Criminal Defense Lawyer Cook County

The criminal defense attorneys at John D. Ioakimidis, have been successfully winning criminal cases in Chicago and Cook County for over 21 years.  With thousands of satisfied clients throughout Cook County, we are confident that we have the experience and skills to defend you successfully.  Cook County has the most people in Illinois of any other county and is the second most populous county in the United States after Los Angeles County, CA.  The Illinois General Assembly created Cook County on January 15, 1831.  The county was named after a young and prominent Illinois politician who vigorously advocated full statehood for Illinois – his name was Daniel Pope Cook.  According to the United States Census Bureau, 5.2 million people live in Cook County with the City of Chicago having 2.7 million residents.  About 40% of all Illinois residents live in Cook County.  For the year 2015, the demographics of Cook County’s largest groups are 43.9% White, 25.2% Hispanic, 24.2% Black, and 7.4% Asian.  Cook County is an economic powerhouse with Chicago being its economic engine and its county seat.  The average median salary in Cook County is approximate $55,000.00.  However, approximately 17.4%, or 900,000 residents, live in poverty.  Cook County has 130 municipalities.  The cities of Cook County include Berwyn, Blue Island, Burbank, Calumet City, Chicago, Chicago Heights, Country Club Hills, Countryside, Des Plaines, Elgin (shared with Kane County), City of Elmhurst (shared with DuPage County), Evanston, Hickory Hills, Harvey, Hometown, City of Markham, Northlake, Oak Forest, Palos Heights and Palos Hills, Prospect Heights, Park Ridge and Rolling Meadows.  Some of the villages include Arlington Heights, Hoffman Estates, Markham, Maywood, Palatine, Skokie, Rolling Meadows, Schaumburg and Bridgeview. The Cook County criminal justice system is impersonal and harsh.  An experienced criminal defense attorney can make all the difference in the world.  Being represented by the right attorney can mean the difference between freedom and jail. John D. Ioakimidis, has a proven track record of winning cases in Chicago and Cook County.

Cook County Law Enforcement

In Illinois, each municipality has its own police force.  The Cook County Sheriff’s Department also has jurisdiction throughout Cook County and exclusive jurisdiction for areas that are unincorporated areas.  The Cook County Sheriff operates like any other police department by patrolling throughout Cook County and enforcing the laws.  However, the Sheriff’s Department has the additional responsibility for operating the Cook Jail, holding facilities and for transporting prisoners from jail to the various Courthouses throughout the county.  The headquarters for the Sheriff’s Office is located at 50 W. Washington Street, Chicago, Illinois. 

Cook County Jail

The jail for Cook County is located at 2700 South California Avenue Chicago, Illinois, and houses approximately 9000 people on any given day.  According to the Cook County Sheriff’s website, 42% of the inmate population is self-identified as being mentally sick.  With the lack of funding for mental health, many people end up in jail for non-violent crimes.  Thus, the Cook County Sheriff has unfortunately become the largest provider of mental health services in the State of Illinois. This responsibility has cast a heavy burden on Cook County budget resources.

Cook County Prosecutor

The Cook County State’s Attorney prosecutes misdemeanor and felony cases. There are, however, rare instances where the Illinois Attorney General or a Special Prosecutor will prosecute a given case.  The executive offices of the Cook County State’s Attorney are located at 69 W. Washington, Suite 3200, Chicago, Illinois.  The office has approximately 900 attorneys – making it the second largest State’s Attorney office in the United States after Los Angeles County.  The prosecution arm of the office consists of the Criminal Prosecutions, Juvenile Justice, Narcotics and Special Prosecutions bureaus. With over 43 years of combined experience, the criminal defense attorneys at John D. Ioakimidis, have the knowledge and experience to aggressively fight over-reaching prosecutors.

Cook County Courthouses

Our criminal defense attorneys have extensive experience in all Cook County courts. The main criminal courthouse in Cook County is the George N. Leighton Criminal Courthouse and is located at 2600 S. California Avenue, Chicago, Illinois.  There are also the branch and districts courts throughout Cook County.  They include: 2nd District – Skokie, 3rd District – Rolling Meadows, 4th District – Maywood, 5th District – Bridgeview, 6th District – Markham, Branches 23, 29, 34, 35, 38, 42, 43,44 48, 50 – Chicago, Central Bond Court – Chicago, Domestic Violence Courthouse – Chicago, Juvenile Center – Chicago; and the Richard J. Daley Center – Chicago.  There are also courts that each municipality operates for cases involving ordinance violations that are heard by hearing officers.  These prosecutions are civil in nature and not criminal.

When we, the criminal defense lawyers at John D. Ioakimidis started the firm in 1995, we did so with a promise that we would provide top quality representation to people facing criminal charges regardless of the circumstances. We have built a reputation on winning cases for our clients.  We have thousands of satisfied clients throughout Illinois.  Our tough work has resulted in being nationally recognized by the The National Trial Lawyers as Top 100 criminal defense attorneys.  If you have any questions regarding a criminal matter in Cook County, call us at 1-800-228-7295 or locally at 312-229-5500.