Section Newsletters

Articles on Government Lawyers

Apply for a public administrator or public guardian appointment By Tracy Douglas Women and the Law, May 2013 Public administrators and public guardians serve an important role in Illinois by helping with estate administration and protecting the interests of disabled adults.
The new age of privacy: A surprising amount of personal information may already be available to prosecutors By Patrick T. Driscoll & Douglas N. Marsh Government Lawyers, March 2013 Thanks to the staggering amount of information your cell phone generates, collects, stores, and transmits, even when you aren’t using it, silence has never been more deafening.
Attorney General issues opinions By Lynn Patton Government Lawyers, October 2012 Recent opinions issued by the Illinois Attorney General.
Public service and repaying your loans: Once impractical, now a reality By Matthew S. Dionne Government Lawyers, June 2012 This article seeks to call attention to and explain the recent federal and Illinois legislation designed to encourage attorneys to stay or enter the public interest field.
Public service and repaying your loans: Once impractical, now a reality By Matthew S. Dionne Young Lawyers Division, April 2012 This article seeks to call attention to and explain the recent federal and Illinois legislation designed to encourage attorneys to stay or enter the public interest field.
Attorney General issues opinions By Lynn Patton Government Lawyers, March 2012 Recent opinions issued by the Illinois Attorney General.
Social Security benefits not so beneficial to widows receiving government pensions By Joanna M. Lekkas Women and the Law, March 2012 Many government employees may not realize that their social security benefits are reduced by two-thirds of their government pension.
Whatcha gonna do, whatcha gonna do when they come for you? By Thomas L. Ciecko Government Lawyers, March 2012 What to expect when the Executive Inspector General requests information from you.
All members of public bodies required to complete Attorney General’s Open Meetings Act training curriculum Government Lawyers, January 2012 Public body members serving in office on January 1, 2012, must complete the training by December 31, 2012. Persons who become members of public bodies after January 1, 2012, must complete the training curriculum within 90 days of assuming office.
Is information on privately-owned electronic devices subject to FOIA?—What Public Access Binding Opinion No. 11-006 means to you and your government clients By John Redlingshafer Government Lawyers, January 2012 Opinion 11-006 of the Illinois Attorney General’s Public Access Bureau firmly establishes that electronic communications, whether shared on publicly or privately-owned devices, can be considered “public records” and therefore, may be subject to FOIA.
Is information on privately-owned electronic devices subject to FOIA?—What Public Access Binding Opinion No. 11-006 means to you and your government clients By John Redlingshafer Local Government Law, December 2011 Opinion 11-006 of the Illinois Attorney General’s Public Access Bureau firmly establishes that electronic communications, whether shared on publicly or privately-owned devices, can be considered “public records” and therefore, may be subject to FOIA.
In-sites Government Lawyers, October 2011 Resources for practitioners interested in government transparency and efficiency.
Don’t fear the reaper By Kevin Lovellette & Mary Jane Adkins Government Lawyers, June 2011 As government attorneys, we should have the ability to speak with a Coroner to gather all the information necessary to properly defend or prosecute on behalf of the People.
Freedom of Information Act—Recent & proposed changes By Stephan Roth & Jeannie Romas-Dunn Government Lawyers, June 2011 A look at some of the more significant changes made to FOIA in the last legislative cycle.
Got spare time? Need a break from brief writing? Check out these legal blogs—and have fun browsing! By Sharon L. Eiseman Government Lawyers, March 2011 A listing of popular legal blogs.
Agency lawyers left out of Loan Repayment Assistance Program* By Marc Christopher Loro Administrative Law, January 2011 A look at the content and rules of the Public Interest Attorney Assistance Act.
Someone you should know: Sam Brooks, Deputy Managing Counsel with the USPS By Patrick T. Driscoll, Jr. & Caitlyn Jones Government Lawyers, December 2010 As someone who has devoted his career to government work and public service, Sam Brooks is someone you should know.
Consider yourself asked to run for public office By Sandra Crawford Women and the Law, November 2010 The “Women Running for Public Office” forum addressed the challenges faced by women running for public office and how those challenges can be overcome.
Public disclosure of public employee disciplinary records under Gekas v. Williamson and the 2009 amendments to the Freedom of Information Act By Michael D. Bersani Local Government Law, October 2010 A discussion of the reasoning and holding in the recent Gekas v. Williamson decision, as well as whether any portion of Gekas will survive the 2009 amendments to the Freedom of Information Act.
The Affirmative Damage Rule By Kevin Lovellette & Cody Cocanig Government Lawyers, September 2010 The Affirmative Damage Rule gives us the ability to impeach witnesses that we call, thereby limiting the damage done to our case by our own witnesses.
Government lawyers: The case for discounted bar dues By James W. Chipman Government Lawyers, September 2010 A look at what's to come for Committee members.
The continuing expansion of the Public Safety Employee Benefits Act By Carlos S. Arévalo Local Government Law, June 2010 The Legislature’s failure to specify its intentions will lead to further disputes between cash-strapped local governments struggling to meet the rising costs of operations and disabled safety employees trying to meet and keep up with increasing health care costs.
Someone you should know—Tom Ioppolo, Assistant Attorney General By Ronald A. Rascia & Ann Hagerty Government Lawyers, June 2010 Learn about Top Ioppolo, supervising attorney for the Illinois Attorney General's Civil Rights Unit.
Summary of recent decisions By Edward J. Schoenbaum Government Lawyers, June 2010 Recent decisions of interest to government lawyers.
News you can use Government Lawyers, April 2010 Recent developments of interest to government attorneys.
Essay: Law in a time of cholera* By Mary L. Milano Government Lawyers, December 2009 There was an incredible sense of giddiness in our office a week or two ago. In at least some quarters, one could say it was reminiscent of what most of us recall at the end of the bar exam or getting that first job offer.
Law school student loan forgiveness update By Colleen Morgan Government Lawyers, December 2009 On August 25, 2009, Governor Quinn signed the Public Interest Attorney Assistance Act which provides loan repayment assistance to “public interest attorneys.” See Public Act 96-615, effective January 1, 2010. The Act allows for loan assistance of a maximum of $6,000 per year, up to a career maximum of $30,000 in qualified loan forgiveness.
Public sector discipline: September 2009 Term of the Supreme Court By Rosalyn B. Kaplan Government Lawyers, December 2009 In re Gable, Commission No. 08 CH 67, S. Ct. No. M.R. 23234 (September 22, 2009). Jarrett Ward Gable was an Assistant Public Defender in Cook County during the misconduct in question. On May 28, 2006, he was arrested at a music festival in Peoria and was charged with two counts of possession of psilocybin, a controlled substance that acts as a hallucinogen.
Student loan repayment assistance for public service attorneys: An update By Michael Vojta Young Lawyers Division, October 2009 Recent legislation on both the State and Federal levels has been passed to assist young attorneys with debt repayment. Illinois attorneys may soon have two options to turn to for assistance in debt repayment, provided of course that they make a commitment to public service work.  
2009 legislative summary By James W. Chipman Government Lawyers, September 2009 The following is a summary of some of the more controversial bills affecting government lawyers that were considered by the General Assembly in the 2009 spring session. 

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