ISBA News

Beginning January 1, all eligible ISBA members will be able to earn up to 15 hours of MCLE, including all 6 hours of PMCLE* online at no additional cost. The free CLE programs will be available online 24/7 on our "Free CLE Channel" on FastCLE. Live on-site programs are not included in Free CLE at this time. The free online CLE programs that will be available Jan. 1 are:

The ISBA Assembly on Saturday adopted a proposed rule governing recusal of judges in cases in which a party has made a campaign contribution to the judge. The Assembly meeting capped off the annual Midyear Meeting held at the Sheraton Chicago Hotel & Towers.

The ISBA will recommend the proposed rule to the Illinois Supreme Court as an amendment to the Illinois Code of Judicial Conduct. The proposed rule provides that a judge shall disqualify himself or herself when, after considering all relevant circumstances, there exists a probability of bias. Relevant circumstances include items such as the amount of campaign support, both monetary and non-monetary, and the timing and impact of the support.

The Assembly also voted to support the Religious Freedom and Marriage Fairness Act pending in the Illinois state Legislature. The bill provides same-sex and different-sex couples and their children equal access to the status, benefits, protections, rights, and responsibilities of civil marriage.

The Assembly also endorsed Illinois legislation that would allow patients who suffer from a debilitating medical condition to use and possess small amounts of marijuana if certified to do so by their regular physician.

ISBA President John E. Thies discusses a great new benefit coming for ISBA members - free CLE. He also urges members to make new skills a habit so that it becomes your "new normal" behavior. Find out more about the ISBA's new free CLE benefit at www.isba.org/freecle

The Illinois State Bar Association's Special Committee on Law School Debt, formed by President John E. Thies, held the final of five open hearings on Wednesday, Dec. 12 at the Chicago Regional Office. The committee heard from several lawyers with over $100,000 in law school debt. One lawyer, who has sued three area law schools, said that law student loans need to be capped and need to be made dischargeable in bankruptcy. Many of the law students who spoke said they are on payment plans that don't cover the cost of the interest on their loans - so no principal is being paid off and additional interest is accruing.

The committee is co-chaired by Dennis J. Orsey of Granite City and Appellate Justice Ann B. Jorgensen. President Thies will deliver a report on what the committee learned at the June Assembly Meeting and will share the information with the American Bar Association.