ISBA President David Sosin presented the American Lawyers Alliance’s Law-Related Education Teacher of the Year Award to Dennis Brown, a teacher at Huntley High School, on Aug. 9 in San Francisco.

The event coincided with the American Bar Association's 2019 Annual Meeting. 

The awards were created to honor teachers who have made significant contributions in the area of law-related education and who have developed programs that have:

A tornado is one of the most violent and destructive types of storms, often developing with little to no advance warning.

Parts of Illinois are particularly susceptible to tornadoes, so it’s important for law firms to be prepared for such an occurrence.

Don’t miss the ISBA’s fifth installment of the Practice Ready Series, which is designed for new lawyers needing guidance on the trial process. The event will be held from noon until 1 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 19 in the Chicago Regional Office. Topics include: the issues to consider when accepting a case; client expectations; pre-suit investigations; filing the lawsuit; properly handling the discovery; and pretrial motions.

“I’ve spent most of my 55 years thinking of myself as an undercover introvert,” writes Karen Erger in her Your Life’s Work column in the August 2019 Illinois Bar Journal. “I love what I do, and my work puts me behind a podium and face-to-face with strangers all the time. But I don’t enjoy or seek out those activities for their own sake, and my idea of a great day (at work, anyway) is one spent alone in my office reading, writing, and delving so deeply into my projects that I lose track of time.” In her column, Erger reflects on life as an introverted lawyer, coming to peace with that, and how she refuses to let it get the best of her.

The Illinois Supreme Court Commission on Access to Justice (ATJ Commission) and the Administrative Office of the Illinois Courts has issued a request for proposals (RFP) from all judicial circuits in Illinois for self-represented litigant (SRL) coordinators. 

SRL coordinators are intended as a bridge, linking their courthouses with others throughout the state to share ideas, develop new resources, and establish programs for assisting SRLs. Monetary grants will be awarded to a limited number of judicial circuits to support the work and programs of the coordinator. Even if a grant is not awarded, the designated coordinator may participate in the SRL coordinator program. 

The Illinois Supreme Court will leave the Illinois Supreme Court Building in Springfield behind for a day to hear oral arguments at Lewis & Clark Community College in Godfrey.

The Supreme Court will hear arguments in two cases starting at 10:30 a.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 18 in the Hatheway Cultural Center, located at 5800 Godfrey Rd, Godfrey.

The upcoming arguments at Lewis & Clark Community College will be the Court’s first road trip since March 15, 2018, when arguments were heard at the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign.

Nominations are open for PILI awards to recognize attorneys and legal programs making outstanding contributions in pro bono and public interest law across the state of Illinois. Attorneys can either submit a self-nomination or nominate a colleague. 

PILI Annual Awards
Every year, PILI presents several awards to acknowledge lawyers and legal programs. The deadline for nominations is Sept. 6.

• The Distinguished Public Service Award honors an individual whose commitment to public interest work has shaped a career dedicated to service.
• The Distinguished Alumni Awards recognize one former PILI Intern and one former PILI Fellow for outstanding contributions of public interest and/or pro bono work.
• The Pro Bono Initiative Award acknowledges a single entity for its significant pro bono work in the community.

Drew T. Erwin has been appointed at-large circuit judge in the Eighth Judicial Circuit. 

Erwin is being appointed to fill the vacancy created by the retirement of Judge Mark A. Drummond on Aug. 5. The appointment takes effect on Sept. 6 and will conclude on Dec. 7, 2020, when the vacancy will be filled by the winner of the November 2020 general election. 

Join us online from noon until 1 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 18 for a comprehensive overview of the e-filing process and the electronic issues that can arise for practitioners during the filing process, as well as the privacy and logistics concerns that can affect attorneys and their clients.

The National Conference of Bar Examiners (NCBE) is asking attorneys to take part in a practice analysis survey, which takes about 15 to 20 minutes to complete.  

The survey is designed to collect information about the work that newly licensed lawyers perform; the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to competently perform that work; and the technology used in law practice.