The Illinois State Bar Association and Illinois Judges Association hosted "The Legacy of Myra Bradwell: In Light of the Experience" on Friday at the Joint Meeting. Jenner & Block partner Terri L. Mascherin moderated the program with panelists Wisconsin Supreme Court Chief Justice Shirley Abrahamson, Illinois Supreme Court Justice Anne M. Burke, Illinois Supreme Court Justice Rita B. Garman, Retired Illinois Supreme Court Chief Justice Mary Ann McMorrow, Hon. Dawn Clark Netsch and Illinois Supreme Court Justice Mary Jane Theis.
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December 9, 2011
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December 9, 2011
The Illinois Bar Foundation honored Russell K. Scott with the Distinguished Service to Law and Society Award at the Annual Fellows Breakfast on Friday at the ISBA/IJA Joint Meeting. -
December 8, 2011 |
ISBA News | Events
The ISBA/IJA Joint Midyear Meeting kicked off on Thursday in Chicago with Basic Skills Course 6.0 for new admittees.The meeting will include the annual Illinois Bar Foundation Fellows Awards Breakfast on Friday morning, and a reception and dinner Friday evening honoring the Illinois Supreme Court with remarks by Justice Mary Jane Theis.Two IJA/ISBA programs with MCLE credit will be held on Friday morning. “The Legacy of Myra Bradwell: In the Light of Experience,” will feature an in-depth panel discussion about the Illinois woman who became the first female to gain entrance to the Illinois bar and, in the process, influenced the future of Illinois law. “Revitalizing the Jury Trial,” presented by Chief Judge James F. Holderman and Professor Stephan Landsman, will include video presentations about various problems and solutions arising with 21st century juries.On Saturday, the 203-member policy-making Assembly of the ISBA will convene. Also, the IJA will conduct training sessions at the Sheraton for judges who want to deliver its two student education programs. At 9 a.m., a training for a new civics program, “Bringing the Courtroom to the Classroom,” will be presented. At 10 a.m., a training for the IJA’s “7 Reasons to Leave the Party,” will be held. Eighty judges have already registered for the civics training.Find out more and register at www.isba.org/jointmeeting.Visit Illinois Lawyer Now for frequent updates and photos.
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December 8, 2011 |
Practice News
Chief Justice Thomas L. Kilbride and the Illinois Supreme Court announced Thursday another step to provide better public access to legal information and to improve the efficiency of lawyers practicing in Illinois.Effective immediately, Illinois Pattern Jury Instructions, for both civil and criminal cases, will be available on the website of the Supreme Court.Pattern jury instructions in civil casesPattern jury instructions in criminal casesPreviously, the complete instructions were available only in bulky, bound volumes and supplemental inserts through a paid subscription or through a law library.A new letter of agreement, between the Administrative Office of the Illinois Courts and Thomson Reuters, who publishes the volumes under the West Group name, made the change possible. Thomson Reuters retains an exclusive license for publication for commercial purposes."This is a very welcome step forward as we move in Illinois to integrate our court systems and processes with the latest technology," said Chief Justice Kilbride. "This was made possible by the renegotiation of our publishing contract with Thomson Reuters, and the continued efforts of the Supreme Court's E-Business Committee to make the practice of law more efficient for lawyers, more cost-effective for clients and court information more accessible to everyone—lawyer and non-lawyer."I also wish to thank those members of the Committee on Pattern Jury Instructions, both civil and criminal."
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December 8, 2011
The Illinois State Bar Association honored the Class of 1961 Distinguished Counsellors at a luncheon on Wednesday, Dec. 7, at the Westin Michigan Avenue. ISBA Past President Herb Franks of Marengo spoke on behalf of the class. -
December 8, 2011
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December 7, 2011 |
Practice News
Former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich was sentenced to 14 years in prison and fined $20,000 on Wednesday for his conviction on 18 felony counts of corruption.Blagojevich will have to serve just under 12 years under federal rules that say defendants must complete 85 percent of their sentence. Blagojevich doesn’t have to report to federal prison until Feb. 16.
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December 7, 2011 |
Practice News
Effective January 1, Illinois at long last brings its Medicaid rules for long-term care into compliance with federal requirements. Indeed, only California has yet to do so. The new rules make it harder for Illinois long-term care recipients to protect their assets while preserving Medicaid eligibility."The new rules are compliant with the DRA but also go beyond just DRA rules," write Diana Law and Kerry Peck in the latest ISBA's Elder Law newsletter. (Law coauthored an article on the new rules that will appear in the January Illinois Bar Journal.) "The new regulations are harsher than current rules and require the practitioner to be aware of how this impacts your clients and the future of your elder law practice." Read their summary of the changes.
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December 7, 2011 |
Member Services
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December 7, 2011 |
Practice News
The Illinois Supreme Court on Wednesday granted the Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission (ARDC) the authority to investigate and prosecute the unauthorized practice of law."We will handle any UPL matter in much the same way we handle a disciplinary matter," ARDC Administrator Jerome Larkin said. "For those who are never licensed anywhere and for disbarred lawyers, we would bring contempt proceedings in the circuit court. For lawyers from out-of-state and for suspended Illinois lawyers, we would bring proceedings before our hearing board."The Illinois State Bar Association's (ISBA) Board of Governors and the ISBA Task Force on the Unauthorized Practice of Law were instrumental in this development. The ISBA Board in May of 2008 approved a proposal drafted by the ISBA UPL Task Force that sought to provide the ARDC with this authority. This was sent to the ARDC in 2009, which submitted it to the court in 2010."It was really a good joint effort by all of the organized bar and our office to give to the courts what we feel is a very practical approach to this problem," said James J. Grogan, ARDC Deputy Administrator and Chief Counsel.The full text of today's rule amendments are available here: UPL_120711 Rule Amendments.pdf1 comment (Most recent December 8, 2011)