Illinois, Wisconsin among 16 states to sue Trump admin. over National Science Foundation directive

Attorneys general from 16 mostly Democrat-controlled U.S. states, including Illinois and Wisconsin, filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration Wednesday, arguing that some of the federal government's attempts to gut National Science Foundation research programs are illegal.

From: 
ABC 7

Lawsuits give enough notice to let retailers sue wholesalers

A grocery retailer can sue their wholesalers to make them pay for allegedly contributing to an E.coli outbreak traced back to contaminated cilantro without having first notified the wholesalers of the "defect," the Illinois Supreme Court ruled, because a product liability lawsuit filed by consumers allegedly harmed by the contaminated food had provided all the notice the wholesalers should have needed.

From: 
Legal Newsline

Is Chicago's interim U.S. attorney here to stay? Judges could play an unusual role in picking top prosecutor

Andrew Boutros’ appointment by Attorney General Pam Bondi gives him only four months to serve. President Donald Trump could try to appoint someone else. Or federal judges could end up making the call.

From: 
Chicago Sun-Times

Pritzker to consider bill mandating gun owners lock up firearms near minors

A bill that would require gun owners to keep any firearms in a locked box whenever a minor is present will soon head to Gov. JB Pritzker.

From: 
Capitol News Illinois

Family Law Contracts: Drafting Enforceable Agreements (The Devil Is in the Details)

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 the ISBA Family Law Section
Co-presented by the ISBA Young Lawyers Division


5.25 hours MCLE credit


Original Program Date: Friday, May 9, 2025
Accreditation Expiration Date: ­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­June 9, 2027 (You must certify completion and save your certificate before this date to get MCLE credit)


Learn to navigate the complex issues of drafting enforceable agreements for your family law clients, and why getting the details right throughout the drafting process is so important to ensuring that your client is happy with the outcome. Family law attorneys, civil practice lawyers, and trusts and estate practitioners with all levels of practice experience who attend this online seminar will better understand:
  • The common problems that judges see with prenuptial, postnuptial, and martial settlement agreements;
  • What to consider during companion estate planning when entering into pre- and post-marital contracts, as well as marital settlement agreements;
  • How to draft enforceable agreements that also protect your client’s interests and privacy;
  • The necessary language when drafting family law contracts;
  • The nuances of negotiation;
  • The similarities and differences to be aware of between states;
  • The Uniform Premarital and Marital Agreements Act; and
  • Much more.

Program Coordinators:
Pamela J. Kuzniar, Haid and Teich LLP, Chicago
Genevieve E. Miller, Beattie Onorato Family Law LLC, Chicago

Program Chat Moderators:
Hon. Anna M. Benjamin, Champaign County Circuit Court, Urbana
Pamela J. Kuzniar, Haid and Teich LLP, Chicago

Forewarned is Forearmed: A View from the Bench
Don’t miss this opportunity to gain the perspective of sitting judges as they identify and highlight issues, challenges, and common problems associated with prenuptial, postnuptial, and martial settlement agreements. Listen as they recommend available remedies for common issues and offer practice tips on how to draft valid and enforceable agreements. A review of relevant caselaw, key problematic clauses, choice of law and forum clauses, and their impact is also included.
Hon. Anna M. Benjamin, Champaign County Circuit Court, Urbana
Hon. Tamika Walker, Winnebago County Courthouse, Rockford

Estate Planning Considerations: The Belt and Suspender Approach
This presentation explores the issues that estate planners need to consider when clients plan to get married, the essential companion documents for prenuptial agreements, and the companion documents to consider when discussing postnuptial agreements or anticipating divorce. Topics include: how to work with estate planners to protect your clients when drafting various agreements, how to ensure that the outcome your client seeks is enforceable, and what to do when the enforcement of an marital settlement agreement involves a deceased party.
Heather A. McPherson, McPherson Law Offices, Freeport
Angel Traub, A. Traub & Associates, Lombard

Prenuptial Agreements
Join us for a look at the process for drafting prenuptial agreements, as well as the concerns and issues that must be addressed. Discover new techniques for handling issues in a manner that protects the assets of a moneyed spouse, while still empowering and providing protection for the non-moneyed spouse. Learn how to draft prenuptial agreements on an individual basis and understand why relating to the facts and situations of each case is so important for your client. Examples and checklists to ensure full disclosure, conscionability, and enforceability are included.
Matthew A. Kirsh, Kirsh & Anderson, Ltd., Chicago
Molly R. Kirsh, Kirsh & Anderson, Ltd., Chicago

Postnuptial Agreements
Gain a better understanding of the practical benefits of a valid postnuptial agreement, which includes determining financial responsibilities, protecting individual assets, managing debt, and more. This session examines the possible options to protect your client’s interests, addresses the anticipated standard of review in determining the fairness of the agreement, and provides sample examples, critical clauses, and checklists to help you with your next case.
Joshua S. Singewald, Singewald Law Firm, Chicago
Genevieve E. Miller, Beattie Onorato Family Law LLC, Chicago

