I represent suburban Cook County landlords who need a tenant out. Bridgeview $895. Skokie and Maywood $995. Markham and Rolling Meadows $1,250. Trial is included when the tenant has no lawyer.
I answer my own phone. Same-day callback. The first call is free. Or book a time.
Justin Abdilla helped us resolving issues we had with a very destructive tenant.Koray K., Landlord
“Justin was very helpful and guided me on steps I have to do prior to having a potential eviction case. His tone and responses were very kind and knowledgeable.”
“Justin evicted a tenant of mine in record time. It's unheard of and I just did not think it was possible to get this tenant out so fast. Only eight weeks.”
“My company worked with Justin for an eviction and was incredibly impressed with how respectful and kind yet effective he was through the eviction process. He handled the defendant with care, and was an excellent mediator helping both parties reach a mutual agreement.”
Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.
Step one
Type your rent. You get your daily loss, your notice deadline, and the day my fee pays for itself. Nothing leaves this page.
Fees, timelines, and statistics verified September 21, 2026. Firm figures are from Abdilla and Associates case files, not court statistics. Court counts are from the Administrative Office of the Illinois Courts and the Cook County Sheriff, compiled on the Chicago eviction statistics page.
Five courthouses, five fees
Chicago is the First Municipal District, and it is a different case. The Daley Center downtown hears city cases. The Chicago RLTO governs the tenancy. The RLTO adds deposit rules, required disclosures, and tiered Fair Notice periods. That compliance work is why my Chicago flat fee is $1,600.
If your building is in the city, start with my Chicago eviction page instead. If a tenant already claims ordinance violations against you, read my RLTO defense guide. It shows what that exposure looks like.
Outside Cook County, the map keeps going. My DuPage flat fee is $895, and my Kane County flat fee is $995. My flat fee eviction lawyer page shows the statewide picture, county by county.
The suburban Cook flat fee ranges from $895 in Bridgeview to $1,250 in Rolling Meadows, set by district. Tell me the property address and what the tenant did. I will tell you which district courthouse hears the case. I will tell you the exact flat fee and which notice I serve first. Call, text (312) 489-8710, or book a free 30 minute phone consult.
Three layers of law
Three layers of law meet in the suburbs: the county ordinance, the state notice statutes, and a handful of local codes. Serve under the wrong layer and the case restarts.
Suburban Cook County runs under the Cook County Residential Tenant Landlord Ordinance. Most people shorten that county law to RTLO. It is not the Chicago RLTO. Chicago's ordinance stops at the city line. Suburban municipalities and unincorporated Cook County sit outside it entirely.
Do not apply Chicago rules in Palatine or Oak Lawn. You will serve the wrong notice. Do not assume the plain state rules from DuPage or Kane carry over. The county ordinance sits on top of them.
Under the county RTLO, you must give a flat 60 days' written notice to end or non-renew a tenancy. The rule applies no matter how long the tenant has lived there. Serve the notice late, and the tenant may lawfully remain up to 120 days after you serve a proper notice. Chicago's tiered 30, 60, and 120 day Fair Notice periods do not reach the suburbs. The 30 day state notice works in the collar counties. It is not enough here.
Unpaid rent takes a 5-day demand under 735 ILCS 5/9-209. Other lease violations take a 10-day notice under 9-210. Service is its own trap. 735 ILCS 5/9-211 allows three service methods.
Regular mail is not on the list. Taping the notice to the door of an occupied unit is not posting service. I walk through each notice, with the actual forms, in my 5-day notice guide and the step-by-step Illinois eviction process. You can also download the notice forms free from my resources page.
One more wrinkle: some municipalities sit outside the county rules. Section 42-101(d) of the Cook County RTLO (enacted as 42-801(D)) excludes any municipality that maintains its own comprehensive landlord-tenant regulations. The county's official publication names Chicago, Evanston, and Mount Prospect as exempt. Oak Park also applies its own landlord-tenant rules under its village code. I check the municipality's status before any notice goes out. The wrong regime means the wrong notice and a restarted case.
If the property sits in an LLC, do not file the case yourself. 705 ILCS 220/1 bars a company from appearing in an Illinois court without a lawyer. The Illinois Supreme Court confirmed the rule in Downtown Disposal Services, Inc. v. City of Chicago, 2012 IL 112040. A corporate entity must be represented by counsel. Small claims offers a plaintiff no way around it. Illinois Supreme Court Rule 282(b) lets a corporation appear without counsel only as a defendant. An LLC landlord who files pro se in Skokie or Markham gets the case bounced. I explain the rule in plain terms in my guide to LLC court representation.
