Articles From 2025

Advocacy or Arrogance: Dangers of Social Media During Trial By Albert E. Durkin & Joseph Salvi Tort Law, August 2025 A summary of the First District Appellate Court case, Kroft v. Viper Trans., Inc., and the lessons learned about social media. 
Advocating for Yourself to Better Advocate for Your Clients: The Taboo Topic of Self-Care By Isabella Mazzanti Young Lawyers Division, December 2025 Next time you may feel guilty about taking time for yourself and away from work, remember that you cannot be an effective advocate without self-care. In other words, self-care doesn’t compete with hard work, it protects it.
Affirmative Action and the Vagaries of the Fourteenth Amendment By Margery Newman Construction Law, February 2025 Forty-four years ago, the United States Supreme Court determined that Congress could “set aside” 10 percent of all federal funds earmarked for local public works for use by minority business enterprises (“MBE”). Today, the Supreme Court considers the employment of race as an anathema to the Fourteenth Amendment.
AG Bondi Memo: Socioeconomic and “First Generation” Status Become Substitute “Proxies” for Discrimination: Part III By Tracey I. Levy Labor and Employment Law, October 2025 A three-part series examining the memo issued by Attorney General Pam Bondi regarding the federal government's policies on diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives. Part III highlights the meaning of "proxies" in the AG's memo, and sets out ways an employer can minimize liability risks.
AG Bondi Memo: When DEI Efforts Will Come Under the DOJ’s Fire: Part II By Tracey I. Levy Labor and Employment Law, October 2025 A three-part series examining the memo issued by Attorney General Pam Bondi regarding the federal government's policies on diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives. Part II discusses the steps organizations should take to ensure that their DEI policies are not subject to penalties. 
Ag Law in the News By Sam Ellis, Regan McGuill Booth, & Cari Brett Rincker Agricultural Law, December 2025 A summary of recent updates that impact the practice of agriculture law, including a resolution that reopened the federal government and extended the 2018 Farm Bill, launch of Screwworm.gov, an executive order eliminating tarrifs on certain imported agricultural products, and more! 
Ag Law in the News By Sam Ellis, Regan McGuill Booth, & Cari Brett Rincker Agricultural Law, November 2025 A compilation of developments that may impact the practice of agricultural law, including USDA legal battles, land use, agroterrorism, antitrust, and more! 
Ag Law in the News By Cari Brett Rincker, Sam Ellis, & Regan McGuill Booth Agricultural Law, September 2025 Updates regarding the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, cattle and emissions regulations, USDA news, immigration, employment and labor, and antitrust that may impact your practice in the field of agricultural law. 
AI & Law: Navigating the Path Forward Together Employee Benefits, April 2025 A note from the most current ChatGPT model published by OpenAI. 
AI & Law: Navigating the Path Forward Together Artificial Intelligence & the Practice of Law, Standing Committee on, March 2025 A note from the most current ChatGPT model published by OpenAI. 
AI and Law: An Opportunity to Improve Legal Practice By Damien Riehl General Practice, Solo, and Small Firm, December 2025 Recent exponential leaps in advanced large language models have presented both opportunities and challenges that have the capacity to reshape the legal landscape.
AI and Law: An Opportunity to Improve Legal Practice By Damien Riehl Federal Taxation, October 2025 Recent exponential leaps in advanced large language models have presented both opportunities and challenges that have the capacity to reshape the legal landscape.
AI and Law: An Opportunity to Improve Legal Practice By Damien Riehl Alternative Dispute Resolution, February 2025 Recent exponential leaps in advanced large language models have presented both opportunities and challenges that have the capacity to reshape the legal landscape.
AI and Your Mineral Law Practice By Cullen Manning Mineral Law, September 2025 Familiarize yourself with different types of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and how such tools may be utilized to enhance your practice; however, be sure you do not fall victim to AI "hallucinations" and other potential shortcomings. 
AI in Illinois Workers’ Compensation Practice: Promises, Pitfalls, and Practical Uses By Alexis Ferracuti Workers’ Compensation Law, December 2025 AI is a powerful tool that can be helpful for high-volume, medically complex cases, but be weary of the ethical and professional implications of using AI in your practice. This includes issues with AI, such as hallucinated case law, misrepresented facts, confidentiality concerns, and more. 
AI in the Small Law Firm – The Need for a Formal Written Policy By Edward J. Jarot, Jr. & William D. Lohrman Artificial Intelligence & the Practice of Law, Standing Committee on, March 2025 Carefully drafted policies are especially critical in the setting of a small firm, where the attorney is constantly torn between performing legal services while also balancing the legal and ethical limitations and pitfalls. For all the power that AI offers, small firms are strongly encouraged to develop and refine an express policy for the use of chatbots, generative AI, and the other AI tools currently available, along with those that will be created in the immediate future. This article contains a sample AI policy. 
AI in the Small Law Firm—The Need for a Formal Written Policy By Edward J. Jarot, Jr. & William D. Lohrman Intellectual Property, September 2025 For all the power that AI offers, small firms are strongly encouraged to develop and refine an express and comprehensive policy for the use of chatbots, generative AI, and the other AI tools. 
