Upon release from prison, releases are generally not prepared to reenter their communities. And, unless society provides a support system, these individuals may be vulnerable to reengage in criminal pursuits to obtain food, shelter, and money, or to lapse into depression and anxiety (which further threatens their ability to reengage in society and even with their families). Don’t miss this opportunity to learn how you can help your client successfully integrate back into society after their time in prison.

 In his fifth and final article in his five-part Illinois Bar Journal series on trial advocacy, Gino L. DiVito focuses on the losing argument, which he says possess a unique status within trial advocacy. In his article, “What I Learned From Teaching Trial Advocacy: The Closing Argument,” published in the IBJ’s February issue, DiVito writes, closing arguments “occupy the climactic arguments in books, plays, movies, stories, and real trials. But persuasion does not magically occur based on the power of closing arguments. If you haven’t done the job of persuasion from the opening gun—if, during the other parts of trial, jurors haven’t accompanied you on the road toward victory—persuasion is unlikely to result from your closing arguments. … Nonetheless, closing arguments deservedly earn the mystique they generate.”

The Candidate Report for the 2024 ISBA Election is below. All members of the association (except non-lawyer members) with their dues paid by March 1, 2024 are eligible to vote.

(N.B.: Where more candidates filed for a position than vacancies available, ballot positions were determined by lot. Ballot positions are listed next to the candidate’s name.)

 The Public Interest Law Initiative (PILI) is hiring for an Attorney Program Manager. Under the leadership and supervision of the Managing Attorney, this is a full-time position based in Southern Illinois.

The Illinois State Bar Association’s Lawyer Finder Service provides referrals to local lawyers Mondays through Fridays. The Service makes referrals in a number of areas of law. For the month of January, 2024, ISBA helped 1,444 people in need of legal services find lawyers. 

 In a roundup of two recent Illinois State Bar Association CLE programs, the Illinois Bar Journal’s February cover story, “Artificial Intelligence and the Authentic Attorney,” observes that just as an attorney’s time is well spent considering the benefits and drawbacks of AI, the same can be said for keeping in mind best practices for communicating clearly and effectively with clients and colleagues. 

There’s still time to register! Improve your trial skills in this “learn-by-doing” program that covers all phases of trial work from both a plaintiff/prosecutor and defendant’s viewpoint, in both civil and criminal cases. Through this course, you will learn and practice new trial techniques that are most effective and consistent with the Illinois Rules of Evidence and the Federal Rules of Evidence. Each session is audio-video taped so you can see and hear the improvements in your voice, manner, and trial technique. The course has been proven to be of value whether your practice includes trying jury and non-jury cases, administrative hearings, arbitrations, or even mediations.