Cook County Criminal Law Information Center

Cook County is far and away the largest county in Illinois. Over 40% of the residents of Illinois live in Cook County. Cook County is the second largest county in the United States, behind Los Angeles, California. More people live in Cook County than the entire population of 29 states in the United States. Cook County contains 135 individual towns. The largest, of course, is Chicago. More than 54% of the population of Cook County is made up of Chicago residents.

Cook County is the economic engine of Illinois. Even the collar counties of Cook County, DuPage County, Kane County, Lake County, McHenry County, and Will County are all tied to Chicago economically. Nearly 25% of the population of Illinois is made up of residents of the collar counties of Cook County.

Cook County was created in 1831 by the Illinois General Assembly. Cook County was named after Daniel Cook, an early political leader in Illinois. DuPage County was created in 1839 out of parts of Cook County. Other counties, such as Kane County, were created out of parts of DuPage County.

The crime rate in Chicago is substantially higher than the national average. This is especially true of the much publicized violent crime rate in Chicago. Even though the national crime rates are at a historic low, Chicago is not following the national trend. The murder rate in Chicago is substantially higher than any other big city in the United States. The subject of the out of control violent crime rate in Chicago is a big national news story. It's a phenomenon that is the subject of great debate and study but nobody has been able to agree why this is happening and how it can be stopped.

The Circuit Court of Cook County is one of the largest unified court systems in the world. It is easily the largest of the 24 Judicial Circuits in the State of Illinois. The Circuit Court of Cook County has over 400 judges that serve the Cook County Judicial Circuit. The Circuit Court of Cook County was created in 1964 when the Illinois Constitution was amended to merge all the courts in Cook County into one unified court of general jurisdiction. Before 1964, Cook County was made up of 161 individual courts. The 1964 Constitutional Amendment merged all the individual courts into one unified court system. The entire Cook County court system is administered by one chief judge. The chief judge of Cook County is currently the Honorable Timothy C. Evans.  The Office of the Chief Judge supervises the almost 2,800 employees of the court system including Probation Officers, Court Reporters, and Interpreters. The Office of the Chief Judge is the administrative arm which runs the entire court system in Cook County.

The Circuit Court of Cook County is divided into six Municipal Districts with their own individual courthouses. The six Municipal Districts in Cook County are:

First Municipal District – Chicago, Various Courthouses in Chicago - City of Chicago cases

Second Municipal District – Skokie, Old Orchard Courthouse - North Suburbs

Third Municipal District – Rolling Meadows Courthouse - Northwest Suburbs

Fourth Municipal District – Maywood Courthouse - Western Suburbs

Fifth Municipal District – Bridgeview Courthouse - Southwest Suburbs

Sixth Municipal District – Markham Courthouse - South Suburbs

All Chicago felony arrests are taken to Central Bond Court in Room 100 at 26th and California. Bond Court is held at 1:30 in the afternoon seven days a week. This includes holidays and weekends. Each of the municipal courthouses has their own Bond Court. All weekend and holiday Bond Court cases are at 26th and California in Room 100. 

The Sheriff of Cook County runs Cook County Jail. Cook County Jail is the largest single-site jail in the United States of America.  Nearly 1 in 3 inmates suffers from some form of mental illness, making Cook County Jail the largest provider of mental health treatment in the United States.

Chicago criminal defense lawyer, James Dimeas, has been handling criminal cases throughout Cook County for over-27 years. James Dimeas understands that most people who are arrested and charged with a criminal case have never arrested before. Facing criminal charges can be confusing and scary. This is especially true in a large and disorganized court system like Cook County.  Because James Dimeas has spent the past 27 years handling criminal cases in Cook County, he has a unique understanding of how the Cook County criminal court system operates. He is highly respected by his fellow lawyers, and is known by prosecutors and judges throughout Cook County. He understands the unique programs that Cook County offers to provide alternatives to criminal convictions and understands how to get his clients into those programs so that they can avoid having a criminal conviction appear on a background search.

Cook County criminal defense lawyer, James Dimeas has handled criminal cases in all of the courthouses in Cook County. James Dimeas understands that each of the courthouses in Cook County operates a little differently from every other Courthouse. James Dimeas knows where everything is and how to get things done in each Courthouse.

Cook County criminal defense lawyer, James Dimeas, understands how important it is to make sure that his clients understand exactly what is happening and what will be happening with their case in the future. Mr. Dimeas takes great pride in staying in contact with his clients and answering all of their questions. He understands that the difference between winning and losing a case often comes down to the assistance provided by an informed client. James Dimeas is always accessible by phone, text message, or email. 

James Dimeas is a nationally-recognized, award-winning, criminal defense attorney with over-27 years of experience handling criminal cases in Chicago, Cook County, DuPage County, Kane County, and Lake County. Attorney and Practice Magazine gave James Dimeas the "Top 10 Criminal Defense Attorney Award for Illinois," an the award for "DUI Defense Top 10." The National Academy of Criminal Defense Attorneys gave James Dimeas the "Top 10 Attorney Award for the State of Illinois."Recently, James Dimeas was named a "Top 100 Criminal Defense Lawyer In the State of Illinois For the Year 2018, 2019, and 2020" by the American Society of Legal Advocates.  James Dimeas was named as a "Top 10 Criminal Defense Lawyer" by the National Trial Lawyers and enjoys a "Superb" rating, 10 out of 10, with AVVO, the nation's leading rating agency for lawyers. Cook County criminal defense lawyer, James Dimeas, was recognized as a "Best Criminal Defense Lawyer in Chicago" by Expertise and a "Best DUI Attorney." The American Institute of Criminal Law Attorneys recognized James Dimeas as a "10 Best Attorney Client Satisfaction." James Dimeas is a published author having co-written a book that instructs lawyers on how to properly and effectively represent people who are charged with the crime of Identity Theft.

The difference between winning and losing a criminal case in Cook County usually comes down to whether you hire the right criminal lawyer to represent you. Cook County criminal defense lawyer, James Dimeas, has the proven track record to give you the best chance of winning your criminal case in Cook County. James Dimeas is always available for a free and confidential consultation.  

You can contact Cook County criminal defense lawyer, James Dimeas, 24 hours a day to discuss your criminal case. James Dimeas is also available by telephone 24 hours a day. You can always speak to James Dimeas personally by calling 847-807-7405.