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  "path": "/news/2026/03/04/clerk-of-cook-county-courts-proposes-county-level-depository-system-for-peoples-wills",
  "publishedAt": "2026-03-04T11:30:00.000Z",
  "site": "https://chicago.suntimes.com",
  "textContent": "<p>Too often, a person’s will is written on paper and tucked into a cabinet or under a mattress. By the time they die, their family can’t find it, and their final wishes aren’t accurately fulfilled.</p><p>That’s according to Cook County Circuit Court Clerk Mariyana Spyropoulos, whose office is leading an effort to pass a law in Springfield that would create a statewide, optional, county-level will depository. It also would maintain the ability to deposit a will without hiring an attorney, which can cost hundreds of dollars.</p><p>The law would let each county circuit court clerk’s office decide to opt into the program.</p><p>Residents could file their sealed will with the circuit clerk’s office for safekeeping. After death, it would be released, if requested, to an authorized recipient. Counties are allowed to charge a one-time fee of up to $25, according to the proposed law.</p><p>Spyropoulos said the law is about leveling the playing field for residents.</p><p>“Why should people be penalized because they can’t afford an attorney? We’re providing a service for people,” she said. “...Certainly, it gives people an option if they can’t afford a lawyer, [or] don’t want to go searching for lawyers. If they don’t know who to turn to, this is an easy option for them and it’s reasonably priced.”</p><p>Losing a family member’s will can cause “a lot of frustration” among the family, she said.</p><p>“People don’t know what the final wishes are of people, so it’s subject to probate law, of course, and so there’s delays in the court system, there’s a lot of extra money that could be spent by families,” Spyropoulos said.</p><p>The circuit clerk’s ability to have a will readily available could also help streamline court hearings, she noted. Cook County handles up to 10,000 wills a year, the most of any county statewide.</p><p>State Sen. Bill Cunningham, a South Side Democrat, is sponsoring the bill, which is scheduled for its first Judiciary Committee hearing Wednesday. Eleven other state senators have signed on as co-sponsors.</p><p>“This is a straightforward reform that gives Illinois families a safer, more reliable way to protect an original will before it is ever needed,” Cunningham said in a statement. “It helps reduce avoidable complications in probate and gives people greater confidence that their wishes will be carried out.”</p><p>At least five other states have a similar county-level will depository system, including Indiana, Wisconsin, Texas, Delaware and Maryland.</p>",
  "title": "Clerk of Cook County courts proposes county-level depository system for people's wills",
  "updatedAt": "2026-03-04T11:30:14.089Z"
}