The deadline to submit nominating petitions for the ISBA election is Thursday, Jan. 31, at 4:30 p.m. at either the Illinois Bar Center, 424 S. 2nd St., Springfield, or the Chicago Regional Office at 20 S. Clark St., Suite 900, Chicago.

Members of the ISBA will elect a third vice president, 11 seats on the Board of Governors, 45 seats on the Assembly in Cook County, and 88 seats on the Assembly outside Cook County.

One board seat is open in each of the following Areas: Area 2 (Circuits 17, 19 and 22), Area 4 (circuits 10, 14, and 15), Area 5 (Circuits 5, 6 and 11), Area 7 (Circuits 1, 2 and 4), Under Age 37 in Cook County, and Under Age 37 outside Cook County. Additionally, five seats are open in Cook County.

Civil litigators, trial attorneys, young lawyers, and tort lawyers with all levels of practice experience who attend this online seminar on Feb. 26 will better understand: the do’s and don’ts of trial technology; how technology can enhance your client’s story; the best ways to incorporate technology into your trial presentation; how technology can be used during the jury selection process; and how our speakers prepare their trial presentations.

Due to inclement weather, the following Illinois courts will be closed this week:

February’s Illinois Bar Journal includes the winning article of 2019’s Lincoln Award Legal Writing Contest. The article, “General and Boilerplate Objections: Curbing Routine Abuse of the Discovery Process” by Gregory R. Jones, an associate at Goldenberg Heller & Antognoli, P.C., in Edwardsville, examines distasteful discovery tactics that can directly conflict with the spirit of discovery and the concept of “full disclosure.”

The Illinois Supreme Court handed down eight opinions on Friday, Jan. 25. In People v. Witherspoon, the court considered whether a person who enters another person’s home in violation of a court order thereby enters “without authority” under the home invasion statute. In People v. Johnson, the supreme court concluded that the appellate court erred in considering the merits of a man’s sentencing challenge because he could not challenge it other than through withdrawal of his plea. The court ruled that a defendant was required to offer some affirmative evidence that the parking lot where he was arrested for DUI was not a public highway in People v. Relwani. In Rosenbach v. Six Flags Entertainment Corp., the court ruled that consumers do not have to demonstrate “injury or adverse effect” to sue companies under the state’s biometric privacy law. The supreme court upheld a trial court’s ruling granting a father who had joint custody of his children to relocate in In re Marriage of Fatkin and clarified the rules governing the admission of photographs in motor vehicle cases in Peach v. McGovern. In In re Appointment of Special Prosecutor, the court rejected arguments by the Better Government Association to release documents in a FOIA request. In Smith v. The Vanguard Group, the court determined that a man did not violate an injunction when he changed the beneficiary designation from his wife to his sons.

Gregory R. Jones, an associate at Goldenberg Heller & Antognoli, P.C., from Edwardsville, is winner of first place and $2,000 in the ISBA’s 2019 Lincoln Award Legal Writing Contest. His article, “General and Boilerplate Objections: Curbing Routine Abuse of the Discovery Process,” appears in the February issue of the Illinois Bar Journal.

Second place winner is Daniel C. Katzman, a partner at Katzman & Sugden, LLC, in Belleville. His article is “Can You Record Me Now? Tapping into the Illinois Eavesdropping Act and its Effect on Attorneys, Employers, and Individuals.” Daniel won $1,000.

Third place and $500 goes to Chicagoan Jake Crabbs, for “Responding to Affirmative Defenses.”

ISBA Director of Legislative Affairs Jim Covington reviews legislation in Springfield of interest to ISBA members. This week he covers the Vacancy Fraud Act, the Workplace Transparency Act, the Justice for Juveniles Program, and guardianship of minors.

Creates the Vacancy Fraud Act. House Bill 832 (Martwick, D-Chicago) allows a taxing body or its representative to file a vacancy-fraud complaint with the county board of review if the property is receiving vacancy relief and the property owner is not actively attempting to lease, sell, or alter the property. It sets forth factors in determining whether vacancy fraud has occurred and its penalties. House Bill 832 was just introduced.

The fiduciary duties established under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) are recognized as the “highest known to law” and can result in personal liability for fiduciaries who oversee plan investments. Law firm partners who manage firm retirement plans and lawyers with clients who maintain retirement plans who attend this online seminar on Feb. 19 will walk away with a basic level of financial literacy regarding common retirement plan investments, as well as a better understanding of the ERISA fiduciary obligations that must be met regarding the investment of retirement plan assets.

Ryan Suniga, an attorney with the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office, discusses tips for effective brief writing. Tips include framing your issue at the beginning of a piece of writing, becoming proficient at designing text, and the use of caselaw.