The Illinois Supreme Court today announced the adoption of four new sentencing order rules that are effective March 1.

New Rules 452 and 557 deal with the preparation of sentencing orders for criminal cases and traffic, conservation, or ordinance violation cases, respectively.

New Rules 472 and 558 address the correction of certain sentencing errors, including the imposition of fines, fees, assessments, or costs; per diem credit against fines; the calculation of presentence custody credit; and clerical errors in the written sentencing order.

Are you new to insurance law and need an introduction to basic insurance law concepts? Are you a more experienced practitioner who wants a refresher? Then don’t miss this program on March 21 in Chicago or via live webcast that gives you the basic to intermediate introduction you need to advise your clients in all insurance areas, including: the types of policies and coverage available to policyholders; first party property insurance; general liability insurance; home and auto insurance; life and health insurance; disability and long-term care insurance; and the rights of both the policyholder and insured regarding how claims are handled.

No time-management system magically, and overnight, turns you into a lean, mean, efficiency machine. But becoming more productive also doesn’t require mastering every page of a two-inch-thick time-management manual. Instead, try acquiring a single new skill and developing it over time, says Affinity Consulting partner Paul Unger in the Illinois Bar Journal’s March cover story, “Manage Your Time, or It Will Manage You.” In the article, Unger, who will be the featured speaker at the ISBA Solo & Small Firm Practice Institute on March 15 in Springfield, where he will present on time management, declutters the topic and also recommends his favorite best practices and methods.

The 2019 Annual Meeting will be held at the Grand Geneva in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, from June 13–15, and you can now make your hotel reservations. To make reservations at the Grand Geneva, please call 855.833.5345 and reference reservation code #76s3q8 or indicate you are attending the Illinois State Bar Association's Annual Meeting. The deadline for making reservations for lodging is on or before May 13. Reservations received after this date will be subject to availability. The deposit will be forfeited for all no-shows, early departures, and cancellations less than seven days prior to arrival.

The Illinois Supreme Court handed down one opinion on Friday, February 22. In Edwards v. Atterberry, the court denied a petitioner’s motion for a supervisory order but allowed him leave to file a complaint for writ of prohibition.

Edwards v. Atterberry

By Jay Wiegman, Office of the State Appellate Defender

It is not very often that a group of appellate attorneys has difficulty determining whether an Illinois Supreme Court case is criminal or civil in nature. Edwards v. Atterberry, 2019 IL 123370, however, is such a case. After a jury found Edwards guilty of violating the Timber Buyers Licensing Act, a section of the Professions, Occupations and Business Operations Act (225 ILCS 735/1, et seq. (2016)), he filed a motion for supervisory order and for leave to file a writ of prohibition seeking to prohibit Judge Atterberry from conducting a sentencing hearing or from taking any other action in the underlying criminal case. Edwards claimed that because he was charged with violating regulations rather than a statute defining a criminal offense, the circuit court lacked subject-matter jurisdiction. The supreme court denied the motion for a supervisory order but allowed Edwards leave to file a complaint for writ of prohibition.

Don’t miss this full-day seminar on March 15 in Springfield that gives you all the information you need to take your technology to the top. Topics include: how to build your social media presence to bring in more clients and enhance your reputation; how to better manage your staff; the correct way to use encryption, email, passwords, and more; how to make the most of your technology budget; how to avoid being overloaded by technology and create a better system for communicating with staff and clients; the need for civility in the legal profession; how to move beyond your limits of liability; which iPad apps you need in your practice; and the necessary fundamentals for your website.

It’s no secret that a document assembly system is a cure-all for document-intensive areas of practice.

Attorneys in practices such as estate planning, real estate, contracts, banking, and employee benefits can greatly benefit from automating their document production process. It’s one of the few technologies that can actually revolutionize the way you work.

ISBA Director of Legislative Affairs Jim Covington reviews legislation in Springfield of interest to ISBA members. This week he covers special interrogatories, appearances by corporate officers, evictions, experts in adult guardianship reports, relocation in the IMDMA, condos and community associations, condos, public guardian fees, maintenance and veterans’ benefits, Cook County subcircuit judgeships, and Cook County associate judgeships.

Special interrogatories. House Bill 2233 (Thapedi, D-Chicago) repeals Section 2-1108 of the Code of Civil Procedure allowing special interrogatories in verdicts. House Bill 2233 is assigned to the House Judiciary Committee.