Practice News

The Illinois Supreme Court has appointed Robert C. Marsaglia of Morris to serve as a Commissioner of the Attorney Registration & Disciplinary Commission (ARDC) for a term beginning on January 1, 2025, and expiring on December 31, 2027. The ARDC is the Supreme Court agency that oversees lawyer licensing and investigates allegations of lawyer wrongdoing in Illinois. 

The Administrative Office of the Illinois Courts (AOIC) announced today that the Southern Illinois University (SIU) School of Medicine’s Center for Rural Health and Social Service Development (CRHSSD) has recently awarded $45,000 to rural drug courts in Illinois. Five rural counties including Pike, Williamson, Clinton, Marion, and Richland will receive funds to enhance existing programs and establish new ones in areas without these critical resources.

 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?

The Judicial Conference of the United States has authorized the appointment of a full-time United States magistrate judge for the Central District of Illinois at Springfield. The annual salary is $223,836. The eight-year term begins upon appointment. A court’s essential function is to dispense justice. A community’s belief that a court dispenses justice is heightened when the court reflects the community’s racial, ethnic, and gender diversity.