Below is a summary of activities of this section from July 1, 2025 through June 30, 2026. While past activity is no guarantee of future activity, it may give a idea of what to expect this year.
Section Stats
Newsletters
Issues: 5
CLE
Live Programs: 3
Discussions
Posts: 6
Legislation
Bills Reviewed: 157
Continuing Legal Education
Section members receive discounts on section-sponsored CLE programs. During the 2025–26 bar year, the Section sponsored the following programs:
- Co-Sponsor Guardian ad Litem Training – 2025 (10/09/2025 to 10/23/2025)
- Co-Sponsor Arrest, Detention, Removal, and Due Process in Immigration Proceedings (05/07/2026)
- Co-Sponsor Rule of Law Symposium 2026 – Defending Democracy: Protecting the Rule of Law (05/08/2026)
ISBA Central Discussions
ISBA Central communities allows section members to pose questions, answer questions, and share information with fellow section members. Members of the section get free access to the section’s community. Joining any section also grants you access to the Transactional and Litigation communities. Below are the total number of discussion posts during the 2025–26 bar year.
Bench and Bar
- Community members: 352
- Total discussion posts: 6
Transactional
- Community members: 24,715
- Total discussion posts: 386
Litigation
- Community members: 24,710
- Total discussion posts: 706
Legislation
The Section Council reviewed 157 bills that may affect their members’ practice area. Highlights of the most recent legislative session include:
- House Bill 4844 amends the Jury Act and the Jury Commission Act to require employers with more than 25 employees to compensate an employee at the employee's regular rate of pay for time that the employee served on jury duty.
- House Bill 5487 amends the Illinois Attorney Act to prohibit non‑lawyer‑controlled entities that are involved with a law firm or lawyer’s practice from interfering with the professional independence of attorneys. The bill prohibits such entities from, among other things, owning or determining the content of client records or attorney‑client communications, exercising control over or being delegated the authority to reveal the content of those records or communications, or controlling attorney hiring, firing, or performance standards. An attorney who violates these provisions may be subject to statutory damages of $10,000 per violation or 3 times the actual damages incurred by the client, whichever is greater. The bill applies only to: (i) licensed attorneys or law firms in Illinois with less than $300,000,000 in annual global revenue from legal services, or (ii) attorneys or firms that primarily operate on a contingent fee basis and have derived more than 50% of their revenue from such arrangements in each of the prior three calendar years. Upon request of the Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission or another appropriate governmental authority, or by court order, a licensed attorney or law firm may provide a sworn self-certification attesting to compliance with these provisions.
- Senate Bill 4038 makes it unlawful to knowingly video record or livestream, or to place a device to video record or livestream, a person known to be a victim or witness inside a state courthouse without that person's consent or approval from the presiding judge or courthouse security authority, consistent with any applicable court order. Provides that an individual's consent to be recorded does not supersede a judicial order prohibiting video recording. The bill does not apply to video captured by courthouse security cameras or body cameras worn by law enforcement officers. Establishes penalties for violations.