As rewarding as it sometimes is, working with traumatized clients also can be difficult: A client’s trauma can undermine the client’s own goals for representation. And sharing the burden of a client’s trauma can wear on the attorney. But by understanding the nature of trauma, how it’s expressed, and how to respond to it, lawyers can anticipate and prepare for its unpredictable effects. The Illinois Bar Journal’s March 2020 cover article, “The Traumatized Client,” examines what may be taking place in the minds of traumatized clients and introduces several strategies attorneys can use to help the client work through the trauma and focus on the case.

Join us in Chicago or via live webcast from noon until 3:45 p.m. Thursday, March 19 to learn what attorneys need to know about post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). This seminar is intended for any practitioner working with clients who are veterans or who have otherwise experienced trauma from violence, abuse, neglect, or exploitation. Attorneys at all levels of practice experience who attend this seminar will better understand: what PTSD is and how it affects a person; how PTSD is treated; the practice areas that PTSD is most commonly seen throughout our legal system; and how to address PTSD in clients regardless of the source of trauma.

ROSS Intelligence is now offering a member benefit to the ISBA.

ROSS’s user base already includes attorneys, paralegals, law students, and librarians throughout Illinois, and pro bono attorneys throughout the state have already been using ROSS for several years. This relationship now provides all members of the ISBA with an enhanced member benefit and training opportunities, opening up the doors for members across the state to incorporate the next generation of legal research tools into their practice.

PILI seeks a managing attorney, who will serve as a member of PILI’s Programs Team, with primary responsibility for managing PILI’s statewide efforts to expand and enhance pro bono. This is a dynamic position that requires both the ability to organize and coordinate at a high level, while also being actively engaged in administration and implementation. The ability to do regular and significant statewide travel, and limited national travel, is required.

All candidates for Illinois judicial office who are running in the March 17 primary election have been rated by the Illinois State Bar Association (ISBA) Judicial Evaluations Committee, or in a poll of lawyers conducted by the ISBA. The results were made available Feb. 21 on ISBA's Judicial Evaluations page.

Defaulted defendants frequently seek relief from default orders and judgments in the form of motions to vacate brought under 735 ILCS 5/2-1301 or 2-1401. As they say, timing is everything. The availability of relief from an order or judgment to which a defaulted party may be entitled and the standard the court must apply in determining whether a party is entitled to the relief he or she seeks depend almost exclusively on the timing of the request. Moreover, because of the procedural uniqueness of the Illinois Mortgage Foreclosure Law (IMFL), found in Article XV of the Illinois Code of Civil Procedure, an understanding of the interplay between the IMFL and the Article II civil practice statutes is critical for a successful litigant. In her February 2020 Illinois Bar Journal article, “Mortgage Foreclosure Relief,” Cook County Circuit Court Judge Cecilia Horan examines possible relief from default orders and judgments available in mortgage foreclosure cases and the limitations on those remedies.

The Illinois Supreme Court handed down two opinions on Friday, February 21. In People v. Gayden, the court considered whether to provide a means for a defendant to challenge his trial attorney’s failure to file a motion to suppress where the record on direct appeal was found to be insufficient to evaluate that claim. In Joiner v. SVM Management, LLC, the court reaffirmed its prior holdings that a class action lawsuit is mooted when the named plaintiff rejects tender of full relief before a class certification motion is filed.

Join us in Chicago from 9 a.m. – 12:15 p.m. Monday, March 9 for an introduction to restorative philosophy, principles, and circle process, as well as their practical use in helping parties who need to communicate in sustainable and respectful ways to move forward. It will be a “first step” in exposing participants to the nuts and bolts of circle process. Restorative justice principles can be applied across multiple practice areas. Attorneys attending this program will better understand: the circle process and the community building that circles foster and inspire; the skill-building that circles support, including listening, communication, critical thinking, analysis, reflection, and collaboration; and how to build upon and apply these skills in working with clients, colleagues, members of the bar, and others as they begin to think about the benefits in fulfilling their roles and carrying out their responsibilities.