When the Text Isn’t Clear: What Lawyers Should Know About the Canons of ConstructionBy Jake A. LeahyElder Law, February 2026When interpreting a statute, regulation, constitutional provision, or ordinance, be sure you are familiar with how courts use canons (and when they don't), and how an argument regarding interpretation can either effectively persuade the court or stretch the law too far.
Where the Workplace Ends: The Illinois Right to Privacy in the Workplace ActBy Mara Baltabols & Sarah MilcarekPrivacy and Information Security Law, February 2026Illinois employees can expect a certain level of privacy in the workplace as to their personal content and interactions on the internet, as long as the employee does not cross the line between work and play. While employees have the right to their own autonomy, personal beliefs, and to engage in the use of lawful products, employers also have the right to maintain a safe workplace that properly reflects their business’s mission, values, and confidential information.
Where’s Your Will? A Preventative Approach to the Epidemic of Lost WillsBy Melissa A. GrisoniTrusts and Estates, February 2026At a recent Trusts & Estates Section Council meeting, council members discussed the feasibility of a county will repositorywhere testators could file their original wills during their lifetime. While the administrative hurdles of such a system are significant and the idea was not widely embraced, the conversation highlighted a pervasive and growing problem in our practice: the lost original will.
Wilcox v. Advocate Condell Is a Roadmap To Litigate System-Based Institutional NegligenceTort Law, February 2026The First District in Wilcox v. Advocate Condell Medical Center upheld the longstanding principle that a hospital’s direct liability is not limited strictly to “administrative functions." When appropriate, plaintiff’s attorneys should plead and prove institutional negligence claims in addition to claims for respondeat superior and/or individual providers’ medical negligence.
Women at the Center: Community Responses to Federal Immigration Activity in Chicago and the Surrounding SuburbsBy Kat DelgadoWomen and the Law, February 2026Over the past several months, many Chicagoland residents have observed an increased federal presence in the city and surrounding suburbs. These temporary operations, largely related to immigration enforcement, have been visible and disruptive and have prompted widespread community responses. For women living in Illinois and practicing law, these events do not exist in an abstract or theoretical space, but rather intersect directly with the lived realities of local families and with the legal systems designed to protect them.
YLD Speed Networking and Wine Tasting 2026Young Lawyers Division, March 2026The YLD Speed Networking and Wine Tasting events on February 27 provided an opportunity for young lawyers and law students to meet and connect with colleagues. Proceeds from the Wine Tasting benefited the YLD’s Children’s Assistance Fund, which provides grants to organizations across the state related to children and law.
You Can Run but Can’t Hide: Service via Social Media, Email, and Text MessagesBy Hon. Alon Stein & Hon. Yolanda SayreCommercial Banking, Collections, and Bankruptcy, February 2026Have you ever had that elusive defendant that was dodging service? How amazing would it be if you could text the summons and complaint to that defendant or serve him or her via Facebook through an account where he or she had continuously posted pictures of their lavish vacation? The good news is: you can!
You Just Have To Love Some LawyersSenior Lawyers, February 2026A humorous anecdote about the red tape hurdles of governmental bureaucracy.
A Young Lawyer’s Guide to Karina’s LawBy Olivia K. BasuYoung Lawyers Division, January 2026Karina's Law brings changes to orders of protection in Illinois, particularly as it relates to relinquishment of respondent's firearms.
