Simmons Hanly Conroy Partner John Barnerd Honored as a Southern Illinois Influencer
Tort Law Update 2026: The Legal Trends, Latest Rulings, and Practice Implications You Need to Know
March 3, 2026
Registration coming soon!
LIVE WEB - Pre-Trial Fairness Act: A Judicial Perspective
February 4, 2026
Presented by the
ISBA Criminal Law Section
Live Webcast
Wednesday, February 4, 2026
12:00 – 1:05 p.m.
1.0 hour MCLE credit
The key provisions of the Pre-Trial Fairness Act are that it abolishes money bail, offers individualized assessments, limits pretrial detention, requires law enforcement to issue notices to appear for low-level offenses, and ensures due process. Although the Act was passed by the Illinois legislature in January 2021, it didn’t go into effect until September 2023. Don’t miss this opportunity to listen as two Illinois trial judges offer their perspectives on the Pre-Trial Fairness Act and how it’s been going since its enactment two years ago.
Program Coordinator/Chat Moderator:
Sara Vig, Vig Law P.C., Springfield
Program Speakers:
Hon. Brett N. Olmstead, 6th Judicial Circuit
Hon. Joseph C. Pedersen, 23rd Judicial Circuit
For best practices, before attending the program using ISBA's Zoom platform, please visit our Technical Support page.
Program Information
-
Fees:
-
ISBA Member - $35
- ISBA sponsoring section members get a $10 registration discount (which is automatically calculated in your cart when you log in to register).
- Non-Member - $70
- New Attorney Member (within the first five years of practice) - $25
- Law Student Members - Free
- Special pricing is available for Legal Service Attorneys.
-
ISBA Member - $35
- If you cannot attend the live web event, a full refund is available, if you cancel your registration up to the start of the live web event on the program page in your “My CLE Account”.
- Please Note: MCLE credit is available to registrants only on the day of this live event – and you must attend the entire program to earn MCLE credit. All registrants will receive access to a recording of the event a few days after the program, but credit is NOT available for the recording.
LIVE WEB - Unconscious Bias in Judicial Appointments: Barriers to Diversity in the Illinois Judiciary
January 30, 2026
Presented by ISBA’s
Standing Committee on Racial and Ethnic Minorities and the Law
Co-presented by the ISBA Human & Civil Rights Section and the Diversity Leadership Council
Co-presented by the ISBA Human & Civil Rights Section and the Diversity Leadership Council
Live Webcast
Friday, January 30, 2026
2:00 – 3:35 p.m.
1.50 hours MCLE credit, including 1.50* hours Professional Responsibility MCLE credit in the following category : Diversity & Inclusion credit
Don’t miss this timely and impactful seminar that examines the diversity issues facing the Illinois judiciary, as well as the unconscious biases that can hinder minority candidates seeking judicial appointments. This program uses candid dialogue, data-driven analysis, and insights from attorneys and judges to shed light on the invisible barriers that shape judicial selection and to explore pathways toward a more equitable and inclusive bench. Attorneys will all levels of practice experience who attend this online program will better understand:
- How unconscious bias operates within the judicial appointment process;
- What legal professionals, institutions, and stakeholders can do to confront and dismantle unconscious bias;
- How implicit attitudes and institutional culture can influence decision-making in judicial appointments, particularly to the detriment of minority aspirants; and
- How the structures, traditions, and practices of judicial appointments in Illinois may reinforce unequal access or outcomes.
Program Coordinator/Moderator:
Hon. Junaid Mustafa Afeef, Administrative Law Judge, Illinois Department of Public Health
Program Chat Moderator:
Paloma Holloman, Principal, PHM Law, LLC, Warrenville
Program Speakers:
Hon. Patrice Ball-Reed , Circuit Court of Cook County
Deanie Brown , Chief Diversity & Inclusion Officer, Administrative Office of the Illinois Courts
Hon. Vincent F. Cornelius , 12th Judicial Circuit Court
Hon. Michael B. Hyman , Illinois Appellate Court 1 st District
Hon. Sonni Choi Williams , 12th Judicial Circuit Court
*Professional Responsibility MCLE credit subject to approval
For best practices, before attending the program using ISBA's Zoom platform, please visit our Technical Support page.
Program Information
-
Fees:
-
ISBA Member - $53
- ISBA sponsoring section members get a $10 registration discount (which is automatically calculated in your cart when you log in to register).
- Non-Member - $105
- New Attorney Member (within the first five years of practice) - $25
- Law Student Members - Free
- Special pricing is available for Legal Service Attorneys.
-
ISBA Member - $53
- If you cannot attend the live web event, a full refund is available, if you cancel your registration up to the start of the live web event on the program page in your “My CLE Account”.
- Please Note: MCLE credit is available to registrants only on the day of this live event – and you must attend the entire program to earn MCLE credit. All registrants will receive access to a recording of the event a few days after the program, but credit is NOT available for the recording.
Access to Justice Commission Announces Winners of Colman and Kilbride Awards
The Illinois Supreme Court Commission on Access to Justice (ATJ Commission) announced today the winners of two awards, the Hon. Thomas L. Kilbride (Ret.) Judicial Access to Justice Award and the Jeffrey D. Colman Access to Justice Award.
The 2025 recipients are Chief Administrative Law Judge Brian Weinthal and Brenda Sprague, Executive Assistant to the Chief Judge of the First Judicial Circuit. These awards are designed to recognize and celebrate exceptional contributions to increasing access to the court system by improving the experience of litigants.