AI in the Small Law Firm—The Need for a Formal Written Policy By Edward J. Jarot, Jr. & William D. Lohrman Law Office Management and Economics, Standing Committee on, April 2025 Carefully drafted policies are especially critical in the setting of a small firm, where the attorney is constantly torn between performing legal services while also balancing the legal and ethical limitations and pitfalls. For all the power that AI offers, small firms are strongly encouraged to develop and refine an express policy for the use of chatbots, generative AI, and the other AI tools currently available, along with those that will be created in the immediate future. This article contains a sample AI policy. 
Air Rights Development By R. Kymn Harp Real Estate Law, May 2025 This article is the second part of a two-part series. The article explores practical applications of air rights in real estate development, focusing on how developers can maximize value from underutilized zoning potential. Using hypothetical scenarios in Chicago, it explains how a property owner can sell unused development rights above a low-rise building to another party for high-rise development, or how adjoining properties can be combined into a single zoning lot to expand buildable floor area under zoning regulations. Key legal and logistical considerations include zoning laws, FAR, easements, and covenants. The article highlights how air rights can be leveraged as a strategic asset to increase returns and optimize land use.
AIR RIGHTS DEVELOPMENT By R. Kymn Harp Real Estate Law, April 2025 An introduction to air rights. “Air rights" are part of the "bundle of rights" constituting fee simple title to real estate. They comprise an interest in land, although not the surface of the land. The term air rights generally refers to the right of the owner of a parcel of land to use the space above the land. This article is part one of a two-part series.
Allerton Conference 2025: Exploring the Future of Law with Artificial Intelligence By Mallory P. Sanzeri Artificial Intelligence & the Practice of Law, Standing Committee on, March 2025 The Illinois State Bar Association’s biennial Allerton Conference is just around the corner, and this year’s theme is one that every legal professional should have on their radar: "Generative Artificial Intelligence – Fact or Fiction: Transforming the Legal Practice." Held from April 2-4, 2025, at the I Hotel & Conference Center in Champaign, IL. Co-hosted by the ISBA Civil Practice and Procedure Section and the ISBA Standing Committee on Artificial Intelligence and the Practice of Law, and sponsored by ISBA Mutual Insurance Company, the conference will feature leading legal scholars, judges, and technology experts discussing the opportunities and challenges AI presents for attorneys.
Allerton Conference 2025: Exploring the Future of Law with Artificial Intelligence By Mallory P. Sanzeri Civil Practice and Procedure, March 2025 The Illinois State Bar Association’s biennial Allerton Conference is just around the corner, and this year’s theme is one that every legal professional should have on their radar: "Generative Artificial Intelligence – Fact or Fiction: Transforming the Legal Practice." Held from April 2-4, 2025, at the I Hotel & Conference Center in Champaign, IL. Co-hosted by the ISBA Civil Practice and Procedure Section and the ISBA Standing Committee on Artificial Intelligence and the Practice of Law, and sponsored by ISBA Mutual Insurance Company, the conference will feature leading legal scholars, judges, and technology experts discussing the opportunities and challenges AI presents for attorneys.
An Alternative to the Traditional Justice System: Restorative Justice in Chicago By Christine Drew Child Law, April 2025 A student at UIC Law shares their perspective on Restorative Justice in Chicago.
Amazing Grace: William Wilberforce and the Heroic Campaign to End Slavery By Mark Rouleau Senior Lawyers, June 2025 Amazing Grace: William Wilberforce and the Heroic Campaign to End Slavery by Eric Metaxas is a compelling biography of William Wilberforce, a British abolitionist who led a 20-year campaign to end the slave trade and slavery in the British Empire. The book highlights Wilberforce’s pivotal role as a human rights activist and cultural reformer, showing how his faith and perseverance helped change global views on slavery from an accepted practice to a moral evil. The reviewer praises the book as exceptionally well written and eye-opening, emphasizing Wilberforce’s lasting impact on history and human dignity.
Amendment to the Real Estate Transfer Tax Law Real Estate Law, October 2025 Learn more about the amendment to the Real Estate Transfer Tax Law  that provides for the use of electronic signatures affixed to electronically transmitted transfer declarations. 
And a Happy New Year: What Illinois Employers Should Prepare for in 2025 By Heather A. Jackson, Andrew S. Murphy, Julie Ratliff, David L. Weinstein, Elizabeth Wellhausen, & Benjamin S. Morrell Labor and Employment Law, January 2025 A number of new and amended Illinois laws went into effect on Jan. 1, 2025. Here is a brief summary of those changes and recommended actions Illinois employers may wish to consider.
Animal Law Section Members Attend the Annual Meeting in Lincolnshire Animal Law, October 2025 Key moments featuring the Association’s Animal Law Section members at the 2025 Annual Meeting held in Lincolnshire on June 5–6.
Annual Tea Collage Women and the Law, May 2025 On Friday, March 14, 2025, the ISBA Standing Committee on Women & the Law hosted the Afternoon Tea to celebrate Women’s History Month at Loew’s Chicago Hotel. Illinois Supreme Court Justice Joy V. Cunningham was the keynote speaker.
Answer the Question Revisited: A Panel of Federal Judges Reiterate Principles Articulated in Recent Illinois Bar Journal Article By Jake Leahy Young Lawyers Division, September 2025 Practical advice from sitting judges on why you should not be afraid of the hypothetical and some tips on how to stand out in court. 
An Appearance of Impropriety in Administrative Hearings By Alan Rhine Federal Taxation, November 2025 This article explores the role of administrative law judges and analyzes the possibility of bias or the appearance of impropriety under the Illinois Code of Judicial Conduct of 2023.