Legal Question in Wills and Trusts in Illinois

In Illinois the Executor is required by law to file the will in the office of the Court Clerk especially if he or she knows there's a will and actually has it, and if he or she fails or refuses to do so can be forced to do so but you might have to apply to the court for that to happen. Once the will is filed, you should be able to view it. The whole point of filing is to make a public record so everyone can tell if he or she is entitled to something and who is responsible for the estate. If you know who the attorney was (if there was one and it wasn't done on some computer program you can buy without an attorney's help) who put the will together, you might be able to call and he or she may have a copy. You may still find you are not named but that's something else.

You may also be able to search for the will on line if the decedent died in Cook County at www.cookcountyclerkofcourt.org. From the home page scroll over On Line Case Info and select Wills Docket Search.