Welcome to 2026 Where Life Happens as We Try To Hold the Line on DecorumBy Hon. Michael J. ChmielCommercial Banking, Collections, and Bankruptcy, February 2026A note from the Editor of the Commercial Banking, Collections, and Bankruptcy Newsletter regarding the current issue and the start of the new year.
Wellbeing of Caregivers in the Legal Profession: Why Caregivers Make Better Lawyers and the System Changes Needed for SupportBy Hannah R. LamoreWomen and the Law, May 2026On March 11, 2026, the Standing Committee on Women and the Law presented a continuing education program titled Wellbeing for Caregivers in the Legal Profession. It featured Anna Krolikowska of Anna K. Law, Professor Michelle Browning Coughlin of Northern Kentucky University College of Law, and Paulette Brown of MindSetPower, LLC. The program was intended for anyone who may be in a position of caregiving while practicing law: a young lawyer with a new family, an attorney who is faced with caring for an ailing spouse or elderly parents, and any caregiving demands in between.
What Elegant Legal Writing Gets Right About Legal WritingBy Jake A. LeahyYoung Lawyers Division, January 2026Elegant Legal Writing by Ryan McCarl offers several valuable, insightful tips that can be employed by young lawyers to take your legal writing to the next level.
What Happens When Your Client “Asks Claude”: United States v. Heppner and the AI Privilege ProblemBy William M. TaschRural Practice, June 2026A federal court's written opinion holding that a defendant's AI chats were unprivileged sends a clear signal to practitioners: clients must be counseled, early and explicitly, not to discuss their cases with AI tools—and the stakes may be higher than they first appear.
What Happens When Your Client “Asks Claude”: United States v. Heppner and the AI Privilege ProblemBy William M. TaschLocal Government Law, June 2026A federal court's written opinion holding that a defendant's AI chats were unprivileged sends a clear signal to practitioners: clients must be counseled, early and explicitly, not to discuss their cases with AI tools—and the stakes may be higher than they first appear.
What Happens When Your Client “Asks Claude”: United States v. Heppner and the AI Privilege ProblemBy William M. TaschLaw Office Management and Economics, Standing Committee on, May 2026A federal court's written opinion holding that a defendant's AI chats were unprivileged sends a clear signal to practitioners: clients must be counseled, early and explicitly, not to discuss their cases with AI tools—and the stakes may be higher than they first appear.
What Is the Remote Practice of Law?By Stephen B. CohenAgricultural Law, April 2026In this article, the author emphasizes and describes how a major event affecting all aspects of society has changed many traditional aspects of the practice of law.
What Those People Selling Generic Prompts and Skills Aren’t Telling You About CopyrightBy Carolyn ElefantRural Practice, June 2026As a general rule, only work created by humans qualify for copyright protection. Prompts alone resulting in AI-generated product don’t give humans enough control over the output to claim copyright. In other words, you’re telling the AI what you want, but you’re not controlling how it expresses that idea. The AI is. Thus, if you are using AI for marketing content for your firm, it may not be protected.
When a Private Home Becomes a Regulated Workplace: Employment Law Considerations for Hiring Nannies in IllinoisBy Kat GaineyDiversity Leadership Council, June 2026For many families juggling careers and children, hiring an in-home nanny often feels like a practical solution to an everyday problem. The arrangement appears personal, private, and even informal; however, unlike traditional employment relationships, in-home childcare frequently begins through word-of-mouth referrals, casual interviews, and handshake agreements. Yet few families pause to consider the legal implications that accompany recurring childcare.
When a Private Home Becomes a Regulated Workplace: Employment Law Considerations for Hiring Nannies in IllinoisBy Kat GaineyWomen and the Law, February 2026For many families juggling careers and children, hiring an in-home nanny often feels like a practical solution to an everyday problem. The arrangement appears personal, private, and even informal; however, unlike traditional employment relationships, in-home childcare frequently begins through word-of-mouth referrals, casual interviews, and handshake agreements. Yet few families pause to consider the legal implications that accompany recurring childcare.
When and How to Seek Guardianship of a Minor in IllinoisBy Sean EndresChild Law, May 2026Deciding whether to seek guardianship for a minor can range from straightforward to deeply emotional. In some cases, guardianship is pursued for a limited, practical reason, such as enabling a minor to receive funds from a probate estate or personal injury settlement. In others, it involves difficult questions about a child’s care, safety, and long-term well-being when parents are unavailable or unable to provide proper care.
