You Be the Judge: Ratings for Cook County Judicial Candidates Now Available

Posted on October 15, 2024 by Timothy A. Slating

The Illinois State Bar Association's Cook County judicial ratings for the November 5, 2024, election are available online.

In Cook County, an ISBA Judicial Evaluations committee used the results of a questionnaire, background investigations, and in-person interviews to rate candidates for all judicial offices. Candidates for the Appellate Court outside of Cook County were also evaluated using this method.

AI’s Promises and Perils

Posted on October 14, 2024 by Timothy A. Slating

 As Illinois’ Generative and Natural Language Processing Task Force, charged with assessing legislation, rules, and policies, and educating members and the public at large, on the vast implications of artificial intelligence (AI), its findings and recommendations may ultimately shape best practices in Illinois, including its courts, says Rodney R.

Issues in Pre-Trial Detention

Posted on October 11, 2024 by Timothy A. Slating

Tens of thousands of people await trial from the confines of jail each year in Illinois, with the most common reason being their inability to post bail. But pre-trial detention can cause many issues – most notably the loss of wages or employment of those being detained. Join us for this in-depth look at the pros and cons of pre-trial detention, as well as: the most common issues being seen w by courts across the State; the questions to ask regarding the pre-trial detention of a defendant; and how to best preserve issues for appeal.

Representing Evil

Posted on October 10, 2024 by Timothy A. Slating

 In the early to mid-1990s, Illinois attorney Karen Conti and her husband and law partner Greg Adamski took on serial killer John Wayne Gacy as a client during Gacy’s final appeals as his execution date closed in on him. It wasn’t until now that Conti has been willing to process and share the full set of complex emotions she experienced as she represented Gacy.

ISBA’s Lawyer-to-Lawyer Mentoring Program

Posted on October 8, 2024 by Timothy A. Slating

Mentors Needed! This year-long mentoring program pairs ISBA lawyers with new admittees to provide them guidance during their first years of practice. All participants will receive 6 MCLE credits, including 6 PMCLE credits, upon successful program completion of the year long program. Credit is issued by the Commission on Professionalism when you attest completion of the program. This program can be used as an alternative to the new MCLE requirement of 1 hour of Diversity & Inclusion PMCLE credit and 1 hour of Mental Health/Substance Abuse PMCLE credit.

Navigating Restrictions and Transparency Requirements of Foreign Investments in U.S. Land - Part 2

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 International & Immigration Law Section
Co-Sponsored by the ISBA Agricultural Law Section and ISBA Real Estate Law Section


1.0 hour MCLE credit


Original Program Date: Friday, September 27, 2024
Accreditation Expiration Date: ­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­October 10, 2026 (You must certify completion and save your certificate before this date to get MCLE credit)


Nearly 41 million acres of land is owned (in part or in full) by foreign entities …
with minimal federal regulation.


Join us for Part 2 as we continue our in-depth discussion on the federal and state rules regulating foreign ownership of U.S. land, including the reporting requirements of foreign investments in U.S. businesses and agriculture. Real estate lawyers, agricultural law attorneys, business advice and financial planning practitioners, and international/immigration counsel with intermediate practice experience who attend this online seminar will better understand:
  • The federal and state legislative and litigation updates you need to be aware of;
  • Illinois’ reporting requirements;
  • The Corporate Transparency Act reporting requirements for certain foreign entities;
  • How to navigate foreign ownership restrictions and title/escrow issues;
  • The pitfalls to avoid and practical takeaways to be aware of when conducting real estate transactions in Illinois and surrounding states;
  • The various hiccups that can arise, including types of restrictions, transaction hang ups, chain of title considerations, pre-approval requirements, and possible penalties; and
  • Much more.

