Bench & Bar

The newsletter of the ISBA’s Bench & Bar Section

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September 2025 • Volume 56 • Number 1 •

September 2025 Bench and Bar Newsletter

Rural Practice Fellowship Program
To address the shortage of attorneys in rural areas of Illinois, the ISBA has created a program designed to connect rural and small town firms looking to hire law clerks and associates with law students and attorneys interested in practicing in rural communities of Illinois. Deadline for applications is September 19, 2025.

ISBA's Solo and Small Firm Conference
Please join us from September 25-26 in Naperville, IL, for the ISBA's Solo and Small Firm Conference 2025: The Innovative Lawyer: Smart Strategies for Small Firms in the Age of AI. Embrace the opportunity to earn CLE credits while enhancing your knowledge and networking with colleagues. Register now!

7th Annual Bock Food Law and Policy Conference
Friday, September 19 | 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. | SIU Simmons Law School—Carbondale
Food law is a diverse and inter-connected field of law with significant crossover between agricultural production, environmental protection, natural resource consumption, and intellectual property – to name a few. Join us in Carbondale for this full-day program that offers an in-depth look at the evolving legal issues impacting your clients in the food and beverage industry. Register!

In This Issue

Editor’s Note: Save the Date for Midyear!

By Kimberly Duda

Mark your calendars for the 2025 Joint Midyear Meeting and check back for more information regarding great programming and networking opportunities!

The “Scarcity of Success”: How Law Schools’ Hyper-Competitive Cultures Fuel Bullying

By Rachel Kolb

The Illinois Supreme Court Commission on Professional's survey found that 1 in 4 attorneys experienced bullying in the workplace. Perhaps if anti-bullying practices and mindsets started in law schools, the legal profession would be less accustomed to bullying.

Smatterings, a Collection of Short Stories, by Jim Friedlander

By Hon. Michael S. Jordan

A book review of Smatterings, exploring Jim Friedlander's global adventures throughout his career in short-story form.

Minority Representation in the Judiciary: What More Needs To Be Done?

By Junaid Afeef

A discussion of increasing diversity in the judiciary, including how far we've come, the progress that still needs to be made, and a few potential solutions.

Recent Appointments and Retirements

A summary of changes to the judiciary, including those who have been appointed as Circuit Judge and associate judges, those who have retired, and those who have been recalled.

Bench and Bar Section Members Attend the Annual Meeting in Lincolnshire

Key moments featuring the Association’s Bench and Bar Section members at the 2025 Annual Meeting held in Lincolnshire on June 5–6.

CLE

Family Law Update: Music City Conference 2026
October 2 to October 3 | Nashville, TN
Workers’ Compensation Update – Fall 2026
October 12 | Online
8 MORE Movie-Lawyers Who Would Be Disciplined in Real Life
October 14 | Online
Latest Developments in DUI and Traffic Laws
November 4 | Online
Trial Strategies and Criminal Law Update
November 6 | Chicago

Full CLE Calendar…

Featured Free On-Demand CLE

ISBA’s Guardian Ad Litem Training
11.25 hours MCLE credit, including 4.00 hours of PMCLE credit

Disclaimer: This newsletter is for subscribers’ personal use only; redistribution is prohibited. Copyright Illinois State Bar Association. Statements or expressions of opinion appearing herein are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the Association or Editors, and likewise the publication of any advertisement is not to be construed as an endorsement of the product or service offered unless it is specifically stated in the ad that there is such approval or endorsement.

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