You never know what’s around the corner. It could be everything. Or it could be nothing. You keep putting one foot in front of the other, and then one day you look back and you’ve climbed a mountain. -Tom Hiddleston
To our Ciesla Beeler Clients, Friends and Colleagues: We at Ciesla Beeler, like you, are monitoring the Coronavirus pandemic very carefully. Our priority is to keep our staff, our clients, friends and our colleagues in the legal community healthy. Our office remains open, and our staff is working diligently to make sure that we continue to move all matters forward. We are taking all recommended precautions and are following protective measures; thus, we can be in contact with you, other attorneys and in some cases the court by telephone and video conferencing, rather than in person. Cook County. In an abundance of caution with this COVID-19 pandemic, Cook County Chief Judge Timothy Evans is closing all Cook County courthouses for non-critical matters from Tuesday, March 17 through April 15, 2020. This is an extreme measure, and the first time we have experienced this action from the courts. That means the courthouses in which we appear in Chicago, Rolling Meadows and Skokie will be closed except for very select matters. We have been told that here will be a limited number of Domestic Relations judges available for emergencies only. All court dates will be continued for 30 days. Lake County. The Chief Judge of Lake County, Diane Winter just today issued an order closing all Lake County courthouses except for emergencies. All matters previously set shall be rescheduled for 28 days from their original scheduled date. In the interim, for many of you we can use this time to address matters through mediation, negotiation and the collaborative process. As this is an evolving situation, as we learn more, we will keep you apprised. Please know that we are in the office during normal business hours. We remain available to serve you as we have in the past. On behalf of everyone here at Ciesla Beeler, we appreciate your empathy and your concern as we all try to navigate these unprecedented times to keep us all protected. Very truly yours, Kathryn Ciesla and Jennifer Cunningham Beeler