Downstate Arbitrator Assignments Shuffled and Calls Consolidated
John F. Kamin
A number of changes were made to the Arbitrator assignments to downstate territories which will be effective April 1, 2011. The following calls will be closed and consolidated to other calls:
Belleville call will be closed and the cases will be heard in Collinsville. Carlinville call will be closed and the cases will be heard in Springfield. Clinton call will be closed and the cases will be heard in Decatur. Whittington call will be closed and the cases will be heard in Herrin. Winchester call will be closed and the cases will be heard in Quincy.
In addition, there have been reassignment of the following territories:
Arbitrator |
Territory Assignments |
Akemann |
Rockford |
Andros |
Kankakee, Wheaton |
Erbacci |
Waukegan |
Falcioni |
Joliet |
Fratianni |
Joliet, Ottawa |
Giordano |
Peoria |
Holland |
Danville, Galesburg, Rock Falls, Rock Island |
Kinnaman |
Geneva |
Lee |
DeKalb, Woodstock |
Mathis |
Bloomington, Mattoon |
Nalefski |
Herrin |
Neal |
Collinsville |
O’Malley |
Wheaton |
Tobin |
Decatur, Mt. Vernon, Urbana |
White |
Quincy, Springfield |
The Commission indicates that the new assignments are intended to save travel and rental expense and will allow for fewer Arbitrators to hear more cases. All of these changes go into effect April 1, but in the event a case had been partially tried and proofs left open, the case will stay with the original Arbitrator. This may create some logistic difficulties causing attorneys to travel to different dockets in order to finish trials and close proofs on bifurcated hearings.