The fee
Suburban Cook eviction representation costs $895 to $1,250, set by district.
| Court filing fee, paid by card at the clerk | $389.25 |
| Process server, paid directly | $155+ |
| Sheriff placement, e-filed | $65 |
| Sheriff placement, in person (Daley Center, Room 701) | $95 |
| Sheriff posting, when the court allows it | $61 |
| Tenant files 10 motions | Same price |
| 15 court appearances | Same price |
| Case takes 120 days | Same price |
| Tenant asks for continuances | Same price |
| Tenant hires a lawyer | Usually the same priceContested depositions and discovery are billed hourly, with payment plans. |
“When complications mean more work for me and not more money from you, my incentive is to resolve your case as quickly as possible.”Justin Abdilla
The docket
Five stages, from the first notice to the sheriff, all covered by one flat fee. In my current cases, a suburban Cook eviction runs about 150 days from notice to lockout.
An eviction order does not last forever. Under 735 ILCS 5/9-117, an order more than 120 days old cannot be enforced without a motion to extend. So I calendar the sheriff placement, and your order never ages out. The sheriff schedules evictions generally in order of filing, separated into geographical areas. A deputy calls the plaintiff one working day before the eviction. See the full Illinois eviction process, step by step. In my current cases, a suburban Cook eviction runs about 150 days from notice to lockout.
The Early Resolution Program runs in every district, not just Chicago. Circuit Court General Administrative Order 2025-08 extended the program, effective August 21, 2025. Every new eviction summons includes the ERP notice in English, Spanish, and Polish. The Clerk sets an automatic 30 day case management date. The Cook County Legal Aid for Housing and Debt hotline offers free help to tenants and landlords.
The whole process in 38 seconds. The district details are below.
Inside the courthouses
Each municipal district differs. Here is how the cases move once you are past the filing.
Where your case is heard
5 courthousesCircuit Court of Cook County, Municipal Districts 2 to 6In District 3, the case starts in Room 206. It then moves to Room 204 or Room 205. In District 6, the case starts in Room 209. It then moves to Room 207 or Room 208. Districts 2, 4, and 5 usually keep one judge throughout the case.
After I file, the Clerk's notice sets a court date about 35 days out. I issue a summons that designates a licensed private detective for service, and I pay those fees. I file proof of service at least five days before the hearing. Some tenants dodge service. After three failed attempts, expect authority to post. The Cook County Sheriff posts for $61 per property. You arrange the posting online.
The court sends the case to the Early Resolution Program about 30 days after the first hearing. ERP is a mediation. In my practice, it rarely produces a settlement in Cook County.
“I am in a Cook County courtroom four days a week. Your district is one of them.”
If mediation fails, the case goes to trial. A trial takes about 30 minutes. The trial call times vary by district. District 2 typically calls trials on Thursdays and Fridays. District 3 calls them on Thursday mornings. District 4 calls them on Friday mornings. District 5 calls them on weekday afternoons. District 6 calls them on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 1:30. I bring the notice, the affidavit of service, the lease, the rental ledger, the SCRA non-military affidavit, and proof of service of the eviction notice. The rules of evidence apply.
If the tenant does not appear, I move for default after one hearing. Default takes an accurate complaint, the exhibits, an SCRA affidavit, and an affidavit of the amounts due. The court customarily puts a 7 day stay on the eviction order. The Sheriff takes one to three months to enforce the order. The Sheriff's procedures are so specific that I recommend you speak to the Sheriff's office at the Daley Center in person.
In their words
Real reviews from property owners I have represented. 90+ reviews on Google and Avvo, 4.4 average.
“Justin was very helpful and guided me on steps I have to do prior to having a potential eviction case. His tone and responses were very kind and knowledgeable.”
“Very humane and landlord empathetic eviction lawyer! His answers are clear and concise. Thank you so much :)”
“Justin evicted a tenant of mine in record time. It's unheard of and I just did not think it was possible to get this tenant out so fast. Only eight weeks.”
“My company worked with Justin for an eviction and was incredibly impressed with how respectful and kind yet effective he was through the eviction process. He handled the defendant with care, and was an excellent mediator helping both parties reach a mutual agreement.”
“Justin Abdilla helped us resolving issues we had with a very destructive tenant.”
Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. More on the Illinois eviction resources page.
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Serve the wrong notice, or serve it the wrong way, and the case restarts from day one. If you'd rather have it done right, call (630) 839-9195.
Clear answers about suburban Cook County evictions
Have more questions about a suburban Cook property? Call me.
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