DUI at the Chicago Daley Center Court - A Practical Guide

We've already provided practical information about the Chicago DUI courthouse where you will appear if you've been arrested for a misdemeanor DUI in Chicago - the case will be heard at the Richard J. Daley Center located at 50 W. Washington, and some information about the building facilities itself can be found here. Meanwhile, any DUI arrest is unsettling, and we thought it might be helpful to walk you through what a DUI defense will look like at Chicago's Daley Center, also known as the 1st Municipal Court of Cook County, Illinois.  

Where is my Courtroom at the Daley Center? 

While the Daley Center has 31 floors, the DUI courtrooms are all located on the 4th floor. The only elevator bank in the building leading to those can be found on the west side of the building. Odd numbered rooms are on the west corridor where the elevators let out, and even numbered courtrooms are one the east corridor. The designated DUI courtrooms right now are rooms 402, 404, 405, 406 and 408. DUI cases are heard at 9:00am or 1:00pm. 

Do I have to Appear every time for Court?

You should review the conditions of your bail bond, which is an 8.5 x 11" page you received upon release from your arrest. Among those conditions, for all Chicago DUI cases, is the requirement that you appear for each and every court date. If you can't appear for some reason, it's important that you communicate this to your lawyer. It goes without saying that Chicago DUI cases are very serious, more complicated than most criminal or traffic cases, and you of course should have the very best trained Chicago DUI lawyers here at Fagan, Fagan & Davis representing you. 

How Often is Court for Chicago DUI cases?

Court dates are generally set throughout cook county municipal courts by something called a "key date" system. This system ensures that officers have specific dates scheduled to appear in each court. The result is that most of the time, court dates for your DUI will be held on a roughly monthly basis, and you should anticipate that a serious analysis of your DUI in this courthouse will require no less than 2-3 court appearances at best. Anything less and your lawyer will likely not be getting the whole story about your case.

We typically recommend that our clients wait for us outside the courtroom and do not check in before we arrive. If you don't have a lawyer, you'll want to check in with the court clerk before the call starts, and have a seat in the courtroom. If you arrive late, just wait for a break or for your case to be called. 

Other useful information for Chicago DUI court:

At some point, your lawyer may advise you to obtain a Drug and Alcohol Evaluation. In most cases, an evaluation of this type is necessary before resolving a DUI charge. Before your Drug and Alcohol Evaluation, an experienced DUI lawyer should help you prepare, and explain what to expect - this is no mere drug test. Cook county requires that all Drug and Alcohol Evaluations be conducted by Central States Institute (CSI) operated by Catholic Charities. The Chicago location is across the street from the courthouse at 69 W. Washington, on the 9th floor. Don't just pop in, though, call for an appointment. The central phone number for scheduling of an evaluation is (312) 948-6001.

Payment of fines fees and costs are done on the fourth floor if paying immediately after your DUI is concluded by plea or finding of guilty. If paying at a later date, but before your scheduled termination date, you'll need to be in the building around 8:30am on the Lower Level (LL) to see the clerk about bringing your case into the courtroom for that day to let the judge know you'll be paying. If reporting is required to CSI as part of your DUI sentence, that's also at 69 W. Washington on the 9th floor, but if you are reporting to Social Services, that office is located on the Lower Level in room LL-09. 

Legal procedures are different at the Chicago DUI court, and your lawyer cannot have a casual knowledge of these rules. You need an expert like one of the attorneys at Fagan, Fagan & Davis, who have been representing defendants in Chicago DUI cases since the early '80s. 

Have other practical questions about going to Court? Send us an email at [email protected], and we'll try to answer and update this guide. If you need help with your DUI at the Chicago courthouse at the Daley Center, contact us now. If physically meeting with us is inconvenient, we can discuss your case over the phone or via video chat.