Chair’s Column

By Sarah J. Taylor

I hope this finds everyone doing well. As we come to the end of the summer, I wanted to highlight a couple of recent projects of the ISBA Rural Practice Section.

*(L-R) President Perry Browder, Hon. Jeffrey Goffinet, Chair Sarah Taylor, ISBA Mutual Chief Relationship Officer Scott Dutton, & Fayette Co. Bar Association President Emily Fitch.*

First, we successfully held our first collaborative CLE event with a rural ISBA Affiliated Bar Association! On July 9th, 2026, the Rural Practice Section, ISBA Mutual Insurance Company, and the Fayette County Bar Association held a one-hour CLE program for local attorneys at the Fayette County Courthouse in Vandalia, Illinois. This event featured Honorable Jeffrey Goffinet, a retired judge from Williamson County, who presented on using AI evidence in court. Lunch was provided by ISBA Mutual, and ISBA President Perry Browder was a special guest. The event was well received and spurred enthusiasm for more such events in the future.

One goal of this project is to help strengthen legal communities and bar associations in rural areas of Illinois. If your local rural bar association or group of attorneys in your area would like assistance in putting together a similar event, please email me at staylor@btbhh.com or Scott Dutton, ISBA Mutual’s Chief Relationship Officer, at scott.dutton@isbamutual.com.

For more information about the ISBA’s Affiliated Bar Program, you can visit: Affiliated Bar Program | Illinois State Bar Association.

Also, the ISBA Rural Practice Fellowship Program application period is open! The deadline for applying for this program is September 18th. This program is designed to connect rural and small-town law firms looking for law clerks and associates with law students and attorneys interested in practicing law in rural communities in Illinois. For more information and the links to the applications: Rural Practice Fellowship Program | Illinois State Bar Association.

You can learn more about the Rural Practice Section and how to join at: Rural Practice | Illinois State Bar Association.

As always, please feel free to email me or staff liaison, Anita DeCarlo, adecarlo@isba.org, with any comments or suggestions for the Rural Practice Section.

Thanks!

Sarah J. Taylor

Chair, Rural Practice Section Council

Back to the September 2026 Newsletter