Illinois courts remained open throughout the COVID-19 pandemic by moving many court proceedings, where appropriate, to remote hearings in almost every type of case. In recognition of the importance of continuing the positive change brought by the transition to virtual hearings, the Supreme Court’s Illinois Judicial Conference has formed a Remote Proceedings Task Force (Task Force). The Task Force is charged with evaluating the current state of remote proceedings and connecting best practices for virtual hearings from across the state.

Don’t miss this in-depth discussion on defending criminal and civil forfeiture cases with this informative online seminar.

Changes to K-12 education during the COVID-19 pandemic have produced new concerns about free speech for students and teachers, notes Christine L. Self in her March Illinois Bar Journal article, “Free Speech and Public Education.” In Mahanoy Area School District v. B.L., the U.S. Supreme Court extended First Amendment protections regarding off-campus social media activity but arguably left open the door to school district regulation of student and, perhaps, teacher speech related to computer-based learning.

Kent A. Gaertner, age 69, a resident of Aurora, IL, and formerly of Naperville, IL, passed away peacefully on March 2, 2022, at Edward Hospital.

Don’t miss this discussion on how to work with elderly clients – from identifying who your client is, to understanding the challenges facing both you and your aging client.

Join us from the comfort of your home or office for this in-depth look at the central panel adjudication model, which is designed to ensure that administrative law judges are employed separately from the agencies that they serve in an effort to provide fair and unbiased judicial decisions.

The Legal Services Corporation (LSC) announces the availability of grant funds to provide civil legal services to eligible clients during calendar year 2023. In accordance with LSC’s multiyear funding policy, grants are available for only specified service areas.

It was 1972 and Jeffrey Hicken was a newly minted lawyer who landed a state government job reviewing cases of convicted and incarcerated felons and, where possible, write up their appeals. At $150 a week, it wasn’t much money, but he was thrilled. As to his win-loss ratio? That’s easy—he almost never won. One day a hefty parcel labeled People v. J.T. Darling appeared on his desk. It contained a trial transcript, documents, and reports about the burglary conviction of Mr. Darling, or “JT”, who had just begun a six to 12-year sentence at the Menard Correctional Center. JT was from Goofy Ridge, Illinois, where the crime took place. JT’s case would lead Hicken to learn one of his most formative lessons as an attorney.

The Illinois Supreme Court Commission on Professionalism is pleased to announce that registration is open for The Future Is Now: Legal Services conference. The virtual conference will be held on Thursday, April 21, from 12 – 4:15 p.m. CDT.

The Illinois Courts Commission (Commission) is seeking applicants for the position of Executive Director and General Counsel. The selected candidate will serve as the head of the agency and will supervise its day-to-day operations.

The Commission is the state’s judicial disciplinary body under Article VI, Section 15 of the Illinois Constitution. Containing members drawn from the Supreme Court, the Appellate Court, and the Circuit Court, as well as public members who are not judges, the Commission decides complaints brought by the Judicial Inquiry Board against judges alleged to have committed misconduct or to be physically or mentally unable to perform their duties.