Every client and trial are different. But successful trial lawyers know that winning a case requires deep preparation and attention to detail that begin long before jurors are seated and the trial starts. Recently, in an ISBA CLE titled The Eight Things Every Trial Lawyer Should Know, Illinois attorneys and judges shared characteristics all good trial attorneys have in common. The Illinois Bar Journal features their key takeaways in the April 2021issue.

Their tips and tricks cover eight aspects of trial law: presenting and arguing motions in limine, selecting a jury, making objections, establishing proofs through direct examination, controlling a witness on cross examination, handling the jury instructions conference, delivering a closing argument, and maintaining professionalism during an adversarial process.

Voting is now underway in the 2021 ISBA Election.

ISBA's election provider Election America emailed e-ballots to members with valid email addresses today, Monday, March 29. Members without a valid email address will be mailed a paper ballot. The deadline for voting is Friday, April 30, 2021 at 4:30 p.m. 

The Administrative Office of the Illinois Courts announced today that it will receive a $100,000 grant from the National Center for State Courts (NCSC) as part of the Justice for All (JFA) Project. This is the second $100,000 grant that the Illinois Courts have received from the NCSC, with the first awarded in October 2019.

Join us from 8:55 a.m. until noon on Wednesday, April 21 for this half-day seminar as we delve into all things condominium! Learn how to properly submit property to the Illinois Condominium Act, how to properly form a condominium (or other type of homeowner) association, the ins and outs of condo deconversion, and how to effectively represent owners of condominiums. The program closes with a look at condos from the judicial perspective.

Join the ISBA’s Health Care Law Section Council and Young Lawyers Division from 5 to 6 p.m. on April 20 for the online event, “Illinois Cannabis: Complex Legal Issues.”

Panelists will provide a comprehensive review of medical and recreational cannabis legislation related to licensing, employment, and other pertinent topics.

The Illinois Supreme Court’s Volunteer Pro Bono Program for Criminal Appeals currently has cases available in all five appellate districts that have complete records available and are ready to be briefed.  

Attorneys who meet eligibility criteria can submit a volunteer application to the Administrative Office of the Illinois Courts. 

The pandemic has increased stress levels experienced by both lawyers and litigants, created conflicts and disputes among families, and fostered an environment where honing our technology skills are a must. Join us from 8:30 – 11:30 a.m. on Thursday, April 15 for this in-depth look at how the family law practice has been impacted by the pandemic, including how it has affected the mental health of clients and practitioners, how to manage a zoom evidentiary hearing, and the litigation of support modification and emergency matters during COVID.

After the U.S. Supreme Court ordered that Miller be applied retroactively regarding de facto life sentences for juveniles, the Illinois Supreme Court in People v. Buffer created a bright-line rule: Any sentence of incarceration greater than 40 years is a de facto life sentence and must comply with Miller and its progeny. This caused a stir in Illinois trial courts, as myriad postconviction petitions were filed by juvenile offenders who were serving terms longer than 40 years and seeking a resentencing under the new rules stemming from Miller. In Joseph T. Moran’s March 2021 Illinois Bar Journal article, “Juvenile Life Sentences After Miller,” Moran notes that practitioners can draw from a substantial amount of caselaw to effectively identify when resentencings are required to address a juvenile offender’s youth and attendant circumstances during a sentencing or Miller resentencing hearing.

Our panel of leading appellate attorneys reviews the two Illinois Supreme Court opinions handed down Thursday, March 18. In People v. Burge, the Supreme Court denied a defendant’s motion to withdraw her guilty plea after she asserted that it was involuntary because she was unaware she would lose her job if she pled guilty. In Ciolino v. Simon, a defamation case that arose from a documentary about an exoneration scandal, the Supreme Court considered whether the one-year window when the suit could be filed opened when the movie premiered at a publicized film festival.

The 2021 ISBA High School Mock Trial Invitational was held March 12-14. For the first time in its history, the event was held virtually.  

Teams representing 46 high schools from across Illinois participated in trials via Zoom. The winning team was Evanston Township High School, which will represent Illinois at the National High School Mock Trial Competition in Evansville, Indiana, which will also be held virtually this year.