At this year’s ISBA Solo and Small Firm Conference, Sept. 17-18 at the Peoria Marriott Pere Marquette, many sessions will provide hands-on tactics and tips for small-firm and solo attorneys. Presenters will discuss how to use artificial intelligence (AI) smartly, ethically, and confidently in the practice of law. For the September Illinois Bar Journal's cover story, "A Quick-Start Guide to AI," the IBJ interviewed some of the conference's presenters for overviews of their AI-related sessions.
Practice News
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September 1, 2026 | Practice News
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August 31, 2026 | Practice News
The Illinois Supreme Court announced today the appointment of Gregory T. Mitchell as an At Large Judge in the Circuit Court of Cook County.
Mr. Mitchell is being appointed to fill the vacancy created by the retirement of Judge Daniel Kubasiak. Mr. Mitchell’s appointment is effective October 2, 2026, and will conclude on December 4, 2028.
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August 26, 2026 |
Practice News
ROCKFORD, IL – Brendan A. Maher, Chief Judge of the 17th Judicial Circuit, has officially posted a notice of vacancy for the position of Boone County Public Defender. This vacancy is based on the selection of Public Defender Kathryn J. Cross to serve as an associate judge, with her swearing-in scheduled for September 2, 2026.
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August 19, 2026 | Practice News
Justice Elizabeth Rochford of the Supreme Court of Illinois has begun an application process for a Resident Circuit Judge vacancy in the Nineteenth Judicial Circuit, Third Subcircuit. The vacancy will be created by the retirement of Judge Charles W. Smith effective Aug. 31, 2026.
Under the Illinois Constitution, judicial vacancies are filled by Supreme Court appointment. The application process will lead to full Court approval.
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August 19, 2026 | Practice News
Marcia M. Meis, Director of the Administrative Office of the Illinois Courts, announced today that the Eighteenth Judicial Circuit judges voted to select Natalie M. Stec as an associate judge of the Eighteenth Judicial Circuit.
Ms. Stec received her undergraduate degree in 1997 from the University of Illinois in Champaign, Illinois and her Juris Doctor in 2000 from New York Law School in New York, New York. Ms. Stec is currently affiliated with Wolfe and Stec, Ltd. in Woodridge, Illinois.
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August 19, 2026 | Practice News
Marcia M. Meis, Director of the Administrative Office of the Illinois Courts, announced that the Seventeenth Judicial Circuit judges voted to select Kathryn J. Cross as associate judge of the Seventeenth Judicial Circuit.
Ms. Cross received her undergraduate degree in 2008 from Monmouth College in Monmouth, Illinois and her Juris Doctor in 2011 from the University of Iowa in Iowa City, Iowa. Ms. Cross is currently affiliated with the Boone County Public Defender's Office in Belvidere, Illinois.
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August 17, 2026 | Practice News
While Illinois is a two-party consent state when it comes to recording conversations, the National Labor Relations Board has held that when employees’ surreptitious recordings qualify as protected activity, federal labor law may preempt state eavesdropping statutes. In his August 2026 Illinois Bar Journal article, "Recording in Progress," Sam Hensel examines whether leadership changes at the Board may threaten this holding, creating uncertainty for employers, unions, and employees.
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August 13, 2026 | Practice News
The Administrative Office of the Illinois Courts (AOIC) announced that the Illinois Arts Council, through its FY26 Creative Projects Grant, awarded $12,000 to juvenile detention centers in Illinois. Five counties with juvenile detention centers including Kane, Lake, McLean, Peoria, and Winnebago received funds to contract with local artists in order to create youth-led murals. Over the past year, these juvenile detention centers have utilized grant funds to complete murals within their facilities.
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August 11, 2026 | Practice News
Supreme Court Justice Sanjay T. Tailor has begun an application process for four judicial vacancies – two at-large vacancies and two subcircuit vacancies – in Cook County.
The at-large vacancies are for the seats of Judge Diana Rosario (vacant as of June 1, 2026) and Judge Shelley Sutker-Dermer (vacant effective December 7, 2026), and the subcircuit vacancies are for the seats of Judge Sybil Thomas (19th Subcircuit, vacant as of January 31, 2026) and Judge Pamela Loza (12th Subcircuit, vacant effective September 18, 2026).
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August 10, 2026 | Practice News
In June 2024, the U.S. Supreme Court released its opinion in Harrington v. Purdue Pharma L.P, for which a sharply divided court concluded that U.S. bankruptcy courts and U.S. district courts exercising bankruptcy jurisdiction lacked the authority to approve a Chapter 11 bankruptcy plan if that plan includes a nonconsensual release of any nondebtor’s claims against another nondebtor. In his August Illinois Bar Journal article, "Consensual Releases," Austin R.