Governor Pritzker signed a new coronavirus-related Executive Order addressing notarial acts and remote witnessing of document signings.
The bar admission ceremonies typically held in the five judicial districts will be condensed into one ceremony held via video conference due to the coronavirus. The single statewide swearing-in will be hosted by Chief Justice Anne M. Burke and will be held at 10:30 a.m. on Thursday, May 7. Candidates for admission will be given login criteria to the live video conference. Candidates will have a copy of their attorney oath emailed to them from the Supreme Court Clerk’s Office and will be asked to sign and mail that in prior to the ceremony.
Voting is now underway in the 2020 ISBA Election.
ISBA's election provider Election America emailed e-ballots to members with valid email addresses today, Thursday, March 26. Members without a valid email address will be mailed a paper ballot. All members of the Association (except non-lawyer members) with dues paid by March 1, 2020 are eligible to vote. The deadline for voting is Thursday, April 30, 2020 at 4:30 p.m.
Join us via live webinar from 12:55 until 3 p.m. on Tuesday, April 28 to learn from experienced trial lawyers and a Cook County Circuit Court judge on how to be a more effective advocate for your client—from jury selection through closing argument. Civil litigators, trial attorneys, young lawyers, and tort practitioners with basic to intermediate levels of experience who attend this online seminar will better understand how to: present and argue motions in limine; make effective jury selections; make objections during trial; establish proofs through direct examination; control a witness on cross-examination; handle the jury instruction conference; deliver a memorable closing argument; and maintain professionalism throughout the adversarial process.
The Illinois Supreme Court handed down four opinions on Thursday, March 19. In People v. McLaurin, the court reinstated a man’s conviction of being an armed habitual criminal. In People v. Hill, the court declined to overrule its prior decision in People v. Stout, which holds that the odor of burnt cannabis, alone, is enough to provide probable cause to search a vehicle. In People v. Jackson, the court upheld a murder conviction despite the defendant’s claims of error. In Whitaker v. Wedbush Securities, Inc., the court construed article 4A of the Illinois Uniform Commercial Code to determine whether the term “bank” applied to the defendant futures commission merchant.
In response to the COVID-19 public health crisis, the ISBA has created a community devoted to the pandemic on ISBA Central.
ISBA Central allows members to connect with their colleagues via our online community platform. Attorneys can pose questions, share information, and seek out lawyers for case referrals.
The COVID-19 community is open to all ISBA members and is designed to help attorneys share information with their colleagues throughout Illinois.
By Matthew Hulstein
On March 17, the Cook County Circuit Court largely shut down to help stem the spread of the COVID-19 virus. Many other county and federal courts have also closed their doors. Law firms and legal aid organizations have also shuttered their offices, sending scores of attorneys to work from home. On March 21, Gov. Pritzker ordered all “non-essential” economic activity to cease and for Illinois residents to shelter in place. Hundreds of companies have gone dark, laying off thousands of vulnerable workers. Unemployment applications have surged, and bills will go unpaid.
ISBA members:
The health and safety of our members and staff is of the utmost importance to the ISBA. While developments related to COVID-19 continue to unfold, the ISBA is closely monitoring a variety of public health sources. In light of Friday's Executive Order, the ISBA's offices will be closed through April 7, but staff will continue to telecommute and member services will remain uninterrupted. We will not be having any in-person events, in-person CLE, or in-person business meetings through April 30.
For decades, Illinois has been a popular legal destination for plaintiffs’ counsel looking to litigate their respective toxic tort cases and take advantage of what they believe are plaintiff-friendly exposure laws and sympathetic juries in certain venues. Many asbestos claims are filed on behalf of plaintiffs without any connection to Illinois. Most of these plaintiffs live, work, and claim to have been exposed in Indiana, Michigan, or Wisconsin; some plaintiffs come from farther away. Despite Illinois’ forum-non-conveniens stance having been settled by the Illinois Supreme Court since 2012, plaintiff firms continue to file case after case in Illinois courts. In addition to the out-of-state plaintiff filings, plaintiff firms have also brought many out-of-state defendants into Illinois asbestos litigation—“the name first ask questions later” approach, which, argues Craig Liljestrand in his March 2020 Illinois Bar Journal article, “Can Asbestos Ever Be Mitigated From Illinois Courts?” raises more than a few eyebrows from the defense bar familiar with Illinois Supreme Court Rule 137(a).
Join us via live webcast from 11 a.m. until noon on Wednesday, April 1 to learn how having control over your time and understanding where to focus your efforts will help you grow a thriving law firm. You will market more profitably, train your staff more effectively, and get more time to spend with the people you love. In this webinar led by Mark Powers, Atticus founder and Certified Practice Advisor, you will learn easy-to-implement strategies to help you take back control over your time and focus so you can better manage your practice.