The Illinois Supreme Court has hired Scott Block to serve as the state’s first Statewide Behavioral Health Administrator. Block will serve as the Illinois Judicial Branch’s dedicated mental health voice and resource, committed to furthering local, state, and national behavioral health and justice initiatives that affect the courts. In this capacity, he will act as the project director of the Illinois Supreme Court Mental Health Task Force and provide professional guidance on the Illinois Courts’ response to behavioral health issues that intersect with the justice system.

The Judicial Conference of the United States has authorized the appointment of a full-time United States magistrate judge for the Central District of Illinois at Springfield.  The annual salary is $201,112.  The eight-year term begins on March 23, 2022.  A court’s essential function is to dispense justice.  A community’s belief that a court dispenses justice is heightened when the court reflects the community’s racial, ethnic, and gender diversity.

A member of our panel of leading appellate attorneys reviews the Illinois Supreme Court opinion handed down Thursday, August 26. 

The United States Attorney's Office (USAO), Central District of Illinois is seeking an experienced attorney to serve in the Civil Division and handle defensive cases where they will defend government agencies and employees of the government sued in an individual capacity in a wide variety of challenging cases and to represent the government in affirmative litigation when public funds have been wrongfully obtained by fraud.

The United States Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Illinois is currently accepting applications from attorneys who have a strong civil litigation background for the position of Assistant United States Attorney (AUSA) in our Civil Division in the Fairview Heights Office.

Croke Fairchild Morgan & Beres is pleased to announce that accomplished employment attorney and commercial litigator Tracey Wolfe has joined the firm as partner. Tracey brings more than 20 years of experience across a broad range of commercial and employment matters, adding depth of knowledge and litigation experience to two key areas of practice within the growing firm.

Don’t miss this introductory look at the National Labor Relations Board’s rules and procedures regarding elections, what the Labor Board’s investigators and officials expect, how to represent unions filing petitions for elections, and how to represent employers who respond to petitions filed by unions.

Every August, the Illinois Bar Journal publishes its annual Legislative Roundup of bills pass by the General Assembly and signed by (or awaiting the signature of) the governor. Take a few minutes to scan through the list of new laws curated by Jim Covington, the ISBA’s director of legislative affairs. The online version of the Legislative Roundup is updated as Gov. Pritzker signs each bill as it becomes a public act. Covington pays special attention throughout the year to legislation affecting lawyers and the practice of law, not least regarding trusts, estate planning, real estate, family law, civil litigation, business law, criminal justice, and juvenile law.  

The Illinois Supreme Court announced today a new operational structure for pretrial services which will place all pretrial services under the authority of the Supreme Court’s Administrative Office of the Illinois Courts (AOIC), including employment of all pretrial officers. The AOIC will be tasked with the development and enforcement of all pretrial standards throughout Illinois in order to support the implementation of the Criminal Justice Reform Act (“SAFE-T Act”). The SAFE-T Act is scheduled to take effect in January 2023.

WHAT: Memorial service honoring the late Justice James D. Heiple 
WHEN: 2 p.m., Wednesday, Sept. 22, 2021 
WHERE: Supreme Court Courtroom, 200 E. Capitol Ave., Springfield and livestream

The Illinois Supreme Court will host a memorial service in honor of the late Justice James D. Heiple, who served on the Illinois Supreme Court from 1990 to 2000. A program will be available for download on the Court’s website a few days before the service.