Allerton Conference

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Allerton Conference 2023 - Technology and the Courts: Transforming the Delivery of Justice

March 30 – April 1, 2023
I Hotel and Conference Center
1900 South First Street
Champaign, IL 61820

Presented by the ISBA Civil Practice and Procedure Section
Sponsored by the ISBA Mutual Insurance Company

The purpose of the Allerton Conference to discuss cutting edge issues in the courts and from the exchange of ideas to present suggestions to the ISBA leadership to improve the delivery of justice.

It is organized by the ISBA Civil Practice and Procedure Committee in alternate years and is intended to be the premier event of the ISBA to develop long range policies and legislation to enhance the operation of the courts.

Sponsors

Thank you to ISBA Mutual Insurance Company and all of the Allerton Conference Sponsors!

Refreshment Sponsors:

  • The Toney Law Firm, LLC
  • Mark L. Karno & Associates, LLC
  • Mathis, Marifian & Richter, Ltd.

Hotel

The Conference will be held at the I Hotel and Conference Center in Champaign, Illinois, resuming for the first time since 2019, due to the pandemic.

The ISBA room block deadline with the I Hotel has passed. Please contact the hotel directly to inquire about room availability by calling 217-819-5000 or book online. There are also other nearby hotels that may have accommodations including the Holiday Inn and the Hilton Garden Inn.

    Pre-registration for the Allerton Conference 2023 is now closed. Limited walk-in registration space is available. Please call the ISBA CLE Department if you are interested in registering as a walk-in on the day of the conference to confirm space availability.

    If available, pricing is:

    • ISBA New Attorney Member:  $150
    • ISBA Member:  $250
    • Non-Member: $450
    • Meal Fee:  $175 (includes all meals – al la carte option is not available for walk-in registrants)

    Agenda

    Thursday: 5:30 – 8:00 p.m.
    Friday: 8:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. (reception and dinner to follow)
    Saturday: 9:00 – 11:30 a.m.

    Join us in Champaign as we explore hot topic issues impacting the civil practice and procedure arena – from how artificial intelligence is being used in the courtroom and how technology is being utilized to help disabled lawyers and clients, to using technology to serve rural communities. A look at legislative updates is also included.

    Thursday, March 30, 2023

    5:30 – 6:30 p.m.  Cocktail Reception

    6:30 – 8:00 p.m.  Dinner
    Welcome and Introductions:
    Rory T. Weiler, ISBA President, 2022-23, Weiler & Lengle, P.C., St. Charles
    Emily N. Masalski, Eaton Corporation, Oak Park
    Speaker: Hon. Mary Jane Theis, Illinois Supreme Court, Chicago

    Friday, March 31, 2023

    8:00 – 8:30 a.m.  Breakfast

    8:30 – 8:45 a.m.  Welcome and Introductions
    Ronald D. Menna, Fischel Kahn, Chicago
    Gregory E. Mordock, Illinois Municipal League, Springfield
    David A. Weder, Greensfelder Hemker & Gale P.C., St. Louis

    8:45 – 10:00 a.m.  Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the Courts – An Overview
    Dory Reiling, Amsterdam District Court (ret.) Netherlands (via pre-recorded video)
    George S. Bellas, Bellas & Wachowski, Park Ridge
    Caroline Marouzek, Bellas & Wachowski, Park Ridge
    Ronald D. Menna, Fischel Kahn, Wheaton

    10:00 – 10:15 a.m.  Break

    10:15 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.  Using AI to Resolve Small Claims Cases (and Changing/Adopting Ethics Rules to Reflect the Use of AI)
    Discover the potential of the application of Artificial Intelligence in the courts and the resolution of disputes with this informative segment.
    Moderator: Nelson M. Rosario, Rosario Tech Law, LLC, Chicago
    Hon. Michael J. Chmiel, Twenty-Second Judicial Circuit, Woodstock
    Prof. Daniel W. Linna, Northwestern Pritzker School of Law, Chicago
    Hon. E. Kenneth Wright, Jr., Circuit Court of Cook County, Chicago

    12:00  - 1:30 p.m.  Lunch and Fireside Chat
    Hon. Elizabeth M. Rochford
    , Illinois Supreme Court, Waukegan
    Hon. Mary K. O’Brien, Illinois Supreme Court, Ottawa

    1:30 – 3:00 p.m.  The Use of Technology to Assist Disabled Lawyers, Parties, and Witnesses
    Moderator: Michelle J. Rozovics, Rozovics Law Firm LLC, McHenry
    Hon. Azeema N. Akram, Illinois Human Rights Commission, Chicago
    Brandy L. Johnson, Early & Miranda, P.C., Carbondale
    Michal Nowicki, Marashlian & Donahue, PLLC, Virginia

    3:00 – 3:15 p.m.  Break

    3:15 – 4:15 Legislator Panel
    Get the answers you need on how the legislative process works, how lawyers interact with the legislature both internally and externally, and how to affect this process with a legal background.
    Moderator: Jim Covington, Illinois State Bar Association, Springfield
    Sen. Steve McClure, Illinois State Senator, Springfield
    Sen. Doris Turner, Illinois State Senator, Springfield
    Sen. Sally J. Turner, Illinois State Senator, Springfield

    4:15 – 4:30 p.m.  Break

    4:30 – 6:00 p.m.  Legal Deserts: Using Technology to Serve Rural Communities
    The panel presentation discusses the “legal deserts” that exist within many rural Illinois communities, and explores how lawyers, courts, and justice partners are utilizing technology to address those unmet legal needs, along with challenges and potential solutions to implementing those technological tools.
    Moderator: Erika N. Harold, Illinois Supreme Court Commission on Profession, Chicago
    Diane Goffinet, Land of Lincoln Legal Aid, Carbondale
    Edward Siemer, McDevitt, Osteen, Chojnicki & Deters, LLC, Effingham
    Alison Downs Spanner, Administrative Office of the Illinois Courts, Chicago
    Andrew M. Weaver, Land of Lincoln Legal Aid, East St. Louis

    6:00 – 7:00 p.m.  Cocktail Reception

    7:00 – 8:30 p.m.  Dinner

    Saturday, April 1, 2023

    8:00 – 9:00 a.m.  Breakfast

    9:00 – 10:00 a.m.  Changing the Ethics Rules on an Attorney’s Ability to Address Internet Criticisms
    Online criticisms and negative reviews of attorneys and legal services affect legal practitioners and the field of law as a whole. This panel presentation discusses and analyzes the impact of Model Rule of Professional Conduct 1.6(a). Panelists will provide session attendees with their perspectives on best practices and rule change recommendations.
    Moderator: Erika M. Washington, U-46 School District, Elgin
    Scott A. Carlson, Seyfarth Shaw LLP, Chicago
    James A. Doppke, Robinson, Stewart, Montgomery & Doppke, LLC, Chcago
    Yvette C. Loizon, Clifford law Offices, Chicago

    10:00 – 10:15 a.m.  Break

    10:15 – 11:15 a.m.  Breakout Session Reports / Changes to the Conference
    Deanna L. Litzenburg, Mathis Marifian & Richter Ltd., Edwardsville

    11:15 – 11:30 a.m.  Concluding Remarks


    MCLE credit to be determined based on presentations and materials submitted.