“Perhaps no professional shortcoming is more widely resented than procrastination,” states Illinois Rule of Professional Conduct 1.3, Comment [3]. As explained in the Illinois Bar Journal January cover story, “The Procrastination Puzzle,” from a physiological standpoint, procrastination pits two sections of the brain against each other: the prefrontal cortex, which handles logic, reason, and organizational skills; and the limbic system, which triggers our gratification and fight-or-flight reflexes. The problem?
Illinois Bar Journal
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January 13, 2025 | Practice News
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January 9, 2025 | ISBA News
The 2025 first place winner of the Lincoln Award Legal Writing Contest is Joshua L. Gablin, a solo attorney from Chicago, who wrote “Prompt Service.” Joshua's article will appear in the February issue of the Illinois Bar Journal.
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December 16, 2024 | Practice News
In her December Illinois Bar Journal article, “Lonely Lawyers,” Karen Munoz notes recent studies suggesting that lawyers are an especially lonely bunch. She asks what could be driving their loneliness and distress and why minority attorneys are especially vulnerable. As she looks for answers, she also raises additional questions, such as, “Are we a lonelier profession because we bear so much weight in silence? How do the nature of the work and the environment contribute to loneliness?
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December 9, 2024 | Practice News
Artificial intelligence (AI) looms large, echoing the ancient Greek metallic behemoth Talos, guardian of Crete. Talos’s tragic flaw was his inability to discern friend from foe, causing him to attack Jason and the Argonauts as they sought refuge on the island. Jason’s intimate knowledge of Talos’s inner workings ultimately spared their lives. AI, too, wields immense strength and power yet grapples with distinguishing between reality and fabrication, fact and opinion, writes Illinios Appellate Court Justice Michael B.
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December 2, 2024 | Practice News
One out of every four Illinois lawyers recounts being bullied between 2022 and 2023, according to a survey completed by more than 6,000 attorneys.
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November 25, 2024 | Practice News
Earlier this fall, all ISBA members received a powerful free upgrade to vLex Fastcase.
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November 18, 2024 | Practice News
In civil and criminal matters, practitioners are confronted with vast amounts of electronic data produced by cellphones that are in constant contact with cell towers, cloud services, and cellphone providers. Recently, however, under Carpenter v.
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November 11, 2024 | Practice News
In Illinois, the Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities Confidentiality Act is a bulwark against improper disclosures of mental health information. At the time of its enactment, the Act was a “comprehensive revision” of prior safeguards for mental health records. And, to this day, the law “constitutes a strong statement by the General Assembly about the importance of keeping mental-health records confidential.” In their November 2024 Illinois Bar Journal article, “Mind Over Matter,” Joseph T. Monahan and Matthew R.
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November 4, 2024 | Practice News
The Illinois Bar Journal’s November cover story asks the question, “Can you beat City Hall?” The answer is, “Yes, but it’s complicated.” You must be well-schooled to do it successfully, according to a panel of Illinois municipal attorneys who provided insights into litigating against municipalities during a recent ISBA continuing legal education (CLE) program. The IBJ distilled the panel’s guidance and also interviewed attorneys experienced in fighting and representing municipalities and the State of Illinois.
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October 28, 2024 | Practice News
Jeff Krause, partner and senior document management consultant at Affinity Consulting Group, says he’s often surprised by how many people remain unaware of everything included with Microsoft 365. Microsoft 365 offers many useful apps and features beyond the traditional Office programs, he writes in his October Illinois Bar Journal Pointers From Practice HQ column, “Word and Excel Online.” “For reasons lost on me,” Krause continues, “many people refuse to even try or seem to openly dislike Word and Excel Online.