2026 Articles

Member Appreciation & Recognition Reception Highlights June 2026 On May 14, 2026, ISBA members and colleagues gathered at the beautiful Morton Arboretum in Lisle to celebrate the 2025–26 ISBA Award Recipients, connect with fellow legal professionals, and enjoy an evening of meaningful conversation and camaraderie.

Motion to Adjourn…Permanently By Staci Balbirer June 2026 Closing remarks from the outgoing Chair of the Family Law Section Council for the 2025-2026 bar year.

The Pre-Trial Conference in Family Law: Why It Matters, How It Works, and How To Make It Better By Hon. Bernadette Barrett & Rhonda J. Thompson January 2026 Pre-trial conferences are an integral part of family law, built into the statutes that govern domestic relations matters. Judges and attorneys can take steps to ensure that pre-trials are as successful as possible in protecting children, resolving financial issues fairly, and reducing the collateral damage of litigation.

Preparing Your Clients for Court Ordered Mediation and Interviews With the Guardian ad Litem By Laura Miroballi April 2026 Be sure to educate your clients about the purpose, role, and scope of Guardian ad Litems and mediators. Not only does this allow your client to feel more secure and educated going into the initial meeting, but the sessions can be more productive if the Guardian ad Litem or mediator does not have to waste time educating the client on the purpose of the meeting.

Putting the Cart Before the Divorce: Pre-Decree Relocation Under 750 ILCS 5/603.5 and 5/609 By John P.M. Peskind February 2026 The relocation statute presumes that an Allocation Judgment has already been entered in a matter; however, family law practitioners know that seeking relocation during the pendency of a proceeding is sometimes necessary. If, after considering the potential impact of a relocation on the non-relocating parent, a court finds that a relocation would serve the children’s best interest—then the children should relocate. It is difficult to see why the pre- or post-decree status of the case should have any bearing on this analysis.

Restriction of Parental Responsibilities By Judge Maureen Schuette March 2026 An overview of the statutes, legal standards, and necessary language to include in orders to restrict parental responsibilities from the perspective of a sitting judge.

Revisiting Supreme Court Rule 274: When to Reconsider Filing That Motion to Reconsider By Annette Fernholz September 2026 A trial court’s ruling is supposed to bring a conclusion to the parties’ litigation. Then comes a flurry of post-trial motions. When does the litigation end? Creating a termination of post judgment litigation was the purpose behind the adoption of Supreme Court Rule 274 in 2005. Succinctly put, Rule 274 limits successive post judgment motions and permits each party one post-trial motion directed at a judgment with strict deadlines for filing.

Termination of Maintenance: 750 ILCS 5/510(c) By Judge Pamela E. Loza & Zoe Meade August 2026 When may a court terminate a maintenance obligation, and how do courts determine whether a recipient spouse is cohabiting with another person on a resident, continuing, and conjugal basis under the Illinois Marriage and Dissolution of Marriage Act?

The Trial Files: What Judges Want You to Know About Family Law Trials By Lisa M. Nyuli August 2026 Family law trials are won by attorneys who present the case in the way judges want: by clearly identifying the issues, presenting admissible evidence, credible witnesses, and an organized path from facts to the requested relief. Remember, this is not a jury trial—you are persuading one person—your judge.

Wearable AI Note-Takers: What Illinois Lawyers Should Know Before Pressing Record By Elizabeth Wakeman August 2026 A new category of hardware has arrived in conference rooms, client meetings, and mediation sessions: the wearable AI note-taker. These are pendants, clips, glasses, bracelets, and pins that record ambient conversation, push the audio to a cloud service, and return a transcript, a summary, and a list of action items. For a lawyer who has ever tried to take usable notes while maintaining eye contact with a crying client, the appeal is obvious.

The Women by Kristin Hannah—A Reflection of Our Times By Naomi Schuster June 2026 The 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.