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  • February 5, 2019 | Practice News
    ISBA Statehouse Review for February 5, 2019

    ISBA Director of Legislative Affairs Jim Covington reviews legislation in Springfield of interest to ISBA members. This week he covers perjury, interest on child support, the Disposition of Remains Act, the Condominium Property Act, foreclosure in cities of more than two million residents, post-judgment changes,and the Open Meetings Act.

    Perjury. House Bill 914 (Bennett, R-Pontiac) extends the statute of limitations for perjury to seven years. Current law is three years. House Bill 914 was assigned to House Criminal Law Committee.

  • February 5, 2019 | Practice News
    Quick Takes for Your Practice: Three Things Real Estate Lawyers Need to Consider When Using the New 7.0 Multi-Board Contract

    Attorney Erica Minchella discusses what real estate lawyers need to know about the new 7.0 Multi-Board Contract.

    1 comment (Most recent February 7, 2019)
  • February 4, 2019 | Practice News
    Three Cook County Circuit Court Judicial Vacancies Announced

    Applications are now being accepted for judicial vacancies in the Thirteenth Subcircuit, Seventh Subcircuit, and First Subcircuit of Cook County, according to an announcement made by the Illinois Supreme Court.

    The vacancy of the Thirteenth Subcircuit judicial position was created by the resignation of Circuit Judge Margarita Kulys Hoffman. Judge Kulys Hoffman had served as a judge since 2006. Her resignation took effect Dec. 31, 2017. 

    The vacancy of the Seventh Subcircuit judicial position was created by the retirement of Circuit Judge Marianne Jackson. Judge Jackson had served as a judge since 1997. Her resignation took effect Dec. 31, 2018. 

    The vacancy of the First Subcircuit judicial position was created by the death of Rhonda Crawford on April 26, 2018.

  • February 4, 2019 | Practice News
    18 Quick and Easy Tech Tips for 2019

    Research suggests we tap only a small fraction of our brain’s cognitive powers. Same with our computers and the internet. If only we could exploit more of the immense computing power of our laptops and smartphones. But who has the time to explore all the features buried deep in our manuals and menus? The February Illinois Bar Journal’s cover story gets you started by providing easy-to-use tips for getting more out of the technology at your fingertips. The story, “18 Quick and Easy Tech Tips for 2019,” also is a sneak preview of a larger set of tips provided by Affinity Consulting partner Barron Henley’s one-hour ISBA CLE webinar available in ISBA's Free On-Demand CLE catalog.

  • February 1, 2019 | Practice News
    Illinois Supreme Court Amends Order on Criminal and Juvenile E-filing

    On Thursday, Jan. 31, the Illinois Supreme Court amended its order on criminal and juvenile e-filling through eFileIL. The amendment reiterates the court’s approval for permissive e-filing of criminal case types (CF, CM, DT) and juvenile case types (J, JA, JD) through eFileIL, but now also provides for the initial case initiation to be e-filed through eFileIL at such a time as each court chooses. The previous order only provided for subsequent e-filing of criminal and juvenile cases through eFileIL after the case had been initiated and been assigned a case number.

  • January 30, 2019 | Practice News
    PILI Announces Spring Semester Law Student Interns

    The Public Interest Law Initiative (PILI) has announced the names of eight law student interns who will work at public interest law agencies in Chicago during the spring semester.

    Interns work 200 hours part-time during the semester, with PILI providing a living stipend, as well as ensuring quality supervision by experienced attorneys and providing extra educational, networking, and advising opportunities.  

  • January 30, 2019 | Practice News
    Best Practice Tips: Law Firm Structure and Growth

    Asked and Answered 

    By John W. Olmstead, MBA, Ph.D, CMC

    Q. I am the administrator with a firm in Buffalo, New York. We have 14 attorneys – seven partners and seven associates. We are an eat-what-you-kill law firm. All the partners have to weigh in and agree on any and all management decisions. Our management team consists of “all partners.” While I have been hired as the administrator for management the firm, I have very little authority to do anything. The partners all have the freedom to do as they please, and there is very little accountability to each other. Recently we have been discussing the pros and cons of why we might want to change our governance and overall structure. I would be interested in your thoughts.

  • January 29, 2019 | Practice News
    Illinois Supreme Court Disbars 7, Suspends 10 in Latest Disciplinary Filing

    The Illinois Supreme Court announced the filing of lawyer disciplinary orders on January 29, 2019. Sanctions were imposed because the lawyers engaged in professional misconduct by violating state ethics law.

  • January 29, 2019 | Practice News
    General and Boilerplate Objections: Curbing Routine Abuse of the Discovery Process

    February’s Illinois Bar Journal includes the winning article of 2019’s Lincoln Award Legal Writing Contest. The article, “General and Boilerplate Objections: Curbing Routine Abuse of the Discovery Process” by Gregory R. Jones, an associate at Goldenberg Heller & Antognoli, P.C., in Edwardsville, examines distasteful discovery tactics that can directly conflict with the spirit of discovery and the concept of “full disclosure.”

  • January 25, 2019 | Practice News
    Quick Takes on Illinois Supreme Court Opinions Issued Friday, January 25

    The Illinois Supreme Court handed down eight opinions on Friday, Jan. 25. In People v. Witherspoon, the court considered whether a person who enters another person’s home in violation of a court order thereby enters “without authority” under the home invasion statute. In People v. Johnson, the supreme court concluded that the appellate court erred in considering the merits of a man’s sentencing challenge because he could not challenge it other than through withdrawal of his plea. The court ruled that a defendant was required to offer some affirmative evidence that the parking lot where he was arrested for DUI was not a public highway in People v. Relwani. In Rosenbach v. Six Flags Entertainment Corp., the court ruled that consumers do not have to demonstrate “injury or adverse effect” to sue companies under the state’s biometric privacy law. The supreme court upheld a trial court’s ruling granting a father who had joint custody of his children to relocate in In re Marriage of Fatkin and clarified the rules governing the admission of photographs in motor vehicle cases in Peach v. McGovern. In In re Appointment of Special Prosecutor, the court rejected arguments by the Better Government Association to release documents in a FOIA request. In Smith v. The Vanguard Group, the court determined that a man did not violate an injunction when he changed the beneficiary designation from his wife to his sons.