Justice Mary K. O’Brien and the Illinois Supreme Court have announced the appointment of Terra Costa Howard as a Resident Circuit Judge in the Eighteenth Judicial Circuit (DuPage County), Fifth Subcircuit.
Ms. Costa Howard is being appointed to fill the vacancy created by the retirement of Judge Paul Fullerton. The appointment is effective October 17, 2025, and will conclude on December 7, 2026.
The Illinois Supreme Court issued attorney disciplinary orders during its September 2025 Term of Court. Sanctions were imposed because the lawyers engaged in professional misconduct by violating state ethics law.
U.S. Circuit Court law clerk Matthew N. Preston II spent considerable time running the artificial intelligence tool ChatGPT through extensive testing in various aspects of his work and life. His article “The Law Clerk’s Law Clerk” in the September 2025 Illinois bar Journal is his firsthand account of that experience. Preston describes how tools like ChatGPT might help—and hinder—the judiciary, particularly the law clerks tasked with preparing judges for their decisions.
Leading appellate attorneys review the Illinois Supreme Court opinions handed down Thursday, September 18.
By Andrew Sharp, Esq.
Using generative artificial intelligence (GAI) models to detect logical (and illogical) patterns in text is one of its quiet superpowers. In this September Illinois Bar Journal article, “Your Socratic Sidekick,” Patrick T. Barone shows how GAI tools, guided with carefully crafted prompts, enables lawyers to simulate the probing questions of a seasoned professor.
Justice David K. Overstreet and the Illinois Supreme Court have announced the assignment of the Honorable Robert C. “R.C.” Bollinger to the Fifth District Appellate Court.
Judge Bollinger is being assigned to fill a newly created vacancy on the Fifth District Appellate Court. The assignment is effective September 29, 2025, and will continue until further order of the Court.
The Illinois Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) is accepting applications for two attorney positions.
The Illinois Supreme Court has selected Justice P. Scott Neville, Jr. as the 123rd Chief Justice. He will be the second Black Chief Justice in Illinois history, following the late Justice Charles E. Freeman, who served from 1997 to 1999.
His three-year term begins on October 26, 2025, succeeding Chief Justice Mary Jane Theis, who has led the Court since 2022.
Kansas City, MO – Baker Sterchi Cowden & Rice LLC is pleased to announce its merger with Wisconsin-based Corneille Law Group, LLC, led by Mark Budzinski, effective Oct. 1, 2025. The merger reinforces Baker Sterchi’s position as a premier civil defense litigation firm with expanded reach and even greater trial depth.