The first conversation
You speak to a person. You do not have to describe what happened in order to have it. What we need to know at this stage is where and roughly when, and which institution was involved, enough to work out whether there is a claim and who it runs against.
Investigation
Before anything is filed, the work is establishing which institution had a duty and what its records show. That is done by us, not by you. You are not expected to gather evidence.
Filing
If a claim is brought, where it is filed depends on who it is against: the circuit court for the county where it belongs, the Illinois Court of Claims for claims against the State, or federal court for some federal claims. Steps
can be taken at this point to protect your identity in the court record, and we will explain them before anything is filed rather than afterwards.
Discovery
The stage where the institution’s records are obtained, personnel files, complaints, transfer histories, internal correspondence. It is usually where a case is won or lost. You may be asked to give evidence about your own experience at some point in this stage, and you would be prepared for it thoroughly.
Resolution
Most claims resolve without a trial. That is a genuine choice you make with advice, not something done to you, and if a case does go to trial, we explain in advance who may be present and what steps can be taken to make it manageable.
Timescales
These claims take time, often more than a year, sometimes considerably more, particularly where an institution contests what its own records show. Anyone who promises you a timescale at the first conversation is guessing.
This page describes Illinois law in general terms. It is not legal advice and it cannot tell you whether your own claim is in time, that depends on facts this page does not know. A conversation costs nothing and will give you a real answer.