IADC Announces Mark Hansen as President-Elect for 2025-26

Posted on July 30, 2025 by Marybeth Stanziola

CHICAGO – July 30, 2025 – The International Association of Defense Counsel (IADC) has elected Mark D. Hansen, Senior Associate General Counsel for GROWMARK, Inc., as its President-Elect for 2025-26. The announcement was made at the organization’s 2025 Annual Meeting July 10 in Québec City, Québec, Canada.

The IADC is the preeminent invitation-only global legal organization for attorneys who represent corporate and insurance interests.

40 Hour Mediation Training - Fall 2025

Posted on July 30, 2025 by Marybeth Stanziola

Mediation is designed to resolve differences both in and out of the courts. It requires a very different mindset than courtroom litigation. This Master Series program trains practitioners to resolve conflicts in a non-adversarial, non-confrontational manner, allowing peaceful resolutions between parties. Attendees will receive a copy of The Practice of Mediation: A Video-Integrated Text, 3 rd Edition, which will be mailed to registrants prior to the program’s start date.

A caseworker assigned to monitor Illinois foster child Mackenzi Felmlee — who later died in May 2024 — had a troubling past, including an arrest for a violent crime and orders of protection filed against her by eight women for alleged threats, harassment, and abuse, court documents show.

From: 
Capitol News Illinois

According to the latest Legislative Heat Check Report, Illinois is now a lawsuit inferno. The report by the American Tort Reform Association says the General Assembly’s passage of Illinois Senate Bill 328 sends a message that Illinois is not open for business.

From: 
Illinois Radio Network

A deadly shooting in New York raises urgent questions—Illinois officials discuss how the state's red flag law aims to prevent similar tragedies through temporary firearm restraining orders.

From: 
Fox 32 Chicago

At a community meeting in the West Loop, Kwame Raoul joins Democratic counterparts from other states in a discussion on the impacts of cuts to services, unlawful enforcement actions, and ways to respond via courts.

From: 
Chicago Sun-Times

 A man accused of fatally shooting his daughter-in-law outside a northwest suburban hotel was ordered detained in the Cook County Jail on Monday. A Rolling Meadows Court judge ruled 76-year-old Roland Schmidt is a danger to the community, witnesses to the crime, and his family.

From: 
Fox 32 Chicago

Debra B. Walker, a native of Carthage, and Chicago attorney Genevieve E. (nee Niemann) Miller, a native of Quincy, were recently honored by the Illinois State Bar Association. Miller received ISBA’s Young Lawyer of the Year Award, while Walker received ISBA’s Carole Bellows Woman of Influence Award.

From: 
Muddy River News

A Macon County jury awarded a family $17.1 million Tuesday in a wrongful death lawsuit after their infant son died in 2019. Attorneys for Colton and Hannah Bayless said the family’s son Oliver suffered injuries during childbirth in May 2018, and the injuries resulted in his death in February 2019.

From: 
Capitol City Now