The short answer
What Illinois families should know.
A clear chart can help the court understand extensive financial records, but a chart is not reliable merely because it looks professional. Illinois Rule of Evidence 1006 permits summaries of qualifying voluminous records under stated conditions. The records, calculations, and witness foundation still matter.
Distinguish evidence from an illustration
A summary offered under Rule 1006 has a different role from a slide used only to illustrate argument. Identify which use is intended before trial. The rule concerns writings, recordings, or photographs too voluminous to examine conveniently in court. A demonstrative that contains assumptions or advocacy should not be presented as though it independently proves every number displayed.
Make the underlying records available
Rule 1006 requires the originals or duplicates to be available to other parties for examination or copying at a reasonable time and place. The court may also require production in court. Keep an organized source set with page references. A spreadsheet that cannot be traced to statements, payroll records, or invoices gives the other side little ability to test the result and makes mistakes harder to correct.
Show the calculation method
State the date range, account population, treatment of transfers, and definitions used. For example, deposits are not necessarily earnings, and moving money between two accounts should not be counted twice as new income. Separate source facts from disputed classifications. If alternative treatments matter, show their effect transparently instead of burying assumptions in hidden cells or unexplained adjustments.
Prepare the sponsoring witness
The witness should be able to explain how the records were selected, checked, and summarized. Expert opinions must also satisfy applicable disclosure requirements; a late chart cannot be used casually to introduce a new undisclosed opinion. Confirm that the displayed version matches the disclosed calculations. Keep a readable print version and a working electronic copy, but follow the court’s instructions for presenting and marking exhibits.
Prepare
Useful next steps
- Create a source index connecting each total to the underlying records.
- Check formulas, duplicate transactions, missing periods, and inconsistent date ranges.
- Identify whether the chart is offered as evidence or only as an illustration.
Avoid
Common missteps
- Counting account transfers as income without analysis
- Adding unsupported numbers to make the exhibit appear complete
- Assuming a colorful chart cures missing source records
Frequently asked questions
Clear answers to the first questions.
How should a financial chart be checked?
Reconcile every total to the underlying records and identify excluded transactions or adjustments. Keep the calculation method available so the chart can be explained accurately and corrected if a source entry changes.
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This article provides general information and is not legal advice. Laws, court rules, local procedures, and individual facts can change the analysis. Reading it or contacting the firm does not create an attorney-client relationship.