Welcome to the . . . . 
Lake County
Circuit Court Case Files Index, 1840–1898

Entering Search Criteria
Enter the name of the plaintiff or defendant in the format: last name comma space first name space or period middle initial period (for example, Smith, John D. or Smith, Jos.). The first name and middle initial may be omitted to accomplish a surname search. Searches are not case sensitive: you may use any combination of upper and lower case letters.

Keep in mind the following points when entering search criteria:

• When a case involves multiple plaintiffs or defendants, the names of all parties listed in the case citation were indexed. If parties to a case were not mentioned in the case citation, the abbreviation ET AL. will follow the name of the primary party to the case.
   
• The plaintiff or defendant name can be a business or organization. To search for cases involving a particular business or organization, enter the name of the business or organization in the appropriate search field. For example, to get a list of cases involving the Chicago & Northwestern Railroad Company, enter that name in the plaintiff or defendant field.
   
• If you cannot find a person for whom you believe there is a case file, try broadening your search by entering only a portion of the surname (e.g., John instead of Johnson) or by typing variations of the spelling of a surname (such as Johnson and Johnsen).

Back to Lake County Circuit Court Case Files Index page