You have a judgment. Now collect it.
A judgment is a court’s finding that someone owes you money. Collecting it is a separate job, and in Illinois it has its own set of tools. Ansari Business Litigation enforces judgments for creditors across Illinois, judgments we obtained, judgments other lawyers or agencies obtained and never collected, and arbitration awards once confirmed. This page walks through the tools and how we use them.
Enforcement starts with finding the assets
The most-used tool in Illinois post-judgment practice is the citation to discover assets (735 ILCS 5/2-1402). Served on the judgment debtor, it requires them to appear and answer under oath about their income, bank accounts, receivables, and property, and it creates a lien on the debtor’s non-exempt personal property from the date of service and prohibits them from transferring it. Served on a third party such as a bank, it freezes what the bank holds for the debtor pending a turnover order. Full page: Citation to Discover Assets
Bank accounts and receivables: third-party citations and turnover orders
When we identify a bank or a customer that owes the debtor money, a third-party citation freezes those funds. We then move for a turnover order directing the third party to pay the frozen funds to you. For a business debtor, receivables from its own customers are often the most reachable asset.
Wages: the wage deduction proceeding
If the debtor is an individual with a job, including an owner who personally guaranteed a business debt, a wage deduction summons served on the employer (735 ILCS 5/12-801 et seq.) requires the employer to withhold a statutory share of each paycheck and pay it toward the judgment. The amount is capped by statute, generally at 15% of gross wages, and continues until the judgment is paid.
Real estate: the judgment lien
Recording a memorandum of judgment with the recorder of deeds in any county where the debtor owns real estate creates a lien on that property for seven years (735 ILCS 5/12-101). The debtor can’t sell or refinance clean title without paying you. For debtors with property but no liquid assets, this is often what eventually produces payment.
Interest, duration, and revival
Most commercial judgments in Illinois accrue post-judgment interest at 9% per year (735 ILCS 5/2-1303). A judgment is enforceable for seven years and can be revived, extending collection for up to twenty years from entry (735 ILCS 5/12-108, 5/13-218). If you’re holding an old judgment, or buying a portfolio that includes them, the first question is whether revival is needed before anything else can happen.
Arbitration awards and judgments from other states
An arbitration award is confirmed as a judgment in the circuit court (710 ILCS 5/11 for Illinois awards; 9 U.S.C. § 9 where the Federal Arbitration Act applies) and then enforced with every tool above. An out-of-state judgment is registered under the Uniform Enforcement of Foreign Judgments Act (735 ILCS 5/12-650 et seq.) and enforced the same way.
How we run enforcement
Every judgment we hold goes on a calendar: citation served, return date, examination, follow-up citations to third parties identified at the examination, turnover motions, lien recordings, and periodic asset re-checks. Nothing waits for a reminder. You see what’s been served, frozen, and collected in your reporting access.
Fees for enforcement
Judgment enforcement is usually handled on contingency, including for judgments we didn’t obtain. Where the judgment is large and the debtor has identifiable assets, we may offer a reduced percentage. Pricing