• Yes, all users need a login.
• You can obtain a login and password online directly by visiting the File & Serve Illinois website: www.fileandserveillinois.com – and select Register with E-mail.
• NOTE FOR NEW REGISTRANTS: the FIRM ADMIN should create an account and register all filers at the firm, which will link all filers to the firm’s account. If a firm member registers individually, it will require eFileIL to merge the accounts.

• A computer (either PC or Mac) with internet access.
• A scanner: this is not required but recommended if you need to scan paper documents.
• An internet connection and a browser. Currently, only Internet Explorer (Version 6 or greater) is supported.
• To view case documents, you need to download and install Adobe Reader. This free reader can be downloaded from Adobe’s website.
• To post documents to the website, they must be in PDF format. We offer FREE PDF conversion of documents.
• If you need free PDF conversion, you can attach a document(s) in an editable version in “Step 3 – Documents.” The File & Serve Illinois system will automatically convert the document to PDF and will attach both the native format and the PDF format to the transaction. Both formats of the document(s) will be provided for viewing in the “Documents” section of “Step 5 – Review & Submit” prior to submitting the transaction.

No, registration of attorneys and staff should be handled by a designated Firm Administrator. Please refer to our training guides and how-to-guides for details on how to register yourself, firm attorneys, support staff members, and create the firm’s payment account. If attorneys or staff register separately, they will have to be merged into the firm account created by the Firm Administrator. 

• If you have filed into any Court on the eFileIL system, then you have a user name and password; you can use that user name and password to login to File & Serve Illinois. (This will NOT be the same login as your File & ServeXpress user name.)
• If you do not have an eFileIL user name and password, please go to www.fileandserveillinois.com and select Register with E-Mail.
• If you are not sure if you have already registered your email, click the “Forgot Password” link and enter it in the Email ID field. If you have not already registered your email, you will receive the following message: No user is registered with that email address.
• NOTE FOR NEW REGISTRANTS: the FIRM ADMIN should create an account and register all filers at the firm, which will link all filers to the firm’s account. If a firm member registers individually, it will require eFileIL to merge the accounts.
• Consult our File & Serve Illinois Training & Resources page to register for live webinars, view on-demand Training Videos and download step-by-step User Guides.
• With each filing, you provide the necessary case information and upload your documents. You may file several documents in a filing and each document can have multiple exhibits.
• The filing fees will be automatically attached to the filing, and you will pay by credit card. If you choose to register for monthly billing with File & Serve Illinois, you will be billed within thirty (30) days. Please contact Customer Support for details on how to register for monthly billing: 888-529-7587.
• File & Serve Illinois is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Consult your local court rules for the court review timelines and schedules. Note: The system may be temporarily offline from time to time for maintenance purposes.
• After you file documents, you can also serve the documents electronically onto the registered parties.

According to Section 7 of the Supreme Court of Illinois Electronic Filing Procedures and User Manual regarding “Timing of e-filing; mechanics:”

• The EFSP and the EFM are agents of the Court for the purpose of eFiling and receipt of electronic documents. Upon submission of an eFiled document, the EFSP will email to the registered user a transaction confirmation which shall serve as proof of submission.
• A document will be considered timely submitted if eFiled before midnight on or before the date on which the document is due.
• A document submitted electronically after midnight or on a day when the Clerk’s office is not open for business will, unless rejected, be file stamped as filed on the next day the Clerk’s office is open for business.
• An eFiled document submitted to the Clerk for filing shall be deemed filed upon review and acceptance by the Clerk. The filed document shall be endorsed with the clerk’s electronic file mark setting forth, at a minimum, the identification of the Court, the Clerk, the date and the time of filing.
• After the Clerk reviews an eFiled document, the registered user will receive an e-mail notification of the review results.
• In the event the Clerk rejects a submitted document, the document will not be filed and the registered user will receive an electronic notification of the reason(s) for the rejection.
• A document requiring a motion and a Court order allowing its filing that is properly eFiled pursuant to subparagraph d of paragraph 5 of this manual, will be deemed filed on the date the motion is granted.

If an eFiled document is untimely due to a technical failure or a system outage, the registered user may seek appropriate relief from the Court, upon good cause shown.

When you file, you are asked to select the type of document you are filing. The Court has hundreds of document types and selecting the correct one can be difficult.

The state is working towards creating a standard configuration which will be adopted by each county in the state. If a filing code that you are looking for is not available, please Contact eFileIL to let them know.

Yes. The eFileIL system adheres to state and federal security regulations and meets Payment Card Industry Data Security Standards (PCI DSS) to protect filer and transaction information.

Yes, click here to download our quick guide for preferred case numbers.

FSIL does not transfer properties in a word.doc file. FSIL does not keep the changes in a “track changes” markup. If a document includes comments that are visible in the document, these visible comments/notes will be included in the PDF conversion – but this is not “metadata.”

Yes, you may submit discovery documents or other serve-only documents to via the File & Serve Illinois website. These documents will be served onto the registered parties in the case and available for viewing on the File & Serve Illinois website. The viewing of discovery documents is restricted to parties in the case with a valid login.

eService is the service of documents onto parties via the File & Serve Illinois secure and encrypted system. After you submit a document, you can select the eService option to immediately serve the parties or attorneys in the case, electronically.

Each case has a list of “service contacts” who can be selected for eService on any file-and-serve or service-only filing. Filers can add people to the case service contact list by selecting desired recipients from the firm service contact directory or from the Public Service List (when it becomes available, timing from the Illinois Supreme Court is TBD). A service contact is a person for whom an email address and other identifying information has been entered into the eFileIL system by a registered user.

A “firm service contact” is associated in the eFiling system with an attorney, organization, or law firm. A filer can add a firm service contact from their own firm to the service list for a particular case. IMPORTANT NOTE: If you do not see opposing counsel on the Service List for a particular case, the filer cannot add a service contact from another firm, which will associate the service contact to the filer’s firm. Until the Public Service list becomes available, there are two options for serving someone who is not on the service contact list for a case: 1) serve the service contact conventionally (i.e. via U.S. Mail or email); or 2) contact the missing service contact’s firm and ask the firm to add the missing service contact, which will enable the contact to be selected for eService.

A “public service contact” is listed on the Public Service List for purposes of eService.

The “Public Service List” is a directory of public service contacts who are available for eService. For eFileIL, the state has indicated that it will create and maintain the Public Service List via a feed from the Illinois Bar. NOTE: The Public Service List has not yet been approved by the Illinois Supreme Court. Tyler Technologies has indicated the Public Service List will be available by July 1, 2018, but this timing is not yet confirmed.

The Public Service List is not yet available for eFileIL. The Illinois Supreme Court has not yet confirmed when the Public Service List will be available.

Once the Public Service List becomes available, you must be filing in a case in order to search the Public Service List. When adding a service contact to a party on a case, select “Add from public list” from the Actions menu.

Search for the service contact by name, email address, or firm name. Complete names or entries are not required – partial entries are searchable.

Yes, there are multiple ways to do this. For someone to receive a courtesy copy of every filing that is eServed on you, firm administrators may edit a service contact to enter one or more email addresses to receive an “administrative copy” of every document sent to the service contact. For someone to receive a courtesy copy of filings eServed on you on a case-by-case basis, users can add any firm service contact to the service list for a case.

• Firms may want to have different service contacts for specific practice areas or case types.
• These service contacts will, by default, receive a copy of every subsequent filing on the case, even filings by other parties

By starting a mock filing. Upload a test document to your case number. You can then add the attorney to the service contacts tab and associate him/her to party or case. Do not submit filing, just save.