2026 Annual Meeting PhotosAgricultural Law, July 2026ISBA members and guests gathered at the Ritz-Carlton in St. Louis on June 11–12, 2026, for the Annual Meeting, which featured outstanding CLE programming, networking, and business meetings. Thank you to everyone who attended and helped make the Annual Meeting a success!
2026 Annual Meeting PhotosElder Law, July 2026ISBA members and guests gathered at the Ritz-Carlton in St. Louis on June 11–12, 2026, for the Annual Meeting, which featured outstanding CLE programming, networking, and business meetings. Thank you to everyone who attended and helped make the Annual Meeting a success!
2026 Annual Meeting PhotosFamily Law, July 2026ISBA members and guests gathered at the Ritz-Carlton in St. Louis on June 11–12, 2026, for the Annual Meeting, which featured outstanding CLE programming, networking, and business meetings. Thank you to everyone who attended and helped make the Annual Meeting a success!
2026 Annual Meeting PhotosReal Estate Law, July 2026ISBA members and guests gathered at the Ritz-Carlton in St. Louis on June 11–12, 2026, for the Annual Meeting, which featured outstanding CLE programming, networking, and business meetings. Thank you to everyone who attended and helped make the Annual Meeting a success!
2026 Annual Meeting PhotosState and Local Taxation, July 2026ISBA members and guests gathered at the Ritz-Carlton in St. Louis on June 11–12, 2026, for the Annual Meeting, which featured outstanding CLE programming, networking, and business meetings. Thank you to everyone who attended and helped make the Annual Meeting a success!
2026 Annual Meeting PhotosFederal Taxation, July 2026ISBA members and guests gathered at the Ritz-Carlton in St. Louis on June 11–12, 2026, for the Annual Meeting, which featured outstanding CLE programming, networking, and business meetings. Thank you to everyone who attended and helped make the Annual Meeting a success!
2026 Annual Meeting PhotosTraffic Laws and Courts, July 2026ISBA members and guests gathered at the Ritz-Carlton in St. Louis on June 11–12, 2026, for the Annual Meeting, which featured outstanding CLE programming, networking, and business meetings. Thank you to everyone who attended and helped make the Annual Meeting a success!
2026 Annual Meeting PhotosTrusts and Estates, July 2026ISBA members and guests gathered at the Ritz-Carlton in St. Louis on June 11–12, 2026, for the Annual Meeting, which featured outstanding CLE programming, networking, and business meetings. Thank you to everyone who attended and helped make the Annual Meeting a success!
2026 Minimum Standard Detail Requirements for ALTA/NSPS Land Title SurveysBy Nicky SonntagReal Estate Law, July 2026On February 23, 2026, the 2026 Minimum Standard Detail Requirements for ALTA/NSPS Land Title Surveys replaced the 2021 Minimum Standard Detail Requirements for commercial real estate surveys with changes such as mandating surveyor use practices generally recognized as acceptable; allowing surveyor's certification to also be addressed to lendor's successors; current record descriptions of adjoining properties are no longer on the list of required deliveries; and more.
The “90% Illinois Labor” Requirement for State-Funded Public Works Projects Goes Into EffectBy James S. Peters & Michael J. ZywicaBusiness Advice and Financial Planning, June 2026On May 27, 2026, the Illinois Department of Revenue emailed a “Notice to Public Bodies and Contractors” that the provisions of the Illinois Employment of Illinois Workers on Public Works Act had been triggered. The Act is intended to increase job opportunities for Illinois laborers during certain periods of high unemployment by limiting the use of out-of-state labor on covered public works projects.
Access to Justice in Tax Law: Recent Jurisdictional Pathways and BarriersBy Sandra D. MertensFederal Taxation, September 2026Tax practitioners are familiar with the complex nature of navigating the administrative processes of the IRS in an attempt to reach a truly neutral decision-maker: The Tax Court or other adjudicative body. Jurisdiction is often the most common barrier to a client’s “day in court” when it comes to tax issues, with the Tax Court or federal district courts often dismissing a case for lack of jurisdiction because the taxpayer did not meet one of the myriad of procedural or time-governed requirements. Several recent cases highlight key arguments for taxpayers, as well as a few warnings.