Program Coordinator/Chat Moderator:
Angela Peters, Buffalo Grove Law Offices, Arlington Heights

Program Speaker:
Harrison Pittman , Director, National Agricultural Law Center (NALC), Arkansas
Jen Modjeska
, Divisional Underwriting Counsel, First American Title Insurance Company, Washington


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

Navigating Medicare: Appeals and Long-Term Care Benefits

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


1.0 hour MCLE credit


Original Program Date: Thursday, September 26, 2024
Accreditation Expiration Date: ­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­October 10, 2026 (You must certify completion and save your certificate before this date to get MCLE credit)


Gain a better understanding of the Medicare appeals process, while learning how to identify the different levels of appeals with this informative online seminar. Elder law attorneys, health care counsel, senior lawyers, and disability law practitioners with basic to intermediate practice experience who attend this program will better understand:
  • How to advocate for your clients when their Medicare benefits are prematurely cut off;
  • The regulatory framework governing Medicare benefits for long-term care residents;
  • The practical strategies you need to know to ensure compliance and successful benefit claims; and
  • Much more.

Program Coordinator and Chat Moderator:
Dolores A. Wigman , Prairie State Legal Services, Inc., Woodstock

Program Speaker:
Al Kushner
, Real Easy Medicare, Florida


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

Civil Remedies and Other Avenues to Address Elder Financial Exploitation

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 Elder Law Section Council


1.0 hours MCLE credit


Original Program Date: Wednesday, September 25, 2024
Accreditation Expiration Date: ­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­October 10, 2026 (You must certify completion and save your certificate before this date to get MCLE credit)


Elder financial exploitation is one of the fastest-growing types of elder abuse and is often the result of greedy family members, caregivers, neighbors, and business partners. Don’t miss this in-depth look at this important area of the law, including the different ways seniors are being financially exploited, how to prevent or stop the financial exploitation of the elder community, the civil remedies that could be used to recover your client’s stolen assets, and the consumer protections that may help financial exploitation victims.


Program Coordinator:
Dolores A. Wigman, Prairie State Legal Services, Woodstock

Program Speakers:
Megan McGlothlin Wood, Prairie State Legal Services, Bloomington
Megan Kinney
, Land of Lincoln Legal Aid, St. Louis


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

SSFC - Darwinian Awards for Ethically Challenged Lawyers

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 Illinois State Bar Association
Sponsored by the ISBA Mutual Insurance Company


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


Original Program Date: Friday, September 20, 2024
Accreditation Expiration Date: ­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­November 11, 2026 (You must certify completion and save your certificate before this date to get MCLE credit)


Your mother always told you: you can learn things the easy way or the hard way! This segment allows you to learn legal ethics the easy way. By reviewing the mistakes other lawyers have made, from advising clients to putting a sign up in their yard announcing illegal activity was going on inside the house, to lawyers getting opposing counsel drunk just to score some points with the jury, this class hands out the Darwinian Awards. Charles Darwin had a theory that only the fittest survive. Well … you can be among the fittest by adjusting your behavior to avoid the behaviors of these lawyers.

Program Moderator:
Diana C. Servos, S.T. Legal Group, Deerfield

Program Speaker:
Joel Oster, Comedian of Law, Kansas


*Originally presented as part of the ISBA’s Solo & Small Firm Conference 2024: Empowering Attorneys with Practice and Technology Tools. Find more sessions in this series in the ISBA On-Demand CLE catalog.


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

SSFC - Avoiding Business Email Compromise & Wire Fraud

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 Illinois State Bar Association
Sponsored by the ISBA Mutual Insurance Company


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


Original Program Date: Friday, September 20, 2024
Accreditation Expiration Date: ­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­November 11, 2026 (You must certify completion and save your certificate before this date to get MCLE credit)


Scams and hackers become more sophisticated every year, with business email compromise and wire fraud being among the most common cyber insurance claims today. Every lawyer needs to understand the duties, challenges, and appropriate methods for using technology. Join us for a look at what you can do to prevent business email compromise before it happens, the signs that your firm is under attack (and what you can do immediately to minimize harm), your ethical responsibilities following a business email compromise attack, and the best practices that everyone in your firm needs to follow to protect your clients from wire fraud.

Program Moderator:
Sarah Toney
, The Toney Law Firm LLC, Chicago

Program Speaker:
Mat Kresz, Attorney & Counselor at Law, Chicago


*Originally presented as part of the ISBA’s Solo & Small Firm Conference 2024: Empowering Attorneys with Practice and Technology Tools. Find more sessions in this series in the ISBA On-Demand CLE catalog.


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