In his September Illinois Bar Journal article, “Busting the Myth About Corporate Trustee Fees,” Jay E. Harker notes that many Illinois attorneys—some regularly, some occasionally—draft revocable, living trusts, and that all of them know firsthand that clients overwhelmingly prefer to designate family members as their successor trustees. This very often this works out just fine for all concerned, Harker notes. But he suggests that some estate-planning scenarios scream for serious consideration of a corporate trustee.

Get the information you need to advise your next guardianship or probate client with this full day onsite program.

The Illinois Supreme Court has announced a grand opening for a new Learning Center on September 20, 2023, at the Supreme Court Building at 200 E. Capitol Avenue in Springfield. The grand opening program will be held from 1:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.

 Security-related advice will be among the many topics covered during the “ISBA Solo and Small Firm Conference 2023: The Intersection of Technology and the Law” Sept. 28-29. Speakers for the security-related sessions spoke with the Illinois Bar Journal to summarize what they plan to discuss. For example, too many solo and small firms assume that their size protects them. But hackers know such firms have “fewer resources and less time, and they’re less attuned to cyberthreats because they’re just trying to run their businesses,” one presenter says.

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 August, 2023, ISBA helped 1,689 people in need of legal services find lawyers. 

In 2022, the U.S. Supreme Court determined that U.S. citizens have no constitutional right to abortion and overturned Roe v. Wade (1973) and Planned Parenthood v. Casey (1992). This decision ultimately returned power to each individual state to regulate the legality of abortions. Join us for a comprehensive look at how the country has responded since the Supreme Court Dobbs decision, the historical and legal insight surrounding this topic, what to expect in a post- Roe society, and Illinois’ legal and legislative posture since this decision.

Chief Justice Mary Jane Theis and the Illinois Supreme Court announced today an order entered to help the court system implement the pretrial release provisions of the SAFE-T Act, which goes into effect on September 18, 2023.

The Corporate Transparency Act reporting begins January 1, 2024 – will you be ready to advise your clients? Join us for this in-depth look at the requirements for reporting information about state law entities, their beneficial owners, and “applicants.”

 In his August Illinois Bar Journal Judging Your Writing column, “Chat Not,” First District Illinois Appellate Court Justice Michael B. Hyman experiments with ChatGPT and gauges its capability as a legal writing tool. He asks OpenAI’s free ChatGPT 3.5 to prepare memos on various legal topics and prods the tool when its answers lack substance. His conclusion—chatbots are not a viable option … yet.

The Illinois Supreme Court has announced the creation of the Illinois Judicial College Committee on Pretrial Education (CPTE) as a seventh Standing Committee of the Illinois Judicial College (Judicial College), elevating pretrial education from its current Pretrial Board Workgroup status in the Judicial College.