Acquiring Battery and Energy Lease Expertise for Leasing and Real Estate Sales AgreementsBy Alan E. StumpfAgricultural Law, March 2026Energy storage contract offers related to real estate are becoming more common, whether in the contexts of wind energy leases, solar energy leases or specific negotiations to lease or purchase real estate for battery storage. We need to be thinking about contract responsibilities and technology related to energy storage on real estate.
Addressing the “Ghost” in the Machine: Speculative Ticketing and the Evolution of Illinois Consumer Protection LawBy Jennifer L. GordonIntellectual Property, June 2026The secondary ticket market is undergoing a period of intense regulatory scrutiny as Illinois lawmakers grapple with "speculative ticketing"—colloquially known as "ghost ticketing." This practice involves resellers listing tickets for sale that they do not currently possess, effectively "shorting" the ticket market. While federal oversight exists, a significant regulatory gap has emerged, prompting the Illinois General Assembly to pursue state-specific legislative remedies in 2026.
Advance Your Practice at the 32nd Annual Agricultural Law SeminarBy Ted M. NiemannAgricultural Law, January 2026Illinois State Bar Association members are invited to attend the 32nd Annual Agricultural Law Seminar—a premier continuing legal education event designed for attorneys practicing in or interested in the dynamic field of agricultural law. This year’s seminar takes place on Friday, February 6, 2026, at the Doubletree by Hilton in Bloomington, IL, running from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Advice for Your Real Property Selling ClientBy Michael J. MaslankaReal Estate Law, August 2026Your client is selling her real property and paying off an FHA-insured mortgage loan. Be sure to advise her at or before closing, as to whether she might be entitled to a refund of part of the FHA mortgage insurance premiums she has been paying all these years.
Advocating for Yourself to Better Advocate for Your Clients: The Taboo Topic of Self-CareBy Isabella MazzantiLaw Office Management and Economics, Standing Committee on, May 2026Next 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.
Advocating for Yourself to Better Advocate for Your Clients: The Taboo Topic of Self-CareBy Isabella MazzantiMental Health Law, February 2026Next 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.
Advocating for Yourself to Better Advocate for Your Clients: The Taboo Topic of Self-CareBy Isabella MazzantiElder Law, February 2026Next 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.
Ag Law in the NewsBy Sam Ellis & Cari Brett RinckerAgricultural Law, June 2026Recent developments related to agricultural law include advancement of the Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2026, the EPA continues to integrate pesticide oversight with the Endangered Species Act, federal regulators are pursuing enforcement actions aimed at data-sharing practices within agricultural markets, and more.
Ag Law in the NewsBy Sam Ellis & Cari Brett RinckerAgricultural Law, April 2026Earlier this year, the Trump Administration accelerated efforts to reshape federal pesticide regulation and liability standards; the EPA and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers continue to attempt to define "waters of the United States"; Governor Pritzker and the Illinois Department of Agriculture hosted the annual Illinois Agriculture Legislative Day last month; and more!
Ag Law in the News: August 2026By Sam Ellis & Cari Brett RinckerAgricultural Law, August 2026Recent developments relevant to agricultural law, including federal legislation and regulatory changes; environmental law and land use updates; trade and market regulation news; energy and rural development; and Illinois-specific updates.
Ag Law in the News: July 2026By Sam Ellis & Cari Brett RinckerAgricultural Law, July 2026Developments relevant to agricultural law include federal legislation and regulatory developments, environmental law and land use, trade and market regulation, energy and rural development, and Illinois-specific law updates.
Ag Law in the News—September 2026By Sam Ellis & Cari Brett RinckerAgricultural Law, September 2026Short summaries of recent events relevant to the practice of agricultural law, including Illinois-specific updates, federal legislation and regulatory developments, environmental law and land use, trade and market regulation, and energy and rural development.
Ag Law Section Council Member Profile: Kyle M. TompkinsAgricultural Law, April 2026Learn more about Kyle M. Tompkins, a practicing attorney with over 12 years of experience, a member of the Agricultural Law Section Council for over five years, and a central Illinois native who understands agriculture law's importance to everyday life.
Agency UpdatesElder Law, April 2026Learn more about the Social Security Administration's transition to in-house processing at Disability Case Review, and the Memorandum of Understanding signed between the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and the U.S. Department of Justice regarding needs of individuals who are unable to make health care decisions.
