Evanston Criminal Law Information Center

Evanston is a City in Illinois. Evanston has a population of approximately 76,000 citizens. Evanston shares a southern border with Chicago, Skokie on its western border, and Wilmette on its northern border. Evanston has Lake Michigan on its eastern border.

Prior to 1830, Evanston was made up of a swampy forest and wetlands. Indians would use the land as a trail and set up occasional settlements along the trails. By 1850, a few hundred settlers lived on the land. In 1851, a group made up of several Methodist business leaders established Northwestern University. The business leaders purchased several hundred acres of land along the shores of Lake Michigan in what is now Evanston. In 1857, they named the town Evanston, after John Evans, one of the leaders of the Methodist business group which established Northwestern University. On December 29, 1863, Evanston was incorporated to become a town even though the Illinois Legislature had passed legislation which would have allowed them to incorporate Evanston into a City. 

After the Civil War, Evanston expanded rapidly. In 1892, the residents of Evanston voted to organized Evanston as a City. During the 1960's, Northwestern University added 74 acres of soil into Lake Michigan along its border with Lake Michigan. Much of current Northwestern University is on the 74 Acres added in the 1960's.

Evanston was a "dry community from 1858 until 1972. In 1972, the City Council allowed hotels and restaurants to serve alcohol. In 1984, the City Council allowed alcohol to be sold in liquor stores in Evanston.

Today, Evanston is considered one of the best places to live in Illinois. Even though Evanston is a suburb of Chicago, the City has an urban feel with many restaurants, coffee shops, and parks. In addition to the college students at Northwestern University, many young professionals live in Evanston. Most of the residents in Evanston own their homes. Evanston has some of the best rated schools in Illinois. The average medium household income in Evanston is $77,848, and the medium home value in Evanston is $380,600.

Since Evanston is in Cook County Illinois, it is part of the Cook County Judicial circuit. The Cook County Judicial Circuit is the largest Judicial Circuit in the State of Illinois and one of the largest unified court systems in the United States. The municipalities surrounding Chicago have their criminal cases sent to one of the 6 Municipal District Courthouses that are set up around Cook County. Evanston is part of the 2nd Municipal District Courthouse on Old Orchard Road in Skokie, Illinois. Some of the other municipalities in the 2nd Municipal District include Skokie, Niles, Park Ridge, and Des Plaines. The 2nd Municipal District Courthouse in Skokie has criminal cases from most of the municipalities in the northern portion of Cook County. The 2nd Municipal District Courthouse on Old Orchard Road in Skokie, has criminal cases from some of the most affluent suburbs in Cook County.

If you are arrested for a felony in Evanston, the Evanston Police will take you to the 2nd Municipal District Courthouse in Skokie for your Bond Hearing. Bond Court for Evanston criminal cases are in Room 105 at 1:30 p.m., Monday through Friday.  If you are able to post bond after your Bond Hearing, the Evanston Police will release you from the Skokie Courthouse with a Court date for a Preliminary Hearing in Room 105. If you are unable to post Bond after your Bond Hearing, the Evanston Police will turn you over to the Cook County Sheriff who will place you on a bus and take you to Cook County Jail at 26th and California.  If you are arrested on a weekend or a Court holiday, the Evanston Police will take you to the Leighton Criminal Courthouse at 26th and California in Room 100 at 1:30 p.m. for your Bond Hearing. If you post Bond after your Bond Hearing at 26th and California, the Evanston Police will release you from the Courthouse with a Court date in Skokie for your Preliminary Hearing. If you are unable to post Bond at 26th and California, the Evanston Police will turn you over to the Cook County Sheriff who will take you to the Cook County Jail which is next door to the Leighton Criminal Courthouse at 26th and California. All of your future Court dates will be at the Old Orchard Courthouse in Skokie.

Your first Court date after your Bond Hearing in Skokie will be for a Preliminary Hearing. In order for you to be formally charged with a felony, the Judge has to determine that there's probable cause to suspect that you committed a crime. This is called a Preliminary Hearing. A Preliminary Hearing It's a short, informal hearing, to convince the Court that there's enough evidence to proceed with filing of formal criminal charges against you. This can also be accomplished by a Grand Jury. A Grand Jury is a group of citizens who meet at 26th and California and are presented with evidence by prosecutors to establish probable cause that a criminal defendant committed a crime. If a majority of the grand jurors determine that there's probable cause to charge you with a crime, that decision will be sent to Room 105 in Skokie and the judge can find probable cause based on the Grand Jury's decision. All of this happens in Room 105. If a probable cause determination is made in Room 105, your case will be randomly assigned to one of the felony Courtrooms that is on the first and second floor of the Skokie Courthouse.

All Evanston Domestic Battery cases will be in Room 106 at the Skokie Courthouse on Old Orchard Road. Room 106 in Skokie is a dedicated Domestic Battery Courtroom that only handles Domestic Violence matters. The Judge and prosecutors in Room 106 in Skokie only handle Domestic Battery cases in Evanston and the northern suburbs of Cook County.

All Evanston misdemeanor cases, such as Evanston DUI cases, Evanston Retail Theft cases, Evanston Shoplifting cases, Evanston Drug cases, Evanston Theft cases, and Evanston Battery cases, are heard on particular days of the month throughout the first and second floor of the Skokie Courthouse.

Unless you have been arrested and faced criminal prosecution in Court, you do not understand how stressful such an experience can be. When you are facing criminal charges, your entire future is on the line. The prosecutor that is coming after you is highly experienced and has the powerful resources that the police and government can bring against you. One of the biggest mistakes that criminal defendants make is that they don't retain the right criminal defense lawyer to represent them in a criminal case. Just like a prosecutor has experience in prosecuting criminal cases, you need to hire a criminal defense attorney that only handles criminal cases. The last thing you want is to have a real estate lawyer, or a divorce lawyer, representing you in a criminal case. If you lose your criminal case, not only will you be looking at the possibility of going to prison, but you will be looking at a future with a criminal record that will always appear in a background search.

James Dimeas has been practicing law for over-27 years. James Dimeas has only handled criminal cases in all of the 27-years that he has been a lawyer. James Dimeas has handled almost any every type of criminal case imaginable. James Dimeas is highly respected in the legal profession and is one of the most experienced and well-regarded criminal defense lawyers in the United States. James Dimeas knows his way around the Courthouse and knows what he's doing. James Dimeas knows how to win cases and knows how to deal with judges and prosecutors. If you hire James Dimeas as your lawyer, you will have one of the best criminal defense lawyers in the United States on your side!

Evanston criminal defense lawyer, James Dimeas, is a nationally-recognized, award-winning criminal defense attorney with over 27-years of experience handling criminal cases in Evanston, 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," and 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, the American Society of Legal Advocates named James Dimeas a "Top 100 Criminal Defense Lawyer in the State of Illinois For the Year 2018, 2019, and 2020." The National Trial Lawyers named James Dimeas a "Top 100 Criminal Defense Trial Lawyer." The National Institute of Criminal Law Attorneys named James Dimeas a "Top 100 Criminal Defense Trial Lawyer." The National Institute of Criminal Law Attorneys named James Dimeas a "10 Best Attorney for Client Satisfaction." Expertise named James Dimeas a "Best Criminal Defense Lawyer in Chicago." James Dimeas was recently named a "Best DUI Attorney." James Dimeas is rated "Superb" by AVVO, 10 out of 10, the highest rating possible for any criminal defense lawyer in the United States.

If you are facing criminal charges in Evanston, or if you are an Evanston resident, you can contact James Dimeas anytime for a free and confidential consultation. You can speak to James Dimeas personally by calling him at 847-807-7405.