Former Illinois Supreme Court Chief Justice Benjamin K. Miller Passes Away at Age 87

Posted on February 27, 2024 by Celeste Antoinette Niemann

"Justice Benjamin Miller was a gentleman who was a gentle man. He gave respect and kindness to all whose paths he crossed. Justice Miller loved the Illinois Supreme Court, the law, and life. He set the example for lawyers, judges, and citizens by the way he treated others. He will be missed. May his example live on through all of us," stated Illinois State Bar Association President Shawn S. Kasserman.

Beneficial Information

Posted on February 26, 2024 by Celeste Antoinette Niemann

 The Illinois Bar Journal’s February issue reports on the Corporate Transparency Act’s new FinCEN filing requirements, which took effect January 1. “The comprehensive legislation requires many companies doing business in the U.S. to report information about the individuals who own or control the business entity,” writes attorney Amelia Buragas in her LawPulse article, “Beneficial Information.”

First Judicial Circuit Remote Appearance Project Report Highlights Great Savings for Rural Court Users

Posted on February 23, 2024 by Celeste Antoinette Niemann

The Illinois Supreme Court’s Commission on Access to Justice (ATJ Commission), partnering with the First Judicial Circuit of Illinois and Land of Lincoln Legal Aid, Inc., announced the release of its final report on its two-year pilot program on remote court appearances in the southernmost counties of Illinois.

You Have Google Drive … How Do You Use It?

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!
ISBA’s Practice Toolbox Series
Presented by the Illinois State Bar Association


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: Tuesday, February 13, 2024
Accreditation Expiration Date: ­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­March 5, 2026 (You must certify completion and save your certificate before this date to get MCLE credit)


Want to get something for nothing? Has that ever turned out well? Maybe yes...maybe no. But it can with cloud technology. Plenty of legal organizations subscribe to G Suite and do so primarily for Gmail and Google Calendar. But there’s another great benefit to G Suite - whether you are a solo attorney or a multi-member firm: Google Drive. Every G Suite subscription includes between 300 gigabytes and one terabyte (1,000 gigabytes) of cloud storage per user. If you have three employees in the firm, each employee gets 1TB. If you have five or more users, each user has *unlimited* storage. Instead of paying for additional services, like Dropbox, use Google Drive to effectively wrangle folders, share documents (and revoke access), save videos and photos, sync locally, and manage different versions.


Program Speaker:
Danielle DavisRoe, Affinity Consulting Group
About the Speaker: Danielle’s many responsibilities at Affinity include training, CLE/speaking, writing, and management consulting. Prior to joining the Affinity family, Danielle practiced family law. She discovered, however, that she enjoyed making efficient use of technology more than practicing law, making her a perfect fit for consulting. Danielle describes her superpower as “herding cats,” and her favorite parts of her job are making others’ jobs and lives easier.


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.
    • New Attorney Member (within the first five years of practice) - $25
    • Law Students – Free

International Commercial Arbitration Series Part 1 - Contemporary Topics in International Arbitration

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


1.50 hours MCLE credit, including 1.50 hours Professional Responsibility MCLE credit in the following category: Professionalism, Civility, Legal Ethics, or Sexual Harassment Prevention credit


Original Program Date: Thursday, February 8, 2024
Accreditation Expiration Date: ­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­March 5, 2026 (You must certify completion and save your certificate before this date to get MCLE credit)


Don’t miss this opportunity to hear from three Fellows of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (FCIArb) as they offer an in-depth look at international arbitration, including how international commercial arbitration works, the potential jurisdiction issues of international arbitral tribunals to be aware of; and the power of international arbitral tribunals regarding emergency and interim measures.


