Attorneys
Guidelines for Virtual Courtroom Proceedings
In an effort to address the unique needs created by the current COVID-19 pandemic and to create additional methods to allow for access to justice, the 22nd Judicial Circuit’s Committee on Guidelines for a Virtual Courtroom has compiled the following guidelines and recommendations. These guidelines are intended to assist judicial officers in conducting proceedings remotely.
FREE McHenry Circuit Clerk Attorney Access Portal
The McHenry Circuit Clerk Attorney Access Portal is a free program which provides attorney access to public McHenry County cases. Case information and the scanned public court documents are both available. The McHenry Circuit Clerk Attorney Access Portal also provides a calendar function which allows attorneys to view all scheduled court dates on cases where they are the attorney of record and provides links to daily court calls for each courtroom and provides online scheduling for attorneys in some courtrooms.
Attorney E-mail Notification Service (requires Attorney Access Portal)
Attorneys can sign up for the McHenry County Circuit Clerk E-Mail Notification Service and receive E-mail notification whenever a document is filed on a case with an appearance on file. This is a FREE service that only requires an Attorney Access Portal account. Each attorney or firm can have one or multiple E-mail addresses listed to receive the automatic notifications which also include links to the documents filed.
Attorney Registration
The McHenry County Circuit Clerk does not issue unique Attorney Registration numbers. Please include your ARDC number on any filings per Local Rule 3.01. Attorneys should use the following forms for change of address, change of firm, firm name changes or to register a new firm, if you do a large amount of work in McHenry County. We do not require an attorney to register with the Circuit Clerk before appearing in McHenry County. Registration forms can be emailed to
Proposed Orders
The Circuit Clerk’s Office does not accept proposed orders. McHenry County Court Administration provides an email address that can be utilized to submit proposed or agreed orders to the Court. Any documents to be filed must be E-Filed with the Circuit Clerk.
Email Civil Division proposed orders to [email protected]
Email Family Division proposed orders to [email protected]
For more information and the guidelines for submission of proposed or agreed orders to the Court, see Court Administration.
W-9 Requirement for IRS
The Circuit Clerk is required to collect W-9 forms from all Attorneys/Firms that will be receiving bond refunds in excess of $600 per calendar year. If you or your firm receives bond refunds, also complete the W-9 form located below. All forms should be returned to the Circuit Clerk Administration Office, Room 352 or emailed to [email protected].
Subscription Remote Access Program
The Circuit Clerk offers a paid subscription Remote Access Program, which allows access to the Circuit Clerk’s case management and document management systems. The biggest difference between the paid subscription program and the free program is that the subscription program offers access to all public cases, and also provides more complete party information than the free Attorney Access Portal.
2022 Case Type Changes
The Supreme Court is implementing major changes to the Circuit Clerk’s Manual on Recordkeeping which go into effect January 1, 2022. These changes include new Case Types (i.e. EV – Eviction, FC – Foreclosure, GR – Guardianship, MT – Major Traffic and more), expanded instructions for impounding cases, standardization to the case number format across the state, and more.
Summary of Case Type Changes
PowerPoint from December 15, 2022 meeting