ISBA Rural Practice Section Council Attorney Profile: Jennifer L. KincaidRural Practice, May 2026This month Jennifer L. Kincaid, a partner with the firm Pepping, Balk, Kincaid & Olson, in Silvis, Illinois, is featured, providing her reflections and perspectives on her career path, accomplishments, and contributions, and what advice she would provide to attorneys interested in rural practice.
ISBA Rural Practice Section Council Member Profile: Casey ParkerRural Practice, April 2026Meet Casey Parker, an attorney with more than 20 years of legal experience, a member of the Rural Practice Section Council, and Director of Career Services at SIU Simmons Law School!
ISBA Rural Practice Section Council Member Profile: Elizabeth M. ReynoldsRural Practice, March 2026Learn more about Elizabeth M. Reynolds, a member of the Rural Practice Section Council, who is also involved in the Workers' Compensation Section, Justinian Society of Lawyers, the LaSalle County Bar Association, the Workers' Compensation Lawyers Association, and the Illinois Trial Lawyers Association.
ISBA Rural Practice Section Council Member Profile: Ted M. NiemannRural Practice, July 2026Learn more about Ted M. Niemann, ISBA's Treasurer, Member of the ISBA Board of Governors for Area VI, Board Liaison to Rural Practice, Real Estate, and Agricultural Law Section Councils, and general partner of Schmiedeskamp Robertson Neu and Mitchell LLP, located in Quincy, Illinois.
ISBA Standing Committee on Women & the Law 2026 Annual Afternoon TeaBy Dina NinfoWomen and the Law, May 2026A recap of the WATL's annual Afternoon Tea, a signature event celebrating International Women's Day, Women's History Month, and the achievements, leadership, and impacts of women in the legal profession.
ISBA’s Women & the Law Committee Raises Funds and Donations for Special Olympics IllinoisBy Laura CastagnaWomen and the Law, April 2026Thanks to the generosity of our WATL Committee members and donors, 154 items were purchased from the Amazon Wish List for the Sycamore Killer Whales, Warren County Falcons, and the Big Muddy Crew, and $835 in monetary contributions were donated directly to Special Olympics Illinois.
Joint Tenancy Bank Accounts Inconsistent With Decedent’s Estate PlanBy Gary R. GehlbachTrusts and Estates, June 2026When advising clients on estate planning, it is important to consider the implications of the Joint Tenancy Act. A fairly frequent scenario is one in which the client’s estate plan (by will or trust or both) leaves the client’s estate to the client’s surviving spouse, and, if not survived by the spouse, to the client’s descendants per stirpes; however, when a client adds a child to personal property, such as a bank account, this could result in joint tenancy that undermines the client's intentions.
Judicial Mentoring and the Future of the Illinois Bench: Building Transparent, Equitable, and Merit-Based Pathways to Judicial ServiceBy Junaid M. AfeefDiversity Leadership Council, June 2026Attorney mentoring is long recognized as a valuable resource for aspiring attorneys or young attorneys; however, judicial mentoring is often overlooked. Judicial mentoring is not a luxury; it is an institutional necessity. In an era of declining public trust and increasing complexity in adjudication, Illinois cannot rely on informal pipelines and inherited privilege to staff its courts.
Judicial Mentoring and the Future of the Illinois Bench: Building Transparent, Equitable, and Merit-Based Pathways to Judicial ServiceBy Junaid M. AfeefHuman and Civil Rights, February 2026Attorney mentoring is long recognized as a valuable resource for aspiring attorneys or young attorneys; however, judicial mentoring is often overlooked. Judicial mentoring is not a luxury; it is an institutional necessity. In an era of declining public trust and increasing complexity in adjudication, Illinois cannot rely on informal pipelines and inherited privilege to staff its courts.
Judicial Mentoring and the Future of the Illinois Bench: Building Transparent, Equitable, and Merit-Based Pathways to Judicial ServiceBy Junaid M. AfeefBench and Bar, February 2026In Illinois, as in most states, the path to becoming a judge is often opaque, informal, and heavily dependent on access to professional networks that are unevenly distributed across the legal profession. Judicial mentoring could help create more transparent pathways for highly qualified lawyers—particularly those from underrepresented communities, first‑generation professionals, and lawyers without access to elite professional circles—to become judges.
June Report From IRS Liaison OfficeFederal Taxation, June 2026A compilation of IRS practitioner updates, shared by IRS agent Danarnell Belarmino, Stakeholder Liaison Area 3 (Chicago), on June 2, 2026.
