The Illinois Supreme Court announced the filing of lawyer disciplinary orders on September 22, 2017. Sanctions were imposed because the lawyers engaged in professional misconduct by violating state ethics law.

The Illinois State Bar Association (ISBA) seeks an energetic legal professional to manage the production of the Illinois Bar Journal (IBJ) and oversee the production of ISBA section newsletters, the IBJ advertising program, and the Illinois Courts Bulletin. The Illinois Bar Journal Managing Editor position will be based in the Springfield, Illinois headquarters of the ISBA. ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS  Manage production of the monthly Illinois Bar Journal, in consultation with the IBJ Editor & Publisher; solicit, edit, and manage content-flow of articles; generate timely and high value article ideas; create content for IBJ (e.g., columns); supervise freelancers who produce lead articles and columns; manage relationship with IBJ printer; perform online indexing and subject-matter tagging. Oversee production of ISBA section newsletters (day-to-day management performed by newsletter managing editor). Oversee the IBJ advertising program (day-to-day management performed by advertising coordinator). Proofread and edit the Illinois Courts Bulletin. Author weekly blog post for Illinois Lawyer Now. Serve as staff liaison to the Illinois Bar Journal Editorial Board. Stay abreast of developments in digital information technology (e.g., apps, tablet-friendly versions) and implement as appropriate.

Back by popular demand! Don’t miss this full-day seminar on October 9, 2017 in Chicago or Fairview Heights that arms you with the information you need to successfully handle your next workers’ compensation case! Labor and employment attorneys and workers’ compensation practitioners attending this seminar will better understand: how orthopedic physicians diagnose and treat workers’ compensation injuries; the recent rule changes at the Illinois Workers’ Compensation Commission; the ethical issues to avoid during your next workers’ compensation case; how to prepare and present your arbitration case; how to coordinate workers’ compensation benefits with the Public Employee Disability Act; and recent case law updates that may affect your client.

It's not unusual to hear judges and lawyers - mostly judges - talk about how many pro se litigants they encounter these days. And the eye-popping statistics more than bear out the anecdotal evidence. Data from the Administrative Office of the Illinois Courts ("AOIC") show that in 2015, nearly two-thirds of total civil cases outside Cook County - 65.2 percent - had at least one self-represented litigant. For certain types of cases, this figure rises as high as 80 percent. In addition, the court system is facing the facts that one out of five Illinois residents speaks a language other than English at home according to U.S. Census data, the number of Illinois residents below the poverty line has grown, and the number of pro bono attorneys has not kept pace. "People are self-represented for a whole host of reasons," says Danielle Hirsch, assistant director of the AOIC's Civil Justice Division. "Some can't afford representation, some don't know where to find it, and some are do-it-yourselfers who want the sport of trying it on their own. It would be hard to treat them as a monolith." Hirsch adds that in practice areas like small claims or family, "the default is self-representation." And defendants overall are about two-thirds pro se, she says.