Below is a summary of activities of this section from July 1, 2025 through June 30, 2026. While past activity is no guarantee of future activity, it may give a idea of what to expect this year.
Section Stats
Newsletters
Issues: 4
CLE
Live Programs: 7
Discussions
Posts: 87
Legislation
Bills Reviewed: 70
Continuing Legal Education
Section members receive discounts on section-sponsored CLE programs. During the 2025–26 bar year, the Section sponsored the following programs:
- Sponsor Civil Appeal Basics: How to Handle an Appeal in the Illinois Appellate Court from Start to Finish (10/24/2025)
- Co-Sponsor Overcoming Discovery Obstruction (11/13/2025)
- Sponsor Civil Appeals Basics: A Step-by-Step Guide to Determine Appealability (12/03/2025)
- Sponsor Civil Appeal Basics: Appellate Briefing Fundamentals (02/13/2026)
- Co-Sponsor The Judiciary, Legal Academia, and Artificial Intelligence Going Forward (03/06/2026)
- Sponsor Civil Appeal Basics: Attacking Judgments Other Than by Appeal (04/08/2026)
- Sponsor Civil Appeal Basics: How to Preserve Issues in the Trial Court (06/18/2026)
ISBA Central Discussions
ISBA Central communities allows section members to pose questions, answer questions, and share information with fellow section members. Members of the section get free access to the section’s community. Joining any section also grants you access to the Transactional and Litigation communities. Below are the total number of discussion posts during the 2025–26 bar year.
Civil Practice and Procedure
- Community members: 1,733
- Total discussion posts: 87
Transactional
- Community members: 24,715
- Total discussion posts: 386
Litigation
- Community members: 24,710
- Total discussion posts: 706
Legislation
The Section Council reviewed 70 bills that may affect their members’ practice area. Highlights of the most recent legislative session include:
- House Bill 4844 amends the Jury Act and the Jury Commission Act to require employers with more than 25 employees to compensate an employee at the employee's regular rate of pay for time that the employee served on jury duty.
- House Bill 4896 amends the Code of Civil Procedure by establishing a process for a tenant in common or tenants in common who have inherited real property under the intestate provisions of the Probate Act of 1975 to obtain legal title to that property.
- Senate Bill 2870 is an initiative of the ISBA that amends the Administrative Review Law of the Code of Civil Procedure (the “ARL”) to address concerns about delays by the United States Postal Service in mailing final administrative decisions, which reduce the time available for complainants to file appeals. To address this issue, SB 2870 resolves an inconsistency in the decision-service provisions of the Illinois Administrative Procedure Act (the “IAPA”) and the ARL. While the IAPA permits service by email, registered or certified mail, or personal service, the ARL permits only US mail (not by registered or certified means) and personal service. For consistency, the bill incorporates the IAPA’s service provisions into the ARL by reference. Effective immediately.