Watch Abe show Lincoln Lawger John B. what to do. Don’t have enough time to watch this video? Go to our quick instructions*.
What to do when you only know the popular name of a statute:
In Print: Look for the Popular Names Table at the end of the set of statutes. (If you don’t see it right away, you might find it at the end of the A-Z Index.) Simply look for your act’s name, and you’ll find the citation to your statute in the Illinois Compiled Statutes. Don’t forget to check the pocket parts to make sure your research is as up to date as possible.
Online: Go to the Illinois General Assembly website. Click on Illinois Compiled Statutes, then Search. Under Search ILCS by Act Name, type in the name of your act. You should get a link to the text of your statute. Of course, you’ll probably need more than the text of the statute, so you will have to continue your research by going to the print annotated Illinois Compiled Statutes or Lexis or Westlaw to find annotations such as relevant cases interpreting your statute.
*But please do watch the videos. You’ll learn more.