Just Give Me a Sign: Courts Hold Posted Notices of Agreement to Arbitrate Can Be BindingBy Jay SchleppenbachAlternative Dispute Resolution, August 2026Although arbitration is a creature of contract, an arbitration agreement may validly be entered into through conduct as opposed to just a signed document. As with online agreements, challenges to agreements formed through posted signage may fail if the notice of the terms was conspicuous and the party engaged in conduct consistent with accepting them.
Key Issues for Attorneys Reviewing Solar Leases in IllinoisBy Ean R. AlbersRural Practice, March 2026Rural practitioners, agricultural attorneys, and those practicing real estate law should be familiar with solar leases as part of sustained development advancements across Illinois. These leases can bind property for 30-50 years (or more), and be subject to various legal and economic considerations.
Key Issues for Attorneys Reviewing Solar Leases in IllinoisBy Ean R. AlbersAgricultural Law, March 2026Rural practitioners, agricultural attorneys, and those practicing real estate law should be familiar with solar leases as part of sustained development advancements across Illinois. These leases can bind property for 30-50 years (or more), and be subject to various legal and economic considerations.
Know Your Rights—Immigration Resources for AttorneysBy Dina NinfoDiversity Leadership Council, June 2026The Diversity Leadership Council and the International and Immigration Section Council partnered with the Resurrection Project’s Immigrant Justice department to produce this Know Your Rights webcast to provide information to attorneys.
Landlord Not Entitled To Additional Insurance Proceeds for Property Damage or Lost Rental Income Resulting From Break-in and Vandalism at Three-Unit Residential BuildingBy Genevieve M. DanielsReal Estate Law, February 2026A summary of Bunjo v. State Farm Fire & Casualty Co., a First District case that discussed whether an owner of a three-story, three-unit residential property was covered under a homeowners insurance policy that covered losses as a result of vandalism and damages due to loss of use. Based on the facts of the case, the First District found State Farm was entitled to judgment as a matter of law and the homeowners insurance policy did not cover the alleged loss.
Late Discovery and the Exclusion of Breath-Test Evidence: People v. ParenticeBy Larry A. DavisTraffic Laws and Courts, July 2026The Fourth District Appellate Court recently addressed the issue of when does the State's delay in producing breath-testing records justify the exclusion of the breath-test result itself? The practical lesson of Parentice is significant. A discovery violation does not automatically create a permanent evidentiary bar.
Law Firm Marketing—Mining and Minding Your Referral Base and NetworkBy John W. OlmsteadLaw Office Management and Economics, Standing Committee on, March 2026While traditional marketing has its place for increasing revenue, don't underestimate the power of referrals from past clients, attorneys, or other professionals to generate business. It's never too late to form a referral base for your firm!
Lawyering on the Beach (Or on a Tractor): What I Learned by Attending LOTB Conference 2026By Cari Brett RinckerRural Practice, August 2026Lawyers on the Beach Retreat offers attorneys to view their practice in a way that supports the life he or she wants, wherever that may be. The 2026 Lawyers on the Beach Retreat stressed the prominence and importance of artificial intelligence, tools that can go with you to wherever your beach is.
Lawyering on the Beach (Or on a Tractor): What I Learned by Attending LOTB Conference 2026By Cari Brett RinckerAgricultural Law, July 2026Lawyers on the Beach Retreat offers attorneys to view their practice in a way that supports the life he or she wants, wherever that may be. The 2026 Lawyers on the Beach Retreat stressed the prominence and importance of artificial intelligence, tools that can go with you to wherever your beach is.
Lawyers’ Assistance Program: Mental HealthBy Nicole SartoriMental Health Law, May 2026The Lawyers' Assistance Program is a valuable resource for attorneys, judges, and law students, offering services from assessments, substance abuse to mental health treatments, support groups, and individual counseling.
Lawyers’ Assistance Program: Mental HealthBy Nicole SartoriLaw Office Management and Economics, Standing Committee on, May 2026The Lawyers' Assistance Program is a valuable resource for attorneys, judges, and law students, offering services from assessments, substance abuse to mental health treatments, support groups, and individual counseling.
Lawyers’ Assistance Program: Mental HealthBy Nicole SartoriWomen and the Law, April 2026The Lawyers' Assistance Program is a valuable resource for attorneys, judges, and law students, offering services from assessments, substance abuse to mental health treatments, support groups, and individual counseling.
Lawyers Must Build Technical Competence Before Claiming AI CompetenceBy George BellasEmployee Benefits, April 2026Artificial intelligence is becoming an inevitable component of practicing law, but before implementing AI into your practice, ensure you have the correct technological competency to satisfy your ethical obligations.
