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Day Certain Summons--$5,000 to $50,000 IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE ELEVENTH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT McLEAN COUNTY, IL Case No.: Amount Claimed: Plaintiff(s) v. Defendant(s) THIS IS AN ARBITRATION CASE SUMMONS TO EACH DEFENDANT: You are hereby summoned to appear before this Court in the Law & Justice Center, 104 W. Front Street, Bloomington, IL on at to answer the complaint in this case, a copy of which is attached. If you fail to appear, a judgment by default may be taken against you for the relief asked in the complaint. TO THE OFFICER: This summons must be returned by the officer or other person to whom it was given for service, with endorsement of service and fees if any, immediately after service and not less than three days before the day of appearance. If service cannot be made, this summons shall be returned so endorsed. This Summons may not be served later than three days before the date of appearance. Witness: (SEAL) Circuit Clerk By: Deputy Circuit Clerk Plaintiff or Plaintiff’s Attorney: Address: Telephone: ARDC Number: ---PAGE BREAK--- Day Certain Summons--$5,000 to $50,000 NOTICE TO PLAINTIFF: When preparing the above Summons, the return date, which will be not less than 21 days nor more than 40 days after the date of issuance of summons, will be set by the Clerk of the Court at the time of filing the Complaint. If you fail to appear on the date set for return shown above, the case will be dismissed for want of prosecution. If both you and the Defendant do not have an attorney, the Court will offer mediation at your first court date. Mediation is an opportunity for you and the other party to privately resolve your dispute with a trained mediator’s help NOTICE TO THE DEFENDANTS: You are required to personally appear at the time and place specified in the above Summons. If you fail to do so judgment may be entered against you for the relief asked in the complaint filed in this cause. A) Service of this summons upon you requires that you or your attorney appear in person at the time and place specified in the Summons and make your presence known to the Court. B) Because of the amount claimed in Plaintiff’s complaint, this case is subject to mandatory arbitration. The case will be litigated before a panel of three attorney/arbitrators in a hearing resembling a traditional bench trial. Each party makes a concise presentation of its case to the panel of arbitrators who then deliberate the issues and make an award on the same day as the hearing. In the event one of the parties is not satisfied with the panel's decision, he or she may, upon the payment of the proper fee, the filing of the proper form with the Clerk of the Circuit Court, and the giving of notice to all other parties, reject the award. The parties will then proceed to trial before a judge as if the arbitration hearing had never occurred. C) If you dispute the claim, you must file your appearance and pay the required appearance fee with the Clerk of the Circuit Court before the date of arbitration. If you fail to file an appearance and pay the fee, a judgment by default may be entered against you. The appearance fee may be waived by Court order. You must file a Petition for Leave to Defend as a Poor Person, asking the Court to waive the fee. A form petition may be found in the Office of the Circuit Clerk, at the Self-Help Center, located on the 6th floor of the Law & Justice Center, 104 W. Front Street, Room 665, Bloomington, IL, or online at http://mclean.illinoislegalaid.org. D) If both you and the Plaintiff do not have an attorney, the Court will offer mediation at your first court date. Mediation is an opportunity for you and the other party to privately resolve your dispute with a trained mediator’s help. If you and the other party are able to reach an agreement, your appearance fee will be waived and the case will be concluded. If you refuse mediation or are unable to reach an agreement, you must pay the appearance fee, and the case will be set for arbitration. E) Your failure to appear or respond to this summons in one of the above-prescribed manners may result in a judgment of default being entered against you for the amount claimed in the complaint and court costs. You may find more information on arbitration and mediation in the Office of the Circuit Clerk, at the Self-Help Center (Room 665 at the Law & Justice Center), or online at http://mclean.illinoislegalaid.org. If you can’t find a lawyer to help you in court, the following are some options: If you do not make much money, you may be eligible for legal aid. Prairie State Legal Services has a toll-free telephone advice line at 1-[PHONE REDACTED]. This service is available Monday through Friday from 9:05 to 11:45 a.m. and 1:05 to 4:00 p.m. You will be able to speak to a lawyer about your legal problem. If you have some money to pay a lawyer, you can contact the Illinois State Bar Associations’ Lawyer Finder Service at www.illinoislawyerfinder.com. This service gives you the name of a local lawyer with whom you can discuss your legal problem for a very low fee. After the initial consultation, you can decide whether or not to hire the lawyer. If you are still unable to find a lawyer to help you, the McLean County Law & Justice Center offers the free, McLean County Legal Self-Help Center. This free, internet-based legal self-help center will help you find information about your legal problem, videos on what to do in court, and court documents that you can fill out and file in court. The McLean County Legal Self-Help Center is located on the 6th floor of the McLean County Law & Justice Center, 104 W. Front Street, Room 665, Bloomington, Illinois. An assistant (called the “navigator”) is available at the center from 1:00 p.m. until 4:30 p.m. each day. The navigator will help you use the Legal Self-Help Center and find the information that you need. If you have a computer with access to the internet, you can also access the Legal Self-Help Center online at http://mclean.illinoislegalaid.org. There is a video that shows you how to use the website.