The Illinois Supreme Court handed down three opinions on Thursday, June 4. In People v. Coty, the court declined to extend the protections of Miller v. Alabama, 567 U.S. 460 (2012), to an intellectually disabled adult. In Williamson County Board of Commissioners v. The Board of Trustees of the Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund, the court found that amended section 7-137.2(a) of the Illinois Pension Code was unconstitutional. In Rios v. Bayer Corp., the court dismissed the case for lack of specific personal jurisdiction over an out-of-state defendant as to the claims of out-of-state plaintiffs for personal injuries suffered outside of Illinois from a device manufactured outside of Illinois.

Join us online from 2 until 3:30 p.m. Wednesday, June 17 for Reverse Mortgages—Origination, Foreclosure Prevention, and the Rights of Heirs. Matt Hulstein of CVLS and Michelle Weinberg of Legal Aid Chicago have litigated numerous reverse mortgage foreclosures. They will outline the basics of origination and how the loans work. They will also talk through various ways to avoid foreclosure if the loan is ever in default. Finally, they will outline options for the inevitable death or incapacity of the borrower. Attendees will learn: the mechanics of reverse mortgages; how to cure an alleged default of the mortgage loan; and how to plan for incapacity or death of the mortgagor.

The Illinois Supreme Court Rules Committee will hear comments on June 24, 2020, at a remote public hearing via the Zoom videoconference platform on seven proposals, including a proposal to require all written opinions by the Appellate Court to be published and a proposal to create a new Supreme Court Rule that would require all eviction complaints to include a copy of the written eviction notice or demand.

Congratulations to Miles Zaremski for winning a Visa gift card in the ISBA's 2020 Member Appreciation Month Twitter Contest! 

As part of Member Appreciation Month, we asked members to tell us what ISBA member benefits are particularly useful during the COVID-19 pandemic. We then selected a winner at random.

On June 3, various online ISBA member services will be inaccessible from 6:00 a.m. until around 10:00 a.m. for maintenance. During this time, the ISBA website will remain live but members will not be able to login to the site. As a result, the following member services will be inaccessible:

• CLE;
• Fastcase (see below);
• Online dues payment and access to the ISBA webstore;
• Members-only pages of the ISBA website; and
• ISBA Central (see below).

Please note, E-Clips will be sent out after the maintenance has been completed. 

Join us online from noon until 1 p.m. Wednesday, June 10 to learn about limited scope representation and how it can help both your law practice and your clients. Attorneys with basic to intermediate practice experience who are interested in learning more about limited scope representation should attend this online seminar for a better understanding of: the rules that govern limited scope representation; how to address problems that may arise; how to manage expectations from the client and the court; and how limited scope representation may increase your business.

In the Illinois Bar Journal’s June cover story, “Search and Assist,” Thomas Hamilton, vice president of strategy and operations for the legal-research firm ROSS Intelligence, tells the IBJ that “[t]o the extent that lawyers—especially sole practitioners and partners at small firms—also are business people, there’s an enormous suite of AI tools they can leverage to run a more profitable and streamlined business. At the same time, in their capacity as legal professionals, there are now AI tools available that allow them to provide higher-quality work more efficiently and effectively.” Thomas and other technology experts discuss the fast-evolving ways artificial intelligence is making a home in the legal industry, to your benefit.

In this Quick Takes for Your Practice video, attorney Erin Clifford shares lifestyle strategies for boosting your immunity and reducing stress.

In this Quick Takes for Your Practice video, attorney Richard Burke talks about the initial evaluation of business interruption claims.

In this Quick Takes for Your Practice video, attorney Sarah King provides six tips for talking to your clients during the pandemic.