The Illinois Supreme Court Commission on Access to Justice (ATJ Commission) announced today the winners of two awards, the Hon. Thomas L. Kilbride (Ret.) Judicial Access to Justice Award and the Jeffrey D. Colman Access to Justice Award. The 2025 recipients are Chief Administrative Law Judge Brian Weinthal and Brenda Sprague, Executive Assistant to the Chief Judge of the First Judicial Circuit. These awards are designed to recognize and celebrate exceptional contributions to increasing access to the court system by improving the experience of litigants.

The National Conference of Bar Examiners (NCBE) will begin offering a new version of the bar examination, known as the NextGen Uniform Bar Examination (NextGen UBE), beginning in July 2026.

The Young Lawyers Division (YLD) Pro Bono Committee is proud to be hosting an online food drive with food banks in three major areas of Illinois. Donations will be distributed to food banks in the Chicagoland area, St. Louis metropolitan area, and Central Illinois area.  Virtual donations will be graciously accepted through December 15, 2025. The Chicagoland area food drive will distribute goods throughout Cook County.

The Illinois State Bar Association (ISBA) is warning members about a phishing scam involving fraudulent emails that appear to come from Executive Director Robert E. Craghead. The scam email, which has been reported by multiple members, is designed to look like an official communication from the ISBA. It uses a deceptive email address — robert.craghead@ isba.org.sendcrp.com — that is not affiliated with the ISBA.