Chief Justice Mary Jane Theis and the Illinois Supreme Court have announced today the appointment of seven judges in the Circuit Court of Cook County. These appointments were made out of public necessity in order to ensure an adequate level of judicial staffing.
The Illinois Supreme Court has announced today the creation of the Pretrial Release Appeals Task Force (Task Force). As a result of the implementation of the Pretrial Fairness Act in September 2023, there has been a dramatic increase in the number of appeals from pretrial release decisions by the circuit courts. The Task Force will convene to thoroughly review pretrial release appeals and their impact on the caseloads in each of the five districts of the Illinois Appellate Court.
The Illinois State Bar Association is a proud co-sponsor of the Benefit in Support of Higher Education in Haiti on January 23, 2024. The goal is to unite the legal community and other associations in supporting the construction of a center for higher education in Sant-Marc, Haiti, the birthplace of Jean-Baptiste Point du Sable, founder of the City of Chicago.
In the fourth of five installments of his series on trial advocacy, former trial Judge and Appellate Justice Gino DiVito focuses on cross-examination. The cross-examining attorney’s role is to teach the jury while never giving it an opportunity to learn from an opposing witness, Judge DiVito writes. He suggests that, to avoid turning the jury against you, carefully set up the witness during cross-examination with leading and closed questions, and questions for which you know the answers. And never provide a witness you are cross-examining with an open-ended question.
Join us in Chicago for this full-day seminar that offers you the updates you need on civil practice law.
DATE CHANGE! Due to the below zero temperatures anticipated for Jan. 16, the first Mentoring Circles Meetup will be rescheduled for the safety of all participants. Please let us know if you will be able to attend our new meetup date on Monday, Jan. 29, 2024.
Registration coming soon!
by Tracy Simmons, Legal Content Manager, Illinois Legal Aid Online
If volunteering is on your list of New Year’s resolutions, Illinois Legal Aid Online (ILAO) can help. ILAO offers flexible, remote pro bono opportunities. As a Legal Content Volunteer (LCV), you can choose your own project and time commitment. Your work also helps increase access to justice.
People with intellectual or developmental disabilities (ID/DD) are oftentimes capable of making many decisions on their own, but have been subjected to restrictive court-appointed guardianships simply because they have a disability. The Illinois Supported Decision-Making Act is a less-restrictive alternative to full guardianship for adults who need assistance with decisions regarding daily life. Don’t miss this in-depth look at Illinois’ new Supported Decision-Making Act, including the legislative history behind the Act, its purpose, and how to implement it in your practice.