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


Program Speaker:
H. Vincent Draa III , FCIArb, Kochhar & Co., Chicago
Harshitha Ram, FCIArb, Lex Apotheke, Michigan
Sarah Reynolds, FCIArb, Goldman, Ismail, Tomaselli, Brennan & Baum LLP, 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 $52.50 is displayed below when you login and program is eligible for Free CLE member benefit.
    • Non-Member Price $105
    • New Attorney Member (within the first five years of practice) - $25
    • Law Students – Free

The End of Affirmative Action? The Effect and Future of Admissions and Other Programs in the Public and Private Sectors After SFFA v. Harvard/UNC

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 Education Law Section, ISBA Human & Civil Rights Section,
and ISBA Labor & Employment Law Section
Co-sponsored by the ISBA Diversity Leadership Council


2.0 hours MCLE credit, including 2.0 hours Professional Responsibility MCLE credit in the following category: Diversity & Inclusion MCLE credit


Original Program Date: Tuesday, February 6, 2024
Accreditation Expiration Date: ­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­March 5, 2026 (You must certify completion and save your certificate before this date to get MCLE credit)


In 2014, the Students for Fair Admissions (SFFA) filed lawsuits against both Harvard College and the University of North Carolina in which they argued that each school’s race-based admissions process violated Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. On October 31, 2022, the U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments for these two cases and, on June 29, 2023, issued their ruling that sided with SFFA. Join us for a comprehensive look at this landmark case and a discussion on how this ruling changes law around affirmative action and diversity initiatives. Attorneys with all levels of practice experience who attend this online program will better understand:
  • The history and past decisions surrounding this case;
  • The recent guidance from the Department of Education and Department of Justice;
  • The potential risks moving forward for IHEs, private and public sectors, and not-for-profits; and
  • Steps to take to minimize the risk of litigation and enhance the likelihood of initiatives surviving.

Program Coordinators:
Craig Colbrook, Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, Springfield
Robert P. Lyons, Attorney at Law, Addison

Program Moderator:
Jill D. Leka, Clark Baird Smith LLP, Rosemont

Program Speakers:
Prof. Cindy Buys, SIU School of Law, Carbondale
Marcus A. Childress, Jenner & Block, Washington, D.C.
Jessica L. Galanos, Bricker Graydon, Ohio


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

Secrets of the Citation Act and tips for enforcing Judgments

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, Collections and Bankruptcy Section
Co-sponsored by the ISBA Real Estate Law Section


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


Original Program Date: Thursday, April 12, 2018
MCLE Accreditation Extension Period: ­­­­­­­April 16, 2024 - April 15, 2026 (You must certify completion and save your certificate before this date to get MCLE credit)


Winning a judgment does not guarantee you will collect the money…now what?

Join us for this informative program and learn how to enforce judgments against all types of debtors while addressing the ethical issues that arise in a debt collection practice. Attorneys at the basic and intermediate levels of practice involved in the enforcement of judgments who attend this seminar will better understand:
  • How to use the Citation Act, Section 5/2-1402 of the Code of Civil Procedure to enforce judgments;
  • The basic and obscure judgment enforcement tools and procedures within the Citation Act;
  • Piercing the corporate veil, fraudulent transfers, and other methods of reaching assets from reluctant debtors;
  • How to address the ethical issues that arise in a debt collection practice; and
  • Much more!

Program Coordinators:
Samuel H. Levine, Miller, Canfield, Paddock and Stone, PLC, Chicago
Nathan B. Lollis, Law Offices of Nathan Lollis, LLC, Chicago
Robert G. Markoff, Markoff Law LLC, Chicago

Program Moderator:
Nathan B. Lollis, Law Offices of Nathan Lollis, LLC, Chicago

Welcome and Introduction
Nathan B. Lollis, Law Offices of Nathan Lollis, LLC, Chicago

Secrets of the Citation Act
Don’t miss this informative presentation that reveals the basic and obscure judgment enforcement tools and procedures within the Citation Act.
Robert G. Markoff, Markoff Law LLC, Chicago

When Practice Collides with the Rules: Ethical Issues in the Collection Practice*
This panel presentation examines the ethical issues common to a debt collection practice together with the applicable Illinois Supreme Court Rules of Professional Conduct. Topics include: multiple claims against the same debtor; “extortion” litigation; fee splitting; trust accounts; missed deadlines; and delegation of responsibilities.
Moderator: Robert G. Markoff,Markoff Law LLC, Chicago
Sari Montgomery, Robinson Law Group LLC, Chicago
Michael L. Starzec, Blitt & Gaines P.C., Grayslake


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

Practicing in a New World

Posted on February 21, 2024 by Celeste Antoinette Niemann

 “Generative artificial intelligence stands as proof of the transformative power of technology, promising to reshape the landscape of law and advocacy,” writes Morgan B. Handwerker in her March Illinois Bar Journal article, “Practicing in a New World.”