Turn On Your Video!By Judge James A. Shapiro & Thomas DeMouyRural Practice, January 2026Few things are more annoying to a judge than when we can't see the litigant or lawyer we are addressing (or who is addressing us). During the height of the pandemic, there were judges who were not turning on their video as well. Without naming names, my former presiding judge once had to remind everyone in the division to turn on their videos. For judges, attorneys, and litigants, the lesson is clear: Zoom court requires the same decorum as a physical courtroom.
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.
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.
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.
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.
