Illinois Bar Journal

 An effective oral argument can illuminate critical points and new perspectives that transcend the briefs, writes Christian Ketter in his August Illinois Bar Journal article, “Answer the Question!” But too often, Ketter argues, one clenches defeat from the jaws of victory by refusing to grapple with the hypothetical bounds of the unknown. And rarely does a precedent present itself with perfectly aligned facts—hence, the nature of appellate review.

 After several years of starts and stops (and a pandemic), the Illinois Supreme Court adopted amendments allowing lawyers to pay for lead generation, writes the ISBA’s General Counsel Charles J. Northrup in his July Illinois Bar Journal ethics column, titled, “How Time Flies.”  According to Northrup, the amendments provide much-needed clarity for lawyers and transparency for consumers.

 To streamline Chapter 11 bankruptcy filings, the Small Business Reorganization Act of 2019 created a new subchapter of Chapter 11 specifically geared toward small businesses: Subchapter V. As John W. Ryan notes in July Illinois Bar Journal article, “Avoiding Taxes on Phantom Income,” Subchapter V can be easier, cheaper, and quicker for small businesses. But it has some potential—and probably unintended—drawbacks.

 At the end of his first year as an associate, Jeffrey L. Grinde Jr. reflected on his “many ups, many downs, and a lot of in-betweens.” His experiences inspired him to “find various ways to learn from other people’s successes and failures,” which he pursued through reading books by authors who have things to say about “writing, thinking, and living well.” In the June Illinois Bar Journal, Grinde recommends some of his favorite books about living a successful life in his article, “Too Many Books, Too Little Time.”