Don’t miss the 26th Annual Agricultural Law Seminar, held from 8:30 a.m. until 4:45 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 7 in Bloomington, which offers the updates you need on a number of important agricultural law issues, including Illinois and federal estate and income tax law. Attorneys with intermediate practice experience who attend this seminar will better understand: how the past years’ federal estate tax cases have impacted the agricultural community; how the 2019 federal and state income tax changes are affecting agricultural producers; the new farm bill and marijuana laws; how to negotiate and draft farm leases; the issues facing farmers on transferring farm ownership; the new Uniform Partition of Heirs Property Act; Chapter 12 bankruptcy and farm workouts; and more.

The program closes with a comprehensive look at mental health and suicide in the legal profession, including its causes, solutions, and how to help.

Gino DiVito, author of the ISBA’s “The Illinois Rules of Evidence: A Color-Coded Guide,” was recently surprised when he uncovered more than three dozen differences between the Illinois and Federal Rules of Evidence. Some differences are major, some are minor. ”But all differences matter,” DiVito says. “Anyone serious about evidence—including all judges and most attorneys—must know the differences.” Fortunately, in the January 2020 issue of the Illinois Bar Journal, DiVito provides a succinct guide of all the differences between the IRE and FRE in his article, “The Surprising Number of Differences Between the Federal and Illinois Rules of Evidence.” DiVito writes, “I’m not aware of any freestanding guide on the differences between the Federal Rules of Evidence and the Illinois Rules of Evidence. Until now.”

Model Illinois Government is a multi-collegiate state organization that simulates the workings of our state government. Each spring, nearly 300 students from 20 Illinois colleges and universities converge to participate in our state government simulation.  

The chief justice of the MIG Supreme Court is seeking volunteer attorneys to assist with judging a 3-day moot court competition at the Wyndham Hotel in Springfield. Preferred volunteers will have an understanding of the moot court/supreme court oral argument process. Law school students and legal professionals will also be considered.   

The Illinois State Bar Association’s Lawyer Finder Service provides referrals to local lawyers Mondays through Fridays. The Service makes referrals in a number of areas of law. For the month of December 2019 there were more than 300 referrals given.

Here are the results for December 2019:

The E-Notary Task Force created by the Illinois General Assembly has submitted a report on the feasibility and viability of electronic notarization or Remote Online Notarization or both.

The Task Force recommends that the Illinois General Assembly amend the Illinois Notary Public Act to authorize the Secretary of State to issue electronic notarial commissions to qualified applicants and that electronic notarizations be accepted and recognized statewide.

The Illinois State Bar Association is inviting members to submit articles for publication in the Illinois Bar Journal (IBJ), our award-winning monthly publication that is sent to 28,000 attorneys throughout the state.

When you become an author for the IBJ, you not only establish yourself as an authoritative subject matter expert, but you can also claim CLE credit for your work.

Join us from noon until 1 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 4, for an opportunity to learn about the importance of Google reviews, the various approaches that law firms are taking to obtain quality Google reviews from clients, and how to obtain a Google business listing. Attorneys attending this online seminar will better understand: the value of Google reviews; how many reviews your law firm needs; where Google reviews are located and how to get more of them for your law firm; why you should compare your reviews to those of your competitor; the automated process of obtaining reviews and how it might affect your firm; and what to do if you get a bad review.

As of Jan. 1, Illinois became the 11th state to legalize recreational cannabis. Many regulations remain to be written and much caselaw no doubt will follow, ensuring that attorneys in such areas as criminal and employment law will have plentiful opportunities to advise clients on cannabis-related matters in the months and years ahead.​ The Illinois Bar Journal's January 2020 issue surveys several hot cannabis topics, such as the state of available drug tests, how to define under the influence, employment law, and cannabis-related expungement cases now working their way through the court system. 

In the spring, members of the ISBA will elect a third vice president, two Board of Governors seats in Cook County, and 21 seats for Cook County Assembly.

One board seat is open in each of the following Areas: Area 3 (Circuits 12, 13, 16, 21, and 23), Area 4 (Circuits 10, 14 and 15), Under Age 37 – Cook County, and Under Age 37 Outside Cook County (Circuits 1-23). 

Join us from noon until 1 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 22, for a comprehensive look at the basic fundamental rights of both union and non-union employees, as well as the laws surrounding labor strikes. Employment law practitioners, corporate law attorneys, human rights lawyers, and small business counsel with basic practice experience who attend this online seminar will better understand: the rights of unions in non-union facilities and public areas, including shopping malls; the rights of unionized and non-unionized workers to strike and take protected actions; the laws impacting work stoppages; and the rights of workers and employees leading up to and during a strike.