The Rules Committee of the Illinois Supreme Court will hear comments at a public hearing on Monday Jan. 23 on several proposals, including a requirement for a uniform mandatory disclosure statement in family law cases.

Other proposed rules deal with plea discussions and agreements in which a judge participates; a new rule of evidence covering the inadvertent waiver of the attorney-client or work product privilege; and pro-posed amendments to rules 214 and 216 dealing with discovery.

The hearing will begin at 10 a.m. at 160 N. LaSalle Street, Room C-500.

The full text of the eight proposed rules and amendments are posted on the Supreme Court website at: http://state.il.us/court/SupremeCourt/Public_Hearings/Rules/default.asp. Those seeking to submit written comments on the proposals may send them to Marcia M. Meis, chief legal counsel for the Administrative Office of the Illinois Courts, at mmeis@court.state.il.us. Those wishing to testify at the public hearing may also contact Ms. Meis.

One of the proposals would create a new Supreme Court Rule that would require parties seeking division of marital assets in contested dissolution of marriages and civil unions to complete a detailed "Disclosure Statement" form to ensure uniformity of information disclosed in family law cases statewide. This statement and form would also be required in contested child custody cases.

The Illinois Supreme Court amended Rule 706 on Tuesday, raising the cost of taking the Illinois Bar Exam to $400 - up from $250. The cost of late applications increased $100 and is now $600. The cost of re-examination for those who have taken the bar and failed doubled to $300.

The deadline for the July bar examination was changed from Feb. 1 to Feb. 15. The deadline for the February examination remains Sept. 1.

Supreme Court Rule 706

Chief Justice Thomas L. Kilbride and the Illinois Supreme Court announced Thursday another step to provide better public access to legal information and to improve the efficiency of lawyers practicing in Illinois.

Effective immediately, Illinois Pattern Jury Instructions, for both civil and criminal cases, will be available on the website of the Supreme Court.

• Pattern jury instructions in civil cases
• Pattern jury instructions in criminal cases

Previously, the complete instructions were available only in bulky, bound volumes and supplemental inserts through a paid subscription or through a law library.

A new letter of agreement, between the Administrative Office of the Illinois Courts and Thomson Reuters, who publishes the volumes under the West Group name, made the change possible. Thomson Reuters retains an exclusive license for publication for commercial purposes.

"This is a very welcome step forward as we move in Illinois to integrate our court systems and processes with the latest technology," said Chief Justice Kilbride. "This was made possible by the renegotiation of our publishing contract with Thomson Reuters, and the continued efforts of the Supreme Court's E-Business Committee to make the practice of law more efficient for lawyers, more cost-effective for clients and court information more accessible to everyone—lawyer and non-lawyer.

"I also wish to thank those members of the Committee on Pattern Jury Instructions, both civil and criminal."

Illinois Supreme Court Justice Mary Jane Theis announced Tuesday that the Supreme Court Commission on Professionalism is teaming up with Winston and Strawn, the Chicago Bar Association, the Cook County Bar Association, The John Marshall Law School, the Cook County State's Attorney's Office and other legal organizations to begin a mentoring program for newly admitted lawyers in Cook County.

The announcement Tuesday continues a statewide initiative by Chief Justice Thomas L. Kilbride, the Supreme Court and the Commission on Professionalism that was launched in June 2011 to urge attorney groups, law schools and individual lawyers to take an active hand in ensuring that new attorneys get prac-tical professional guidance after law school.

The early years of legal practice are among the most challenging for most attorneys. Recent law school graduates generally receive limited practical and clinical experience while in law school, and the months leading up to their admission to the bar are spent in extensive preparation for the two-day bar exam, which consists of essay and multiple choice questions with no gauge of clinical or practical experience.

In such an environment, experienced attorney mentors can prove invaluable in helping recent bar admit-tees learn the actual practice of law, and get them a meaningful start in their legal careers as well as pro-mote principles that guide them toward professionalism.