70 new jobs: State's attorney seeks budget-neutral expansion
O'Neill Burke requests 70 positions to cut outside legal costs by $5 million and open a digital forensics lab.
By Aiko Sato ·
Cook County State's Attorney Eileen O'Neill Burke is requesting 70 new positions in her office's proposed fiscal year 2027 budget. The plan aims to improve efficiency, expand forensic capabilities, and strengthen services for crime victims while maintaining budget neutrality.
The proposal was presented to the Cook County Board of Commissioners' Finance Committee on Thursday. It is designed to generate approximately $5 million in annual savings by reducing reliance on outside legal counsel and overtime pay. The office argues that these internal investments will address critical staffing needs while lowering long-term costs for taxpayers.
In the past two years, Cook County has spent more than $8 million on outside legal counsel due to limited internal staffing capacity. The proposal addresses this by adding 10 attorneys to the Civil Actions Bureau. This change allows the county to handle more civil litigation in-house. The office estimates this shift will save roughly $5 million annually and support the hiring of 30 additional full-time attorneys.
Funding for the 70 positions comes from two main sources. Approximately 50 positions would be covered by savings from the Civil Actions Bureau and a new unit aimed at eliminating weekend overtime pay at First Appearance Court. The remaining 20 positions would be funded through adjustments to the office's employee turnover rate.
The budget also prioritizes the opening of the office's first dedicated digital forensics laboratory to analyze cellphone and video evidence. It calls for more entry-level prosecutors to maintain courtroom coverage and additional mental health and victim specialists to support families, particularly children exposed to violence. Paralegal staffing will also increase to streamline case preparation.
In November, the office expects to welcome 77 law school graduates, its largest incoming class of bar takers. O'Neill Burke stated that every investment into the office is an investment in the ability to seek and deliver justice for the people of Cook County. She described the plan as responsible and budget-neutral, reflecting the reality of difficult county budget decisions.
The proposal remains subject to the county's budget approval process. The state's attorney's office issued the details in a news release on Thursday.
