The bar admission ceremonies for the 1,637 new attorneys who passed the July 2025 Bar Exam will be held on Wednesday, November 5, in all five judicial districts of Illinois. The First Judicial District ceremonies will be held in Chicago at 10 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. with Supreme Court Chief Justice P. Scott Neville, Jr., Justice Mary Jane Theis, and Justice Joy V. Cunningham swearing-in candidates. The Second Judicial District ceremony will be held in Elgin at 10 a.m. with Second District Appellate Court Presiding Justice Christopher M. Kennedy swearing-in candidates.

 In 2024, romance scams cost Americans $697 million, with those targeting people over 60 accounting for $277 million of that, according to research presented at a recent ISBA CLE program titled, “Don’t Let a Romance Scammer Steal Your Client’s Heart and Business.” The program’s presenters are featured in the Illinois Bar Journal’s November cover story, “Scams of the Heart,” which describes the nature of various scams, why they are so ensnaring, and what attorneys of elderly clients an

The Illinois Bar Foundation hosted its 26th Annual Black Tie Gala on Friday, October 17, 2025, at The Four Seasons Hotel, 120 E. Delaware Place, Chicago. The evening honored Mark D. Hassakis, Past President of the Illinois State Bar Association (2010–11) and Past President of the Illinois Bar Foundation (2000–02).

 Barnes & Thornburg, a national law firm with more than 800 lawyers in 23 offices across the United States, announces today the promotion of 16 lawyers to partner, effective Jan. 1, 2026. The new partner class includes lawyers from five practices and eight offices.