Holiday Gift Guide 2025

Posted on December 15, 2025 by Marybeth Stanziola

Still looking for holiday gift ideas for colleagues? Check out the Illinois Bar Journal’s “Holiday Gift Guide 2025,” written by Pointers From Practice HQ columnists Jeffrey S. Krause and Jeffrey S. Schoenberger. The list includes productivity products, apps, gadgets, and other items that will bring value, efficiency, and perhaps even a bit of fun to your working day.

Lunchtime FOIA Series: Freedom of Information Act Best Practices: A Discussion with the Public Access Counselor

ISBA Members: Use your 15 hours of Free CLE credits to order this program –
just use the green button next to the “Add to Cart” button below!

Presented by ISBA’s Standing Committee on Government Lawyers
Co-presented by the ISBA Local Government Law Section


1.0 hour MCLE credit


Original Program Date: Tuesday, November 4, 2025
Accreditation Expiration Date: ­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­December 15, 2027 (You must certify completion and save your certificate before this date to get MCLE credit)


Don’t miss Part 4 of this lunchtime series that discusses the most common FOIA disputes brought to the Public Access Counselor (PAC), what to expect during the Request for Review process with the PAC, and the new developments in binding opinions. Additional topics include: the requirements of FOIA that go beyond responding to requests, the best practice tips you need to know when responding to Requests for Review, and the concerning trends in FOIA disputes.


Program Coordinators:
Bianca B. Brown, Pretzel & Stouffer, Chicago
Michele K. Niermann, Klein, Thorpe & Jenkins, Ltd., Chicago

Program Moderator:
Michele K. Niermann, Klein, Thorpe & Jenkins, Ltd., Chicago

Program Chat Moderator:
Bianca B. Brown, Pretzel & Stouffer, Chicago

Program Speaker:
Leah Bartelt
, Public Access Counselor, Illinois Attorney General’s Office, Chicago



Program Information

  • Please Note: You must attend the entire program in order to earn MCLE credit for this seminar.
  • ISBA sponsoring section members get a $10 registration discount (which is automatically calculated in your cart when you log in to register).
  • Fees:
    • ISBA Member Price of $35 is displayed below when you login and program is eligible for Free CLE member benefit.
    • Non-Member Price $70
    • New Attorney Member (within the first five years of practice) - $25
    • Law Students – Free

A new Illinois law will protect the safety and privacy of public officials. Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle argue the legislation is necessary following the assassinations of former Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman, her husband Mark Hortman, and conservative activist Charlie Kirk.

From: 
WAND

At issue: Were gambling regulators in the right to revoke a video poker license from the west suburban Steak N Egger restaurant, whose operator once testified under immunity at a mob gambling trial? The gaming board only acted after the Chicago Sun-Times began raising questions.

From: 
Chicago Sun-Times

Gov. JB Pritzker signed a law Friday that will allow terminally ill adults in Illinois to take life-ending medication prescribed by physicians.

From: 
Capitol News Illinois

After almost 40 years as McHenry County‘s public defender, Mark Cook, described as “a quiet powerhouse,” is retiring.

From: 
Daily Herald

The process for meting out discipline in the most serious cases of misconduct by Chicago police officers has been largely at a standstill for more than two years.

From: 
Belleville News-Democrat

The 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals is the first to reject the Trump administration’s novel reading of immigration law, which it’s used to hold people in mandatory detention.

From: 
Chicago Sun-Times

Incarcerated individuals in Illinois could start earning money behind bars if a newly proposed bill were to pass.

From: 
Belleville News-Democrat

The Higher Education Mental Health Action Act aims to enhance on-campus mental health services at public colleges as an extension of the state’s Mental Health Early Action Plan.

From: 
25 News Now