Lawyers live and die by words, written and spoken, but mostly written. But, of course, not everyone literally reads; perhaps a disability prevents it. 2020 marked the 30th anniversary of President Bush signing the Americans with Disabilities Act into law. In the same way that much of our public physical spaces are shaped by this law (think ramps versus stairs or brick-colored bumps at the edge of a crosswalk), our legal technologies can accommodate disparate needs, too. But, you have to learn how to make documents accessible.

The Illinois Supreme Court Statutory Court Fees Task Force (Task Force) will hold a public hearing on Tuesday, August 30, 2022, beginning at 9:00 a.m., via Zoom. The Task Force seeks oral testimony and written comments on its draft report and recommendations, which can be found on the Supreme Court’s website.

The Illinois State Bar Association invites Young Lawyers Division (YLD) attorney members to establish yourselves as experts in your practice area and compete for your share of $5,000 in prize money by entering the Annual Lincoln Award Legal Writing Contest.

Submissions should be useful, practical articles on topics important to practicing lawyers. Submissions will be considered for publication in the Illinois Bar Journal.

Justice Lisa Holder White and the Supreme Court of Illinois have announced that Seventeenth Circuit Court Judge Eugene G. Doherty has been assigned as an Appellate Court Justice in the Fourth District. 

Justice Robert L. Carter and the Illinois Supreme Court have announced that Thirteenth Circuit Court Judge Lance R. Peterson has been appointed as an Appellate Court Justice in the Third District following the death of Justice Daniel L. Schmidt on July 5, 2022. 

It’s hard to believe that lawyers have had access to online practice management programs for 15 years or more. One of the significant innovations of these web-first programs compared to their traditional, desktop-based rivals is offering client portals, where people outside the firm can see and interact with their own client file. Of course, the firm remains in control of who can see what. These portals are so popular that some traditional programs have added portals to their products as well. But, just as the word “car” means everything from an econobox to a luxury sedan, different products’ portals offer different features.

The Illinois Air National Guard is accepting letters of interest from qualified candidates for Judge Advocates in the Air National Guard. Currently, there are three vacant military Judge Advocate positions.  

The Illinois Supreme Court announced today the creation of the Supreme Court Committee on Judicial Security and Safety (the Committee). 

The Illinois Supreme Court has announced that Cook County Circuit Judge Raymond W. Mitchell has been appointed as an Appellate Court Justice in the First District, Sixth Division. 

Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed into law on May 13, 2022, the first major overhaul of the Residential Real Property Disclosure Act (the “Act”) since its enactment in 1994. Over the span of 30-plus years since the original effective date of the Act, developments in electronic communication, new statutes, and real-world practical experience all generated the need for a thorough review. In his July Illinois Bar Journal article, “Material Defects,” Michael J. Rooney, a key drafter of the legislation, provides an in-depth walk-through of the Act’s finer points.