Attorney Lisa M. Nyuli of Ariano, Hardy, Ritt, Nyuli, Richmond, Lytle & Goettel, P.C. (AHR) in South Elgin was installed as president of the Illinois Bar Foundation Board of Directors.

A partner at AHR since 2000, Lisa focuses her practice primarily in family law. Prior to joining AHR, she worked as an attorney in Aurora and Geneva for 10 years. In 2008, she became a fellow of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers and currently serves on its board. She is active in the Illinois State Bar Association (ISBA) as a member of various committees and sections and has served on the Board of Governors.

In June 2020, the ISBA joined several other Illinois bar associations and non-governmental organizations in supporting the state of Illinois’ lawsuit seeking certification and publication of the Equal Rights Amendment to the U.S. Constitution and opposing the U.S. government’s argument that Illinois (and two other states) lacked Article III standing to bring the action.  The case is Virginia v. Ferriero, 1:20-cv-00242 (U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia).

• Read the ISBA’s brief.

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 June 2020 there were more than 300 referrals given.

Here are the results for June 2020:

From humble beginnings as a child working in his parents’ grocery store in southern Illinois to his well-earned reputation as the region’s preeminent pension law attorney, Dennis Orsey will bring a wealth of experience to his term as the 144th president of the Illinois State Bar Association. Orsey assumes his role as president during historic turmoil resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic and the economic downturn it has created.  “There are going to be lots of firsts as we try to move forward and find our way through this maze,” Orsey says. To learn more about Orsey and his vision for the ISBA, read his featured profile in the Illinois Bar Journal’s July issue.

Chief Justice Anne M. Burke and the Illinois Supreme Court announced today the amendment of Rule 711(g), which will temporarily expand the class of employers eligible to supervise new law school graduates to include private law firms and other for-profit entities.

The Illinois Supreme Court order temporarily amending Rule 711 to add paragraph (g) can be found here and the Application for Authorization to Perform Legal Services under Illinois Supreme Court Rules 711(g) is available here.  

The Illinois Judicial Conference (IJC) is pleased to announce the creation of a task force to address the ongoing challenges with resuming court operations through the next phases of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Court Operations During COVID-19 Task Force (Task Force) is charged with analyzing and making recommendations regarding the continuing challenges for the administration of justice resultant from the pandemic.  

Attorneys with a June 30, 2020 MCLE compliance deadline are allowed to choose a three-month extension at no cost if they select that option by July 31, 2020.

To do so, Illinois attorneys must report “Not Yet Complied” on the MCLE Board’s website by July 31, 2020.

The ISBA will stop business services on Friday, July 3 in recognition of Independence Day. Services will resume on Monday, July 6.

During this time, members can expect the following:

• E-Clips will not be delivered Friday, July 3.

The following is a statement from the Illinois Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission:

The Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission has a unique and significant responsibility for assuring that the legal system achieves its goal of equal justice for all citizens. Given the ARDC’s role and responsibility in the legal system, it is important for us to reinforce our commitment to addressing injustice by actively combatting the evils of racism and social inequity. These times of racial and civil unrest have caused us to think deeply and differently about how we may more effectively meet our obligation to combat racism and support justice for all, which we publicly share with hope and commitment.  

In October 2019, the U.S. Supreme Court declined to grant certiorari to a case out of the Ninth Circuit, where the appellate court ruled that the Americans With Disabilities Act’s definition of “places of public accommodation” includes websites. In the Pointers From Practice HQ column in June’s Illinois Bar Journal, Affinity Consulting Group’s Jeff Schoenberger provides practical, easy-to-adopt tips for making your website more ADA compliant, even though federal guidance on the matter is far from clear.