COLUMNS

THE JUDGE'S CORNER
By Hon. Ron Spears
A Snipe-Hunter's guide to Coaxing Answers from Hostile Witnesses
Preparation and skillful questioning can help you bag your quarry.

ESTATE PLANNING
By Katarinna McBride
Passing the Buck: Private Split-Dollar for Every Vocabulary
Split-dollar agreements allow wealthy clients to use life-insurance trusts to avoid gift taxes and maximize estate value.

FINDING ILLINOIS LAW
By Tom Gaylord
Sources of Illinois Legal Research
These bibliographies help you find Illinois research tools on your topic.

PRACTICE NEWS

LAWPULSE | By Helen W. Gunnarsson
Making a graceful exit; foreclosure defense a practice option for real estate lawyers; no right to expungement for pardon recipients; promissory estoppel is alive and well in Illinois; and more.

226

ILLINOIS LAW UPDATE
Absolute immunity protects police officers from tort liability; public smoking restrictions amended; rules implementing the Consumer Installment Loan Act amended; and more.

ARTICLES

CAREER PLANNING | By Helen Gunnarsson
Shakin' the Pink-Slip Blues
You've been laid off or fear you might be - now what? Career experts help you take your future into your own hands - and see ISBA's career resources on page 234.

FAMILY LAW | By H. Joseph Gitlin
Maintenance Awards and Short-term Marriages
Think maintenance is off the table for marriages that end after 10 or fewer years? Think again.

ESTATE PLANNING | By By Ray J. Koenig III and MacKenzie Hyde
Be Careful What You Wish For: Analyzing the"Five Wishes" Advance Directive
The popular Five Wishes document helps clients think about life issues. But don't use it in place of Illinois statutory forms, these authors argue.

CIVIL PRACTICE | By Timothy L. Bertschy and Nathaniel E. Strickler
The Power Behind the Robe: A Primer on Contempt Law
The power of contempt is a confusing mix of civil and criminal law concepts overlaid with constitutional implications. Here's a review.

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TORT LAW | By Terrence J. Lavin and Kristina M. Lau
Proving Proximate Cause in Malpractice cases
Illinois courts are still struggling to determine the plaintiff's proper burden of proving proximate cause in "lost chance" cases.