Practice News

ATLANTA – February 17, 2026 – Ogletree Deakins, one of the largest labor and employment law firms representing management, is pleased to announce three new office managing shareholders.

Marcia M. Meis, Director of the Administrative Office of the Illinois Courts, announced today that the Fifteenth Judicial Circuit judges voted to select Aaron C. Kaney as an associate judge of the Fifteenth Judicial Circuit.

Mr. Kaney received his undergraduate degree in 2007 from Taylor University in Fort Wayne, Indiana and his Juris Doctor in 2010 from Regent Law School in Virginia Beach, Virginia. Mr. Kaney is currently affiliated with the Carroll County State's Attorney's Office in Mount Carroll, Illinois.

The apex doctrine is a common-law limitation on deposing corporate executives where the executive has limited personal knowledge of the relevant issues or where the same information can be obtained from other sources, notes Caroline A. Veniero in her February Illinois Bar Journal article, “Deposing the Top Dog.” But as handy as the doctrine may be for top execs, it is far from absolute.

Western Illinois University will host the 2026 installment of the Illinois Supreme Court’s Riding the Circuit program as justices hear oral arguments in two cases on Wednesday, March 11, beginning at 10 a.m., in the University Union Grand Ballroom.

“We are thrilled to welcome the Illinois Supreme Court to our campus for this incredible event,” Interim Executive Director of Advancement and Alumni Relations Amy Crosby said. “The day will provide an unparalleled opportunity for local students and the WIU community to experience the judicial process in action.”