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Celebrate Pro Bono Week October 24-28 with various programs and events across the state.
By Michael G. Bergmann
Coordinated by the American Bar Association’s Standing Committee on Pro Bono and Public Service, Pro Bono Week is intended to inspire even greater pro bono participation by lawyers throughout the nation. This initiative provides an opportunity for legal organizations across the country to collaboratively commemorate the vitally important contributions of America’s lawyers and to recruit and train the many additional volunteers required to meet the growing demand. The Standing Committee on Pro Bono and Public Service undertook this initiative to provide a format for showcasing the incredible difference that pro bono lawyers make to our nation, to our system of justice, to our communities and, most of all, to the clients they serve. For more information, visit www.celebrateprobono.org.
Stay up to date on current developments and trends in the real estate law arena with this full day seminar that offers a look at new legislation and case law, as well as best practices tips resulting from actual ARDC cases and discussions on a potpourri of interesting short topics! The program is available in Bloomington on October 27, 2016 and in Lombard on November 2, 2016. Commercial real estate attorneys, residential estate lawyers, and general practitioners with basic practice experience who attend this program will better understand: the recent case law developments and real estate legislation that can impact your client; the ethical issues raised by recent ARDC decisions; whether or not to recommend a trust in connection with real estate transactions; how to advise clients on homeowner and commercial real estate insurance policies; what to do when the seller fails to vacate the premises; damages to property that occur immediately prior to closing; contractor mechanic’s lien priority issues; and more!
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By Russell W. Hartigan, President-Elect
Looking for a chance to lead? To grow? To make a difference in the Illinois State Bar Association and the legal profession? Then consider nominating yourself for one of our many section councils and committees for 2017-18.
As president-elect, it's my privilege to make appointments to section councils and committees for the coming fiscal year. These small but influential groups are the lifeblood of the ISBA. They produce newsletters and CLE programs, propose legislation and rules, and help ISBA serve and protect its members in countless ways.
Chief Circuit Judge Kathryn E. Creswell is pleased to announce that following an October 6, 2016 meeting of the Circuit Judges of the Eighteenth Judicial Circuit Court, two finalists for the Office of Associate Judge have been selected and certified to the Illinois Supreme Court. The finalists are seeking to fill the vacancy created by the appointment of Associate Judge Karen M. Wilson to Circuit Judge. From these names, the Circuit Judges will select one appointee by secret ballot.
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 September 2016, there were 825 referrals. ISBA helped people in need of legal services find lawyers in the following areas:
The Illinois Supreme Court has adopted a new rule and amended another to address the use of restraints on a minor in delinquency proceedings arising under the Juvenile Court Act of 1987.
The new rule and rule changes take effect November 1, 2016.
New Supreme Court Rule 943 (Use of Restraints on a Minor in Delinquency Proceedings Arising Under the Juvenile Court Act) provides that instruments of restraint shall not be used on a minor during a court proceeding unless the court finds, after a hearing, that such restraints are necessary to prevent physical harm to the minor or another, the minor has a history of disruptive behavior that presents a risk of harm, or there is a well-founded belief that the minor presents a substantial flight risk. Amendments were also adopted to Rule 941 to state that the rules in Article IX apply to all juvenile delinquency proceedings filed under Article V of the Juvenile Court Act of 1987.
Illinois Attorney Chuck Newland discusses the basics of an uncontested adult guardianship from intake to plenary hearing.
Though the term "joint parenting" has replaced "joint custody," the joint-custody concept survives under the revised IMDMA -- which means judges must continue to put kids first when making parenting decisions.
That's the view of retired Champaign County Circuit Court Judge Arnold F. Blockman, who says "joint custody" is just as available now as before the enactment of the divorce-law rewrite that took effect last January 1. This is true despite the creation under the new law of an entirely new vocabulary to describe parenting, says Blockman, who serves on the ISBA's Family Law Section Council.
In the August Family Law newsletter, Blockman opines that "[w]hatever the other merits…of the new Act, it certainly changed nothing (except terminology) in regard to the parties agreeing as to joint parenting or the ability of the court to impose joint parenting on the parties even without agreement of one or both parents." As a result, judges still must make sure that divorcing parents have the kind of willingness to cooperate and mutual respect that make joint parenting possible. Find out more in the October Illinois Bar Journal.