Below is a summary of activities of this section from July 1, 2022 through June 30, 2023. While past activity is no guarantee of future activity, it may give a idea of what to expect this year.
Section Stats
Newsletters
Issues: 3
CLE
Live Programs: 2
Discussions
Posts: 104
Legislation
Bills Reviewed: 28
Continuing Legal Education
Section members receive discounts on section-sponsored CLE programs. During the 2022–23 bar year, the Section sponsored the following programs:
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Co-Sponsor LIVE WEB - Symposium on Child Marriage: Part 1 - Video Replay (07/14/2022)
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Co-Sponsor LIVE WEB - Symposium on Child Marriage: Part 2 - Video Replay (07/21/2022)
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 2022–23 bar year.
General Practice, Solo, and Small Firm
- Community members: 838
- Total discussion posts: 104
Transactional
- Community members: 25,498
- Total discussion posts: 582
Litigation
- Community members: 25,497
- Total discussion posts: 1,794
Legislation
The Section Council reviewed 28 bills that may affect their members’ practice area. Highlights of the most recent legislative session include:
- House Bill 3314 creates the Consumer Contract Reciprocal Attorney’s Fees Act. If a consumer contract allows for the recovery of attorney’s fees in an action brought by a “commercial party,” the court may award reasonable attorney’s fees to the defendant if he or she prevails in the action. Exemptions include if the commercial party doesn’t request attorney’s fees in its complaint or each party to the consumer contract was represented by counsel in the negotiation of the consumer contract.
- House Bill 1555 amends the guardian ad litem statute in the Illinois Marriage and Dissolution of Marriage Act to clarify and resolve issues with the duties of guardian ad litem.
- Senate Bill 1748 amends the Code of Civil Procedure to do two things. (1) If a defendant seeks a physical or mental examination of the plaintiff during discovery, it allows the plaintiff to have an additional person to be present and video record the examination. (2) Amends the statute giving a preference for a trial setting by lowering the age of a party from 70 to 67 and includes the surviving spouse or next of kin in a wrongful death action.