The Illinois State Bar Association’s Lawyer Finder Service provides referrals to local lawyers Mondays through Fridays. The Service makes referrals in a number of areas of law. For the month of August, 2023, ISBA helped 1,689 people in need of legal services find lawyers. 

Chief Justice Mary Jane Theis and the Illinois Supreme Court announced today an order entered to help the court system implement the pretrial release provisions of the SAFE-T Act, which goes into effect on September 18, 2023.

 In his August Illinois Bar Journal Judging Your Writing column, “Chat Not,” First District Illinois Appellate Court Justice Michael B. Hyman experiments with ChatGPT and gauges its capability as a legal writing tool. He asks OpenAI’s free ChatGPT 3.5 to prepare memos on various legal topics and prods the tool when its answers lack substance. His conclusion—chatbots are not a viable option … yet.

The Guidelines for Standards of Care in Animal Shelters were originally released in 2010, with the revised edition being published in December 2022. The Guidelines were written to provide a trustworthy resource for the housing, husbandry, medical, and behavioral care of animals living in animal shelters. Rather than being prescriptive or operational, the recommendations focus on meeting the animals’ needs, while recognizing that there are many ways in which to do this. The Guidelines offer evidence-based support to those caring for animals in shelters, rescues, fosters, sanctuaries, and other population settings. Don’t miss this important program that discusses the utility of these standards as attorneys face issues relevant to animal sheltering.