Judicial Education Division | State of Illinois Office of the Illinois Courts

(312) 793-3250 (Chicago Office)

Jerome Galang, Assistant Director

The Judicial Education Division identifies, coordinates, designs and develops judicial education curricula and resources for the benefit of Illinois judges. The Division, on behalf of the Supreme Court of Illinois, aids the Illinois Judicial College Committee on Judicial Education in the development of judicial education programs and resources. The Division also assists the Committee on Judicial Education in its collaborative efforts with the Judicial College Committees on Probation Education, Circuit Court Clerk Education, Trial Court Administrator Education, Guardian ad Litem Education and Judicial Branch Staff Education; the Special Supreme Court Advisory Committee on Justice and Mental Health Planning; Judicial Mentor Committee; Appellate Court Administrative Committee; Access to Justice Commission; Illinois Supreme Court Commission on Professionalism; and the Supreme Court Committee on Equality in the development of competency-based, multi-disciplinary courses intended to embrace ethical, substantive, decision making and leadership competencies desired of the profession.

In 2021, elective and mandatory programs were offered to Illinois judges via online courses, including New Judge Orientation and webinars on a myriad of legal topics. Each newly elected or appointed judge is required to participate in the online and in-person requirements of New Judge Orientation following election or appointment to the bench. The Division also manages the logistics of the New Judge Mentoring program in coordination with the Judicial Mentor Committee, facilitating the pairing of experienced new judge mentors with new associate and circuit judges, and minimum contacts between mentors and mentees throughout the one-year mentoring assignment.

The Judicial Education Division facilitates judicial access to resources designed exclusively for judges, and manages the annual peer review, editing and publication of Illinois Judicial Benchbooks. Benchbook production is a collaborative effort of the Judicial Education Division and the Illinois Judicial College Committee on Judicial Education Benchbook Editorial Board and the individual benchbook teams of law school professors, judicial editors and judicial peer reviewers who serve on the writing teams. The 2020 Benchbook series included: Civil Law and Procedure; Criminal Law and Procedure; DUI/Traffic; Domestic Violence; Evidence; Family Law and Procedure; Juvenile Law; Mortgage Foreclosure and the Illinois Manual on Complex Civil Litigation and the Illinois Manual on Complex Criminal Litigation.