There are many reasons why lawyers might want to research judges. They might want to learn how a judge rules or runs the courtroom to gain a tactical advantage in litigation - or to decide whether to file a motion for substitution of judge before any substantive rulings are made. Attorneys seeking to fill a vacancy in one of Illinois' circuit courts might want to learn more about, and get in contact with, the judges who will select the new jurist. But what resources exist for these purposes?

There are familiar legal research tools like Westlaw, Lexis, or Fastcase for reading published opinions. While this might be useful for learning about federal judges, where even trial courts have published opinions, it is less so for learning about state judges.

The Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law publishes a website that contains biographical and professional data for all of the judges sitting on the bench in 2015. It is located at http://illinoisjudges.law.northwestern.edu/. The site has gathered data from several sources including the Illinois Supreme Court website, Sullivan's Judicial Profiles, individual judges' websites, and other sources.

Asked and Answered

By John W. Olmstead, MBA, Ph.D, CMC

Q. I am the partner recently put in charge of marketing in our eight lawyer general practice firm. For years we have simply relied on referrals from past clients, lawyers, and other referral sources as our sole means of client development. A few years ago we invested in a website. We are now considering whether we should invest in social media. I welcome your thoughts.

An ISBA committee is recommending to the ISBA Assembly that it support adoption of the Uniform Bar Examination in Illinois. At its October meeting the ISBA Board of Governors approved the recommendation of the Standing Committee on Legal Education, Admission and Competence that Illinois adopt the UBE. The Assembly will consider the committee’s report and recommendations at its December 10 meeting in Chicago.

The report, available here, finds that adopting the UBE will improve the market for job seekers and employers, lower the cost of bar admission, and help produce practice-ready lawyers. It concludes that because the UBE allows jurisdictions to incorporate state-specific requirements for bar admission, adopting it will not compromise Illinois’ ability to ensure candidates are knowledgeable about Illinois law and procedure. 

The Illinois Board of Admissions to the Bar has recommended to the Illinois Supreme Court that it adopt the UBE, and the board is holding public hearings on the proposal this month. The UBE has been adopted by 24 states.

Have an opinion? Add your comments to this blog post.

In order to serve our members better, we will be taking down our database and website for a short time, resulting in a temporary loss of services. As such,

• Members will need to create a new website password on or after Monday, November 21.
• If you need to access Fastcase over the weekend, you'll need to follow the steps below now to ensure continued service.

Starting Friday, November 18 at 5:30 p.m. and running through Sunday, November 20, the ISBA website, including access to Fastcase and free online CLE, will be unavailable.

Discovery is the most important part of the litigation process because it is used as evidence for or against your client. Learn how to get the written discovery that you need to win your next case with this two-hour online seminar on December 1, 2016. Topics include: how to get the discovery you need; knowing what interrogatories and document requests you must propound; knowing how to phrase your discovery request for the best results; the best way to get the compliance you need; knowing when to make (and when not to make) a motion to compel; and how to phrase your motion to compel.