Winners announced in Midyear Meeting bingo contest

Posted on December 9, 2016 by Morgan Yingst

Congratulations to the winners of the Annual Meeting bingo contest! Winners can pick up their prizes at the registration desk at the Sheraton Grand Chicago on Saturday, December 10 from 9 a.m. to noon.

  • iPad Mini - Nancy Easum
  • $25 Starbucks gift card compliments of Life's Plan Inc. - Donald P. Shriver
  • $50 Visa gift cards compliments of Advanced Corp Agents - Samuel Levine
  • Portable power bank/charger compliments of Attorneys' Title Guaranty Fund, Inc. - Joan E. Smuda
  • 2 general admission tickets to Lawyers Rock compliments of the Illinois Bar Foundation - Douglas Olivero

Study: Court fees and costs are too high, rising too fast

Posted on December 8, 2016 by Mark S. Mathewson

"Illinois imposes a dizzying array of filing fees on civil litigants and court costs on defendants in criminal and traffic cases." So begins the executive summary of the Statutory Court Fee Task Force's June 1, 2016 report, available at http://www.illinoiscourts.gov/2016_Statutory_Court_Fee_Task_Force_Report.pdf.

The Statutory Court Fee Task Force was created pursuant to the Access To Justice Act (705 ILCS 95/25) to "conduct a thorough review of the various statutory fees imposed or assessed on criminal defendants and civil litigants." The task force was composed of members appointed by representatives of both political parties and all three branches of government. The group identified four key findings, which led to six recommendations "that collectively will simplify the imposition, collection, and distribution of assessments while making them more transparent, affordable, and fair."