2026 Articles

Waiver of hearing requirement for seized cannabis and tobacco property 

September
2026
Illinois Law Update
, Page 12
The Department of Revenue adopted amendments to the Part governing the Cannabis Purchaser Excise Tax as applied to seizure proceedings. The amendment replaces discretionary language with mandatory language, requiring the department to hold a hearing before making a final licensure determination in cases involving seized cannabis products, tobacco products, and vending devices.

Warning Signs

By Karen Erger
April
2026
Column
, Page 52
Opening phrases that can derail your message.

What AI Can’t Replace

By Leonard C. Brahin
September
2026
Article
, Page 36
A modest defense of law firm associates in the age of artificial intelligence.

What Am I Missing?

By Patrick Barry
June
2026
Column
, Page 50
Using artificial intelligence while working and growing your mental muscles.

What Is Success?

By Perry J. Browder
August
2026
Column
, Page 8
Defining success as a lawyer too often involves chasing after ever-impressive goals. Consider looking beyond the curriculum vitae. 

What Lurks Behind a Name?

By Charles J. Northrup
July
2026
Column
, Page 46
Apparent profit seeking in the name of legal reform and innovation deserves scrutiny.

What’s Said to AI May Not Stay in AI

By Jake A. Leahy
May
2026
Article
, Page 38
When it comes to using artificial intelligence, lawyers and nonlawyers do not play on an even field.

When Cheaper Isn’t Better

By Jeffrey S. Krause
September
2026
Column
, Page 46
How premium tools earn their place in your strategic plan.

When Courts Create Rules of Return

By Molshree Sharma
February
2026
Article
, Page 36
The U.S. Supreme Court weighs in on whether and how to return internationally abducted children, issues that have split various U.S. Courts of Appeals.

The Whole Kit and Caboodle

By Jeffrey R. Schoenberger
June
2026
Column
, Page 48
What vertical integration means for your tech stack.

Widening Pathways

By Ed Finkel
June
2026
LawPulse
, Page 12
Amendments to Illinois Supreme Court Rules intend to widen access to justice in the state’s legal deserts.

A Year of Gratitude

By Bridget C. Duignan
June
2026
Column
, Page 10
Devotion, service, and commitment to the rule of law make the Illinois State Bar Association what it is.

Young offenders need not show cause for select successive postconviction petitions

November
2026
Illinois Law Update
, Page 16
The General Assembly amended section 122-1 of the Code of Criminal Procedure of 1963, which governs postconviction petitions.