Midyear Meeting

The ISBA/IJA Joint Midyear Meeting kicked off on Thursday in Chicago with Basic Skills Course 6.0 for new admittees.

The meeting will include the annual Illinois Bar Foundation Fellows Awards Breakfast on Friday morning, and a reception and dinner Friday evening honoring the Illinois Supreme Court with remarks by Justice Mary Jane Theis.

Two IJA/ISBA programs with MCLE credit will be held on Friday morning. “The Legacy of Myra Bradwell: In the Light of Experience,” will feature an in-depth panel discussion about the Illinois woman who became the first female to gain entrance to the Illinois bar and, in the process, influenced the future of Illinois law. “Revitalizing the Jury Trial,” presented by Chief Judge James F. Holderman and Professor Stephan Landsman, will include video presentations about various problems and solutions arising with 21st century juries.

On Saturday, the 203-member policy-making Assembly of the ISBA will convene. Also, the IJA will conduct training sessions at the Sheraton for judges who want to deliver its two student education programs. At 9 a.m., a training for a new civics program, “Bringing the Courtroom to the Classroom,” will be presented. At 10 a.m., a training for the IJA’s “7 Reasons to Leave the Party,” will be held. Eighty judges have already registered for the civics training.

Find out more and register at www.isba.org/jointmeeting.

Visit Illinois Lawyer Now for frequent updates and photos.

Former Iowa Supreme Court Justice Michael Streit, who along with two other justices lost a bid for retention after a bruising campaign funded by well-financed organizations opposing the court’s marriage equality ruling in 2009, will speak about his experience and the impact on judicial independence at a luncheon during the Midyear Meeting of the Illinois State Bar Association (ISBA) and Illinois Judges Association (IJA) at the Sheraton Chicago Hotel & Towers on Friday, December 9, at noon.

The meeting will include the annual Illinois Bar Foundation Fellows Awards Breakfast on Friday morning, and a reception and dinner Friday evening honoring the Illinois Supreme Court with remarks by Justice Mary Jane Theis.

Two IJA/ISBA programs with MCLE credit will be held on Friday morning. “The Legacy of Myra Bradwell:  In the Light of Experience,” will feature an in-depth panel discussion about the Illinois woman who became the first female to gain entrance to the Illinois bar and, in the process, influenced the future of Illinois law. “Revitalizing the Jury Trial,” presented by Chief Judge James F. Holderman and Professor Stephan Landsman, will include video presentations about various problems and solutions arising with 21st century juries.

On Saturday, the 203-member policy-making Assembly of the ISBA will convene. Also, the IJA will conduct training sessions at the Sheraton for judges who want to deliver its two student education programs. At 9 a.m., a training for a new civics program, “Bringing the Courtroom to the Classroom,” will be presented. At 10 a.m., a training for the IJA’s “7 Reasons to Leave the Party,” will be held.  Eighty judges have already registered for the civics training.

Please join us in Chicago Dec. 8-10 as lawyers and judges from around our great state gather to conduct the business of the bench and bar at the ISBA/IJA Joint Meeting. No matter what role you are seeking, we have a scene for you – from networking to business meetings to CLE programs and social events – there is a part for everyone to play.

We begin Thursday with a show for the newest members of our profession designed to meet the Basic Skills requirement while learning from a faculty of judge and attorney stars. Following the program we invite everyone to join us for the Opening Reception where you can mix and mingle with colleagues and new acquaintances.

Friday we’ll gather with the IBF to present awards to the leaders in our profession and find out which bands will be conducting the score for the Lawyers Rock Legends sequel in 2012.

The rest of the day will be dedicated to outstanding educational programming including the double-feature Joint IJA/ISBA Programs – The Legacy of Myra Bradwell: In the Light of Experience and Revitalizing the Jury Trial, a luncheon presentation, and a Master Series ethics program by the nation’s favorite “Humorist at Law”, Sean Carter, on Divine Ethics: Avoiding the Chasm of Incivility.

Later that evening we’ll throw an after-show party to remember as we salute and honor the Supreme Court of Illinois, featuring Mary Jane Theis, Justice, Supreme Court of Illinois.