When Does the Deliberate Encounter Exception Apply to an Open and Obvious Condition?By Brent R. EamesTort Law, February 2026An analysis of the appellate court’s reasoning in Hertz v. City of Fairbury: Based upon the court’s reasoning in Hertz, it should be clear that any defect which only poses a minor inconvenience to navigate will not be considered valid for purposes of invoking the deliberate encounter exception to an open and obvious condition.
When HR Becomes the Problem: A Worker Side Employment Lawyer’s Take on the $11.5m SHRM VerdictBy David J. FishLabor and Employment Law, January 2026Even though human resources departments are supposed to be the internal guardrails, HR is often the accelerant. A look at the recent jury verdict against the Society for Human Resource Management highlights the importance of HR departments to protect the company and to protect fairness.
When Is the Warrantless Seizure of Electronics Allowed?By Hon. Geraldine D’SouzaCriminal Justice, April 2026In 2025, in an unpublished opinion, the First District Appellate Court ruled in the case of People of the State of Illinois v. Joseph Cronin, dealing with the topic of the warrantless seizure of electronics in Illinois. It seems that the case law on the topic of warrantless seizures of electronics will only continue to grow in the State of Illinois. Technology is always emerging, and this is an area of law that must continue to adapt to new innovations.
When “Owner-Operator” Really Means “Independent Contractor”By Gregory S. KeltnerWorkers’ Compensation Law, February 2026In Boyce v. Redbird Carriers, 25 IWCC 0327, the Illinois Workers’ Compensation Commission affirmed and adopted, without modification, the Arbitrator’s decision denying benefits on the basis that no employer-employee relationship existed between the petitioner truck driver and respondent motor carrier.
When Taking the Human Factor Into Consideration Maybe Amnesty Should Be Granted as It Was in 1986By Ralph E. GuderianInternational and Immigration Law, May 2026With increasing immigration conflict across the U.S., it is important to consider the human element in amnesty determinations. Individuals seeking asylum are already here and making them wait years for their case to be heard because of the backlog does not seem right. Further, if they have a realistic hope for asylum, to make them also suffer “cognitive dissonance”—sadness, decreased satisfaction, and intense disappointment—when their case is denied does not seem right.
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.
When to Trust…Your TrustBy Hon. Donald Bernardi, (ret.)Senior Lawyers, June 2026When dealing with estate planning where property is held across multiple states, jurisdictional hurdles, conflicts of law, and full faith and credit arguments may create unnecessary complications. The lesson for Illinois practitioners may be to conduct research into the different jurisdictions in an attempt to comply with requirements and avoid costly litigation.
Where the Workplace Ends: The Illinois Right to Privacy in the Workplace ActBy Mara Baltabols & Sarah MilcarekIntellectual Property, June 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 the Workplace Ends: The Illinois Right to Privacy in the Workplace ActBy Mara Baltabols & Sarah MilcarekHuman and Civil Rights, May 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 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 DelgadoDiversity Leadership Council, June 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.
Women at the Center: Community Responses to Federal Immigration Activity in Chicago and the Surrounding SuburbsBy Kat DelgadoInternational and Immigration Law, April 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.
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.
The Women by Kristin Hannah—A Reflection of Our TimesBy Naomi SchusterFamily Law, June 2026The Women by Kristin Hannah is a historical fiction novel highlighting the overlooked contributions of women—especially nurses—during the Vietnam War. Through the fictional character Frankie McGrath, based on real accounts, the story reveals the harsh realities faced by female veterans, including trauma, lack of recognition, and poor treatment upon returning home. Despite 10,000 women serving in Vietnam, mostly as volunteer nurses, their roles were long ignored. Efforts to honor them culminated in the 1993 dedication of the Vietnam Women’s Memorial in Washington, D.C., thanks to advocacy led by former nurse Diane Carlson Evans.
The Women by Kristin Hannah—A Reflection of Our TimesBy Naomi SchusterWomen and the Law, May 2026The Women by Kristin Hannah is a historical fiction novel highlighting the overlooked contributions of women—especially nurses—during the Vietnam War. Through the fictional character Frankie McGrath, based on real accounts, the story reveals the harsh realities faced by female veterans, including trauma, lack of recognition, and poor treatment upon returning home. Despite 10,000 women serving in Vietnam, mostly as volunteer nurses, their roles were long ignored. Efforts to honor them culminated in the 1993 dedication of the Vietnam Women’s Memorial in Washington, D.C., thanks to advocacy led by former nurse Diane Carlson Evans.