Marital Settlement Agreements
Being able to get the benefits conferred in a marital settlement agreement is just as critical as documenting the division of property, debts, maintenance, and parental allocation. Drafting an enforceable agreement and ensuring the assets and debts are transferred requires planning and foresight. This segment discusses the essential terms of a marital settlement agreement, as well as the effective remedies to include in them to encourage compliance and ensure that the non-breaching party gets meaningful relief. Learn how to identify the necessary documents to ensure proper title transfer and why completing the companion qualified orders in a timely manner is so important.
Michelle A. Lawless, The Law Office of Michelle A. Lawless LLC, Chicago
Olivia Basu, Hammer Serna and Quinn LLC, Chicago


Pricing 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 $184 is displayed below when you login and program is eligible for Free CLE member benefit.
    • Non-Member Price $368
    • New Attorney Member (within the first five years of practice) - $25
    • Law Students – Free

Nuts & Bolts of Subchapter V Chapter 11s

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 the ISBA Commercial, Banking, and Bankruptcy Law Section


2.0 hours MCLE credit


Original Program Date: Thursday, May 8, 2025
Accreditation Expiration Date: ­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­June 9, 2027 (You must certify completion and save your certificate before this date to get MCLE credit)


Don’t miss this informative seminar that discusses the basic administration issues in subchapter V cases versus non-subchapter V cases, and helps you decide when subchapter V Chapter 11 is right for your clients. Business advice and financial planning attorneys, commercial banking lawyers, bankruptcy practitioners, and civil practice attorneys with basic to intermediate practice experience who attend this program will also learn:
  • The deadlines you need to be aware of;
  • How to represent a creditor in subchapter V; and
  • The pitfalls to avoid when handling these type of cases.

Program Coordinator:
Samuel H. Levine, Downey & Lenkov LLC, Chicago

Program Chat Moderator:
Julia Jensen Smolka, Robbins DiMonte, Ltd., Park Ridge

Program Speakers:
Laxmi P. Sarathy, Jurisprudence Health Law Group P.C., Naperville
Joan Ellen Smuda, Chief, Revenue Litigation Bureau, Office of the Illinois Attorney General, Chicago

Pricing 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 $70 is displayed below when you login and program is eligible for Free CLE member benefit.
    • Non-Member Price $140
    • New Attorney Member (within the first five years of practice) - $25
    • Law Students – Free

Trauma: Identifying, Managing, and Excelling as an Attorney When Faced with Trauma in Your Practice

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 the ISBA’s Standing Committee on Women & the Law


1.0 hours MCLE credit, including 1.0 hour Professional Responsibility MCLE credit in the following category: Mental Health & Substance Abuse credit


Original Program Date: Wednesday, May 7, 2025
Accreditation Expiration Date: June 4, 2027(You must certify completion and save your certificate before this date to get MCLE credit)


Don’t miss this opportunity to hear from our speaker, Dr. Hillary Langley, as she shows you how to identify trauma experienced in the legal profession, whether it is workplace trauma, vicarious trauma from the case work or client, or other presentations of trauma. Listen as she explains how trauma can manifest and impact the individual’s mental, physical, and emotional well-being, and offers tips for managing the trauma. Additionally, you will learn:
  • The common symptoms you may see when working with trauma clients and cases;
  • The implications and risks of discussing traumatic events with clients;
  • How to minimize re-traumatization with clients;
  • How to set healthy and empathetic boundaries;
  • The crisis management skills you need in your professional toolbox;
  • The ethical responsibilities you have to your clients while also setting boundaries to avoid becoming their mental health provider; and
  • More.

Program Coordinators/Chat Moderators:
Jessica Durkin, Assistant Corporation Counsel, Supervisor, City of Chicago Law Department, Chicago
Debra L. Thomas, Romanucci & Blandin, Chicago
About the Speaker: Dr. Hillary Langley is a licensed psychologist who earned her PsyD from Spalding University in Louisville, Kentucky. She currently owns and operates her own virtual private practice, while also serving as a psychologist at Medlin Treatment Center. Dr. Langley specializes in treating adults with sexual trauma, adults with extensive childhood trauma, and women who have experienced infertility, postpartum mood disorders, and birth trauma. Additionally, Dr. Langley is passionate about working with women in high stress jobs who may experience anxiety, perfectionism, and/or vicarious trauma. She also has experience providing education to organizations about working with traumatized individuals, coping with vicarious trauma, and managing the stress that accompanies being a woman in male dominated and high stress fields.

Pricing 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

Understanding ABLE: The Achieving a Better Life Experience Program

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 the ISBA Elder Law Section
Co-presented by the ISBA Trusts & Estates Section and ISBA Rural Practice Section


1.0 hour MCLE credit


Original Program Date: Thursday, May 1, 2025
Accreditation Expiration Date: ­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­June 9, 2027 (You must certify completion and save your certificate before this date to get MCLE credit)


Gain a better understanding of the Achieving a Better Life Experience (ABLE) Accounts Program – including who is eligible, who can open an IL ABLE account, the investment options available with this program, the tax benefits for Illinois taxpayers contributing to an IL ABLE account, and more! Elder law attorneys, trusts and estates counsel, disability law practitioners, and rural practice lawyers with basic practice experience who attend this online program will also learn:
  • The history behind the Steven H. Beck ABLE Account Program;
  • The federal law requirements guiding the ABLE Act; and
  • The procedures on death of an ABLE account owner.

