RulesofCivilProcedure.com Civil Procedure · Every State

Rule 324.Preparation and Certification by the Circuit Clerk of the Record on Appeal

Article III. Civil Appeals Rules · Part C. Record on Appeal · Last amended 2017 · Last verified July 20, 2026

In one sentenceRule 324 puts the circuit clerk in charge of assembling and certifying the record on appeal, arranged into the common law record, report of proceedings, and trial exhibits.

Full Text of Ill. S. Ct. R. 324

Text size

The clerk of the trial court or administrative agency shall prepare and certify the record on appeal. The record shall be arranged in three sections: the common-law record, the report of proceedings, and the trial exhibits, and the record shall comply with the Standards and Requirements for Electronic Filing the Record on Appeal. The certificate shall be prepared by utilizing, or substantially adopting the appearance and content of, the form provided in the Article III Forms Appendix. The clerk shall include in the record or a supplement to the record under Rule 329 any filing that carries a file stamp of the clerk of the circuit court without any need for further authentication. Notice of filing must be transmitted to all parties of record.
End

Plain-English Summary

Once an appeal is underway, someone has to put the record together, and Rule 324 assigns that job to the clerk of the trial court or administrative agency. The clerk organizes the record into three parts — the common-law record, the report of proceedings, and the trial exhibits — following the electronic filing standards the Supreme Court has adopted for appellate records, and certifies the result using the form provided in the Article III Forms Appendix.

The rule also resolves a practical problem: documents that already carry the circuit clerk's file stamp go into the record without needing any further proof that they're authentic, whether they end up in the original record or in a later supplement under Rule 329. Once the record is assembled, the clerk has to notify every party of record that it's been filed.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who is responsible for putting together the record on appeal?
The clerk of the trial court or administrative agency, under Rule 324.
How is the record on appeal organized?
Into three sections: the common-law record, the report of proceedings, and the trial exhibits.
Do documents already filed with the circuit clerk need separate authentication to go into the record?
No. Anything carrying the circuit clerk's file stamp goes into the record without further authentication.
Is there a required form for the clerk's certificate?
Yes, the certificate should follow the form in the Article III Forms Appendix.
Does the clerk have to tell the parties once the record is prepared?
Yes. Rule 324 requires notice of filing to be sent to all parties of record.

Committee Comments and Commentary

(Revised July 30, 1979)

This rule was based in part on former Rules 36(1)(b) and (2)(a), and was in part new in 1967. As originally adopted, it provided in part that “[u]nless otherwise ordered by the trial or reviewing court, the original papers in the trial court record shall be used and copies need not be furnished by the parties.” Thus the use of the original papers was permissive, though the contemplation was that in most instances original papers would be used. In 1979 this provision was deleted and Rule 321 was amended to provide that the record on appeal shall consist of the “entire original trial court record,” unless the parties stipulate for or the trial or reviewing court orders “less.” See the committee comments to Rule 321.

(December 17, 1993)

This rule is amended to explain more specifically the manner in which the record on appeal shall be prepared. The circuit clerk now is required to provide the reviewing court with an inventory of exhibits, and the rule establishes a 250-page limit per volume of record to make the record easier to use.

Amendment History

Amended October 21, 1969, effective January 1, 1970; amended July 30, 1979, effective October 15, 1979; amended July 1, 1985, effective August 1, 1985; amended April 10, 1987, effective August 1, 1987; amended December 17, 1993, effective February 1, 1994; amended May 30, 2008, effective immediately; amended Oct. 15, 2015, eff. Jan. 1, 2016; amended Oct. 6, 2016, eff. Nov. 1, 2016; amended June 22, 2017, eff. July 1, 2017.

Source & verification. Rule text, official Committee Comments, and amendment history are reproduced verbatim from the Illinois Supreme Court Rules, promulgated by the Supreme Court of Illinois. Last verified July 20, 2026. · Official source
Also known as: circuit clerk record on appealcertifying the record Illinoispreparing the appellate recordrecord certificate appeal