Justice Lisa Holder White and the Illinois Supreme Court have announced the appointment of Associate Judge Mark E. Gilles as a Circuit Judge in the Tenth Judicial Circuit in Peoria County. Judge Gilles is being appointed to fill the vacancy created by the impending retirement of Judge Stephen A. Kouri on July 31, 2026. The appointment is effective October 1, 2026, and will conclude on December 4, 2028. “Judge Gilles is a highly respected jurist who will bring his strong work ethic and legal talent to this new position,” Justice Holder White said.

Every seasoned estate litigator has a mental checklist of “if only the estate planner had …” moments, writes Samantha E. Weissbluth in her July Illinois Bar Journal article, "Risk Management for Estate Planners." Estate planning attorneys, she notes, continue to face an increasingly litigious environment, including allegations of undue influence, lack of capacity, or procedural missteps in even modest estate plans. Weissbluth walks through a few strategies estate planners can adopt to reduce risk of litigation and prevent problems before they arise.

To augment the Solo & Individual Health Insurance program that was recently launched, the ISBA is now beginning to explore the creation of a group health insurance program for members’ firms.

The Illinois Supreme Court and the Illinois Judicial Conference (IJC) announced today the launch of a statewide circuit court user survey, the first statewide circuit court user survey in Illinois since 2015. Survey results will be used to inform future policy decisions and improve the court user experience.