Program Coordinators:
Mia O. Hernandez, Webber & Thies, P.C., Champaign
Dolores Wigman, Prairie State Legal Services, Woodstock

Program Moderator:
Dolores Wigman, Prairie State Legal Services, Woodstock

Program Chat Moderator:
Mia O. Hernandez, Webber & Thies, P.C., Champaign

Program Speaker:
Scott Nixon, Life’s Plan Inc., Lisle

Pricing 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

Online Evidence: Evidentiary Best Practices

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 the ISBA Intellectual Property Section


1.0 hour MCLE credit, including 1.0 hour Professional Responsibility MCLE credit in the following category: Professionalism, Civility, Legal Ethics, or Sexual Harassment Prevention credit


Original Program Date: Wednesday, April 30, 2025
Accreditation Expiration Date: ­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­June 4, 2027 (You must certify completion and save your certificate before this date to get MCLE credit)


Learn how to better secure, memorialize, and archive evidence from the internet with this informative online program! Intellectual property lawyers, federal civil practice attorneys, family law practitioners, and any other attorney with intermediate practice experience tasked with finding online evidence who attends this seminar will better understand how to ensure that secured evidence is evidentiarily competent and how to avoid the pitfalls associated with ad hoc screenshotting by clients, attorneys, and staff. Additional topics include:
  • Where is the evidence? The internet is a treasure trove of evidence for all sorts of cases. Personal injury? The injured party has a Facebook photo doing a cannonball. Trademark infringement? The infringing good is being sold on Amazon. But now you must go get it and make sure you can use it. And maybe avoid relying on a digital archive from the world wide web (also known as the Wayback Machine).
  • Applicable rules and case law. You found the evidence … but can you use it? This portion of the presentation discusses the applicable rules of evidence and caselaw that may impact your client and your case.
  • Best practices for gathering and using online evidence. You’re staring at the smoking gun … now what? Take a screenshot? Have a paralegal do it? Hope the Wayback Machine archives it? Use an investigator? Get the best practice tips you need for gathering and preserving online evidence so you can use it in dispositive motions and at trial.

Program Coordinator/Chat Moderator:
Jonathan LA Phillips, Phillips & Bathke P.C., Peoria Heights

Program Speakers:
Alex Sappington, Page Vault Inc., Chicago
Jonathan M. Francis, Phillips & Bathke P.C., Chicago


Pricing 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

All About Real Estate Transactions: New 8.0 Contract, Post-Closing Agreements, Surveys, and Associations

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 the ISBA Real Estates Law Section


3.0 hours MCLE credit


Original Program Date: Tuesday, April 29, 2025
Accreditation Expiration Date: June 9, 2027 (You must certify completion and save your certificate before this date to get MCLE credit)


Enhance your understanding of several key issues in residential real estate law, including the newly approved Multi-Board 8.0 Contract, with this half-day seminar! New attorneys, experienced attorneys, and non-real estate practitioners who attend this online program will be better prepared to handle all aspects of residential transactions, including:
  • The best practice tips you need to help protect your client during the post-closing agreement;
  • How to read surveys and the common issues that might arise on them; and
  • How HOA’s work, the documents you need to be familiar with, and the red flags to avoid.


Program Coordinator/Moderator:
Cheryl A. Morrison, Law Office of Cheryl A. Morrison, Mokena

Welcome & Introduction
Cheryl A Morrison, Law Office of Cheryl A. Morrison, Mokena

Post-Closing Possession Agreements
Post-closing possession agreements have become more common in recent years. This segment discusses best practices to protect both your buyer and seller clients.
Erica Crohn Minchella, Minchella & Associates, Ltd., Skokie

New Multi-Board 8.0 Contract
Get the information you need on both the substantive and organizational changes to the new Multi-Board 8.0 Contract that went into effect on February 1, 2025.
Ralph J. Schumann, Law Offices of Ralph J. Schumann, Schaumburg

Surveys
Surveys are an important but easily overlooked subject. Learn how to read surveys, what issues might arise, and how to resolve them with this informative presentation.
William J. Anaya, UB Greensfelder LLP, Chicago

Associations
Are you looking to understand homeowners’ associations and association documents better? Join us for a discussion regarding 22.1/1-35 Disclosures, paid assessment letters, and other required association documents, as well as red flags that can affect your clients.
Ellis Levin, Attorney at Law, Chicago


Pricing 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 $105 is displayed below when you login and program is eligible for Free CLE member benefit.
    • Non-Member Price $210
    • New Attorney Member (within the first five years of practice) - $25
    • Law Students – Free