Conflicting federal and state laws pose many interesting legal questions for Illinois and other states that have legalized recreational cannabis. In his February 2020 Illinois Bar Journal article, “Major Buzzkill,” Joe Schomberg examines one often-overlooked issue: the availability of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code to businesses engaged in, or adjacent to, the bourgeoning legalized cannabis industry. Schomberg’s article received first place in the Illinois Bar Journal’s 2020 Lincoln Award Legal Writing Contest.
Practice News
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February 10, 2020 | Practice News
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February 10, 2020 | Practice News
Illinois Supreme Court Justice Robert R. Thomas has announced his retirement from the Illinois Supreme Court effective Feb. 29, 2020.
Justice Thomas, 67, became the first Chief Justice from DuPage County when he was elected to that post from 2005-2008. One of the major accomplishments during Justice Thomas’ tenure as Chief was the establishment of the Supreme Court Commission on Professionalism, an outgrowth of the Special Supreme Court Committee on Civility, which was formed in 2001.
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February 7, 2020 | Practice News
The Illinois Supreme Court has amended several Rules pertaining to bail and bond, effective March 1.
The Supreme Court on Feb. 6 announced that it has amended Rules 501, 526, and 528.
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February 5, 2020 |
Practice News
The Illinois Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission (ARDC) is accepting comments for its “Intermediary Connecting Services Proposal,” which it has submitted to the Illinois Supreme Court.
The proposed Rules are available online. Comments may be emailed to information@iardc.org.
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February 5, 2020 |
Practice News
The Illinois Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission (ARDC) is seeking law clerks for its Chicago and Springfield offices beginning in the summer of 2020.
Law clerks are eligible to work up to 35 hours per week during the summer months. In the Chicago office only, when school starts in the fall, the ARDC allows law clerks to work approximately 12 to 15 hours per week.
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February 3, 2020 |
Practice News
The Illinois Office of Comptroller has named Debjani Desai as its general counsel to serve as the office’s main attorney and advise the comptroller on matters affecting the office.
Desai served as assistant general counsel in the Litigation and Eligibility group for the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services, where she managed state and federal litigation and provided counsel to staff throughout Illinois.
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February 3, 2020 | Practice News
Hanging out one’s shingle today requires leaving no stone left unturned and an open mind. Among the many important variables to consider are new billing models; how to brand, market, and develop one’s professional “voice”; and how to create a productive office space. Last December, several of the ISBA’s younger entrepreneurial members participated in a CLE event presented by the Standing Committee on Racial and Ethnic Minorities and shared what they learned as they set out on their own. The Illinois Bar Journal caught up with some of the presenters and recapped their wisdom in the IBJ’s February 2020 cover story, “Setting up Shop.”
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January 31, 2020 | Practice News
The Hon. Richard D. Felice (ISBA President 2014-2015) was formally sworn in as a circuit judge on Jan. 30 in DuPage County.
Several ISBA leaders, including ISBA President David B. Sosin, ISBA Past President Hon. James F. McCluskey, and ISBA Past President Hon. Vincent F. Cornelius, attended the ceremony.
Judge Felice was appointed circuit judge of the Eighteenth Judicial Circuit effective Nov. 4, 2019 through Dec. 7, 2020.
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January 28, 2020 |
Practice News
Aiming to continue reducing the backlogs at our forensics laboratories and deliver proper justice, Gov. J.B. Pritzker has named 15 members to the Governor’s Task Force on Forensic Science, which he created last August through Executive Order 19-13.
The group is tasked with analyzing the operations and oversight of critical laboratories, ensuring they use the latest forensic technologies to solve crimes and protect the public, and make recommendations to the legislature and other stakeholders as forensic science continues to evolve.
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January 27, 2020 | Practice News
Although Illinois caselaw appears to suggest there is no duty to defend an insured (including an additional insured) before a suit, an insurer has a good-faith duty to its insured to respond to a demand made before suit and will often rely on two “black letter” rules to determine their responsibility. One rule is that they have no obligation to pay defense costs incurred before the insured tenders the claim to the insurer; the other rule is that the insurer owes no duties to the insured until the insured is sued. In his January 2020 Illinois Bar Journal article, “Tender-Hearted Insurers,” Scott O. Reed explains that while both rules are a rough approximation of the limits Illinois courts have placed on a liability insurer’s early-stage duties in a claim, caselaw contains exceptions and qualifications to those rules. Reed suggests that knowing the contours of these guides to an insurer’s early-stage duties will allow counsel for insureds and insurers to make informed recommendations to their respective clients about how to resolve conflicts over early-stage costs and settlements.