Rule 11.06 - CASE MANAGEMENT CONFERENCESA.Initial Case Management Conference. Upon the filing of the initial pleading in any Dissolution (DV) or Family (FA) case, a date and time will be set approximately 90 days from the filing of the initial pleading for the parties or their attorneys to appear in open court on a schedule established by the court and implemented by the Clerk of the Circuit Court for an Initial Case Management Conference. It shall be mandatory for all pro se parties and counsel of record to attend the Initial Case Management Conference unless otherwise excused for good cause by prior court order. At this time, the court shall determine the following issues: 1. The status of service of summons;2. The status of pleadings;3. The status of parenting education, at which time the parties shall show proof of completion of the approved parenting education program, provide a fixed schedule for compliance, or show cause to excuse compliance; and4. The status of allocation of parental responsibility and mediation, at which time the parties shall provide the court with an agreed order regarding the allocation of parental responsibility and an agreed parenting plan, if there is an agreement, or if there is no agreement regarding the allocation of parental responsibility or a parenting plan or both, the court shall schedule the matter for mediation and shall advise each parent of the responsibilities imposed upon them by the pertinent local court rules. The court may enter any appropriate scheduling orders and consider any other matters that may aid in the disposition of the case, including setting a date for a full Case Management Conference pursuant to Supreme Court Rule 218.
B.Full Case Management Conference. A full Case Management Conference pursuant to Supreme Court Rule 218 may be conducted upon notice and motion of a party or upon order of the court. A full Case Management Conference shall be held no later than 30 days after mediation has been completed. In addition to other matters the court may choose to address at the conference, and if the court has not appointed counsel previously, the court shall address whether to appoint an attorney for the child or a guardian ad litem or a child representative in accordance with Section 506 of the Illinois Marriage and Dissolution of Marriage Act (750 ILCS 5/506). Prior to the full Case Management Conference, the counsel of record familiar with the case and authorized to act shall meet and complete a Case Management Conference Memorandum in the form approved by the court. Any self-represented party shall also complete a Case Management Memorandum in the form approved by the court. It shall be mandatory for all self-represented parties and counsel of record to attend the full Case Management Conference and all subsequent conferences thereafter unless otherwise excused for good cause by court order.
The Case Management Conference Memorandum shall address the following issues:
1. The nature, issues, and complexity of the case;2. The formation and simplification of the issues, including the elimination of frivolous claims;3. Amendments to the pleadings;5. Possibility of obtaining admissions of fact and of documents which will avoid unnecessary proof;6. Limitations on Discovery, including: a. the number and duration of depositions which can be taken;b. the area of expertise and the number of opinion witnesses who can be called;c. deadlines for the disclosure of all witnesses under Supreme Court Rule 231(f), including all opinions of witnesses, and the completion of written discovery and depositions.7. Possibility of settlement and scheduling of a Pre-Trial Settlement Conference.8. Advisability of alternative dispute resolution;9. Advisability of holding subsequent case management conferences and pre-trial settlement conferences; and10. Any other matters which may aid in the disposition of the case. The completed memorandum shall be tendered to the court at the full Case Management Conference. At the conclusion of the full Case Management Conference, an order in the form approved by the court shall be prepared by the petitioner or petitioner's counsel addressing the above considerations and presented to the court for approval and entry.
Any party and/or attorney required under this rule to attend any Case Management Conference who, without good cause, fails to attend after having been given due and proper notice, or fails to meet and complete the full Case Management Conference Memorandum, shall be subject to the sanctioning power of this court, including, but not limited to, those authorized under Supreme Court Rule 219(c), such as civil or criminal contempt, dismissal, imposition of attorney's fees, imposition of monetary sanctions, and the awarding of the other party's costs of transportation, loss of work income and other expenses incident to that party's presence at the conference.
Ill. R. Cir. Ct. McHenry Cnty. 11.06