the Administrative
Director’s leadership, the Executive
Office is responsible for coordinating
and guiding the operations of each
of the divisions of the Administrative
Office and serves as a central resource for myriad operational
issues which impact the administration of the judicial branch.
TThe Executive Office, on behalf of the
Supreme Court, manages and coordinates liaison
activities with Executive and Legislative Branch
officials and agencies on matters that impact the
Illinois Courts and the justice system. One of the
major duties performed for the Supreme Court is
the consideration of non-routine administrative
matters which are presented during each Court
term. The Administrative Director prepares and
presents agenda issues to the Court for discussion
and deliberation to assure that the business of the
judicial branch is timely and thoroughly managed.
Agenda items approved by the Court for action
are then implemented by the Director through the
Executive Office.
The Executive Office plans and directs
Administrative Office staff support for Supreme
Court Committees and the Committees of the
Illinois Judicial Conference. The reports and
recommendations which flow from each Judicial
Conference Committee to the Supreme Court
relate to the improvement of the administration
of justice in Illinois. In that regard, the Judicial
Conference committees are charged with
examining and making recommendations on
matters of judicial branch policy. As such, the
Court assigned new and on-going tasks and projects
to Judicial Conference committees in 2011. The
Administrative Director assigns senior level staff
with subject matter expertise to serve as liaisons
to assist each committee in their assignments.
In its administration of Supreme Court
Rule 39 (Appointment of Associate Judges),
the Executive Office conducted the election of
22 associate judges in 14 of Illinois’ 23 judicial
circuits during 2011. Also, as provided by Rule
39, the Executive Office managed the 2011
quadrennial reappointment process for Illinois’
more than 380 associate judges. The Executive
Office additionally processes applications filed
under Supreme Court Rule 295, which authorizes
the assignment of associate judges to hear felony
matters. Other matters administered through the
Executive Office include applications for licenses
issued to those law students seeking to provide
limited legal representation under Supreme Court
Rule 711.
The Executive Office’s activities and
responsibilities include securing and tracking legal
representation through the Office of the Attorney
General for members of the judicial branch named
in a civil case or controversy arising out of the
performance of their official duties. Executive
Office staff also negotiates, prepares, and manages
office leases and contracts for the Supreme
and Appellate Courts, mandatory arbitration
programs, and the Administrative Office. All
vendor contracts generated by the Administrative Office and state judicial branch managers for
use in securing goods and services are reviewed
and approved by the Executive Office. Written
summaries of recent Supreme Court opinions are
prepared by legal staff within the Executive Office
for distribution to all Illinois judges. Additionally,
the Executive Office provides secretariat services
to the Illinois Courts Commission, which includes
filing and preservation of Commission records,
distributing the Official Illinois Courts Commission
Reports, and performing all other duties typically
executed by a clerk of a court of record. Finally,
Executive Office staff prepares and executes
grants which provide for programming funded
through the Lawyers’ Assistance Program Act.
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