• Susan Wessman
  (815) 987-4357

• Chris Drinkwine
• Eileen Caver
• Paul Maurer

• Mary Lindbloom
  (815) 987-4486

ELECTRONIC FILING IS NOW MANDATORY

The court will set cases for status within 60 days of the filing of the complaint. At the initial status conference the parties will: 1) inform the court of the nature and scope of the case, 2) identify settlement opportunities, 3) set the initial pretrial conference, and 4) schedule future conferences and, when necessary, motions.

All pretrial matters are referred to the Magistrate Judge, including the initial status conference, discovery, scheduling of motions, and settlement conferences.

At all initial pretrial conferences be prepared to discuss the issue of mediation. Please refer to Magistrate Judge Mahoney’s webpage for more information regarding mediation. Also see this court’s Standing Order Establishing Mediation Procedure.

The court hears motions on Fridays at 9:00 a.m. Unless the court has told a party it need not appear, counsel is expected to be present whether or not the motion is agreed.

All motions noticed for presentment should be received by the clerk’s office at least two working days prior to the motion call date pursuant to Local Rule 78.1. A courtesy paper copy of all noticed motions must be received by Judge Kapala at least 48 hours prior to the presentment.

If the following motions are uncontested, and are agreed, they need not be noticed and presented in open court: Motion for Substitution of Counsel; Motion to Add Additional Counsel; Motion to File a Brief in Excess of 15 pages; Motion for an Initial Extension of Time to File Answer; Stipulation to Dismiss; and Motions to Cite Additional Authority. These motions should contain representation by counsel that the motion is agreed and should be captioned as such. These motions may be mailed to the Clerk of the Court and will be taken by the court as soon as practicable. All other motions must be presented in open court pursuant to Local Rule 5.3 (b).

Please refer to Magistrate Judge Mahoney’s webpage for the discovery procedures of this court.

Dispositive motions are decided by the District Judge unless parties consent to a decision by the Magistrate Judge. Briefing schedules are set by the Magistrate Judge. Please review the following orders concerning motions under Rule 12 and Rule 56:

Standing Order for Filing of Motions under Rule 12 and Rule 56

Standing Order for Rule 56 Motions

The court encourages counsel to inform their clients of the option to have their cases tried before a United States Magistrate Judge, and discuss it with opposing counsel.

Magistrate Judge Consent Form

The Western Division has adopted the Standing Order Establishing Pretrial Procedure of the Eastern Division of the Northern District of Illinois, except for paragraph 2, which is replaced by the provisions of this webpage regarding initial status conferences, and paragraph 10, which is replaced by this court’s Standing Order for the Final Pretrial Order, Final Pretrial Order Form and Trial Exhibit List.

Trial Procedures- Civil Trials

Procedures for Examination of Jurors - Civil Case

Use Pattern Civil Jury Instructions for the 7^th Circuit

Trial Procedures-Criminal Trials

Procedure for Examination of Jurors in a Criminal Case

Briefs on appeal from the United States Bankruptcy Court must be filed within 15 days after entry of the appeal on the docket. Any motions to extend time must be filed during the 15-day period. Pursuant to this court’s Standing Order for Bankruptcy Appeals, briefs are limited to 15 pages each.

Proposed Orders are technically not to be "filed." Rather, they are to be "submitted" to the judge to consider, to modify, if appropriate, and to enter electronically. For example, proposed orders such as stipulated protective orders require court approval before actually being given full effect. To prevent confusion, such proposed orders must be attached to an e-mail sent to the e-mail address of the assigned judge, Proposed_Order_Kapala@ilnd.uscourts.gov  The subject line of the e-mail must include the case number and name, the docket number of the corresponding motion, if any, and the title of the order that is proposed as indicated on the Notice of Electronic Filing (NEF). All such documents must be submitted to the court in a format compatible with WordPerfect, which is a "Save As" option in most word processing software. Such proposed orders should also be served on all parties.