Illinois Lawyer Referrals and Legal Guidance
Wrongful Death Cases in Lake County
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There are many acts of negligence that can lead to an Illinois wrongful death lawsuit, but you usually see it as a result of medical malpractice, nursing home abuse, a personal injury or some sort of product liability. When a death does occur, an estate is opened on behalf of the heirs of the person who died and a lawsuit would be filed, typically in the county where the death occurred (with some exceptions).
Wrongful death cases in Lake County, Illinois are filed at the main courthouse in Waukegan, located at 18 N. County St. These cases are handled by the Civil Division. Most civil division courtrooms are on the third floor of the main courthouse. In other words, if your wife is killed when she was rear-ended in a car accident in Gurnee, the lawsuit would be filed at the Waukegan courthouse.
The Waukegan courthouse is also where you and your attorney will appear for court dates throughout your case. Initially, you will appear for case management conferences, where both sides update the court on how the case is coming along. You and your attorney also will go to the courthouse for hearings and eventually for trial, if your case does not settle beforehand. Please note that you as the client don’t usually attend most of these hearings although of course you can.
In Lake County, the Courts offer mediation for parties that want to participate in an attempt to resolve the lawsuit. Unlike arbitration, mediation is not mandatory and is generally less structured. The parties choose the mediator, and the mediator actively works with the parties in trying to reach a resolution. If you do not want to mediate your case, it will proceed before the assigned judge. Although we have seen some cases resolve in six months or less please note that most wrongful death lawsuits in Lake County take a few years from the point that the suit is filed until it is settled or heard by a jury.
If you have a wrongful death case in Lake County, our priority is to find the right attorney for you. This may be a large Chicago law firm, a lawyer in Waukegan, or maybe a small firm in Vernon Hills that specializes in your type of case. For example, we know one small law firm that has a niche with deaths that occur on snow mobiles and another firm in Waukegan that has tremendous success with nursing home deaths. Whoever is right for your case depends on the specific facts of what happened. Our role is to learn those facts and use our network and experience to connect you with the best firm for you.
Every wrongful death lawyer that we recommend works on a contingency basis, which is a percentage of what you recover at trial or in settlement. In other words the attorney only gets paid if they are successful for you.
You have only a limited amount of time to file a wrongful death lawsuit. In Illinois, the deadline is generally two years from the date of the accident or death, but it could be less in some cases, typically when a Government defendant is involved such as state run hospital or county owned vehicle. If you think you have a wrongful death claim to file in Lake County, Illinois, we can help you find an attorney or law firm with a history of success. Please do not hesitate to contact us. Your calls and e-mails are always confidential.
If a death occurs in any of the following cities, Lake County, Illinois would be the right place to file a lawsuit.
Antioch |
Green Oaks |
Lake Zurich |
Round Lake |