A Book Review: The Umbrella Maker’s SonBy Hon. Michael S. JordanHuman and Civil Rights, April 2025Tod Lending has a winner, scoring a touchdown-homerun combo in his premier effort. He crafts a riveting account, masterfully developing multiple characters in this account of events shortly before and during the years after Hitler’s forces attacked Poland. We follow two Jewish Polish families through these trying times seeing many heroic acts of bravery when faced with sadistic acts of evil on the part of Nazis and their sympathizers. There is a constant battle between the forces of good and the forces of evil, the brave and the self-serving. We meet characters who risk their own lives to hide, house, support, and save others and meet others willing to inform and support the monsters stealing humanity at every turn.
Can a Defendant Be Charged with Both First-Degree Murder (720 ILCS 5/9-1(a)(2)) and an Aggravated DUI (625 ILCS 5/11-501(a) and 11-501(d)(1)(F))?By Dan FultzCriminal Justice, May 2025Illinois courts have upheld convictions where defendants were charged with both first-degree murder and aggravated DUI, as in People v. Eubanks and People v. Mischke. In Eubanks, the Illinois Supreme Court ruled that the trial court abused its discretion by refusing a jury instruction on reckless homicide, a lesser included offense, because the difference lies in the defendant's mental state, which should be decided by the jury. In Mischke, the appellate court upheld concurrent sentences for both convictions, rejecting the defendant’s argument that the law required consecutive sentences. Overall, Illinois allows such dual charges when the defendant’s actions show a strong probability of causing death or great bodily harm.
Canva: A Graphic Design Tool for the Busy AttorneyBy Heather GlocklerLegal Technology, Standing Committee on, February 2025Canva is an online platform featuring a drag and drop interface that helps users create well-designed marketing pieces ranging from social media posts to company newsletters and everything in between. It hosts thousands of customizable templates, access to a custom Brand Kit, and allows a user to collaborate with their team to create content quickly.
CAR v. PTO HijackingBy Daniel KeganIntellectual Property, September 2025Learn more about the new authorization process for the new trademark Correspondence and Attorney Representation (CAR) form.
Case BriefsBy ADR Section CouncilAlternative Dispute Resolution, November 2025Summaries of recent case decisions that may impact forms of alternative dispute resolution, including waiving arbitration in class action suits, enforcing arbitration agreements under third-party beneficiary theory, the consequencse of failing to comply with arbitral administrator's rules, severing unconscionable portions of arbitration clause agreements, and more.
Case BriefsBy ADR Section CouncilAlternative Dispute Resolution, August 2025Summaries of federal cases dealing with issues ranging from motions to compel arbitration, illusory arbitration agreements, delegation clauses, and more!
Case BriefsBy ADR Section CouncilAlternative Dispute Resolution, February 2025Summaries of written decisions issued in five cases of interest to ADR practitioners.
Case BriefsBy ADR Section CouncilAlternative Dispute Resolution, January 2025Summaries of written decisions issued in nine cases of interest to ADR practitioners.
Case Law UpdatesBy Michael L. EnglishTrusts and Estates, December 2025Summaries of cases that discuss mental capacity in modifying estate plans, quantum meruit awards, amendments to a trust shortly before death, undue influence, and removing trustees.
Case SummariesBy Thomas GrippandoAdministrative Law, December 2025A look at three Illinois Appellate Court cases that analyze the scope of default judgment, review of evidence not submitted in an administrative proceeding, and proper service.
Case SummariesBy Thomas GrippandoAdministrative Law, September 2025Case summaries of Abbate v. Retirement Board of the Policemen's Annuity & Ben. Fund of Chicago and Benda v. Parkinson, including denial of pension due to conviction of aggravated battery and conflicts of interest.
Case SummariesBy Thomas GrippandoAdministrative Law, May 2025Summaries of written decisions issued in cases of interest to administrative law practitioners.
Case SummariesBy Joseph W. RogulReal Estate Law, February 2025Two recent Illinois cases are noted here that may be instructive in some practical respects for real state practitioners who have occasion to litigate similar issues.
Case SummariesBy Thomas GrippandoAdministrative Law, February 2025Summaries of written decisions issued in cases of interest to administrative law practitioners.
Case Summary of People v. Hoskins, 2025 IL App (4th) 240991By Evan BrunoTraffic Laws and Courts, October 2025This article reviews the recent case of People v. Hoskins, in which the Fourth District Appellate Court held that a drug dog’s alert to a vehicle remains sufficient to establish probable cause to search, even though the dog was trained to detect the odor of cannabis.
