Each August, the Illinois Bar Journal features a summary of legislation passed by the Illinois General Assembly during the most recent spring session that may be of interest to ISBA members. Following each update is a link to the new public act’s or bill’s full text. The public acts are organized by area of law and are compiled by David Eldridge, who represents the Illinois State Bar Association before the General Assembly.
Practice News
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August 13, 2024 | Practice News
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August 8, 2024 | Practice News
The National Conference of Bar Examiners is offering a $1,500 paid opportunity for July 2024 bar examinees!
In October 2024, the National Conference of Bar Examiners (NCBE) will conduct a nationwide prototype exam for the NextGen bar exam, which is currently under development. The prototype exam is a full-length, 9-hour pre-test over two days of the new bar exam question types and format that will debut in July 2026. The Illinois prototype exam will be held October 25-26, 2024 in Chicago, Champaign, and Carbondale. -
August 1, 2024 |
Practice News
By Abigail Causer, Managing Attorney at the Public Interest Law Initiative (PILI) & Nicole Massey, Veterans Attorney and Pro Bono Coordinator at Land of Lincoln Legal Aid
In Illinois, there are over 800,000 veterans, active service members, National Guard members, and dependents of deployed service members. For people in these groups, access to civil legal services is highly sought after, and many cannot afford it. The 2023 survey by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs' Project CHALENG (Community Homelessness Assessment, Local Education, and Networking Groups) identified several unmet needs for legal assistance in eight areas: credit issues and debt collection, expunging criminal records, family law and tax issues, child support issues, outstanding warrants and fines, discharge upgrade appeals, and financial guardianship.
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August 1, 2024 | Practice News
For more than a decade, Legal Research provider Fastcase has been a standard benefit for Illinois State Bar Association (ISBA) members. Its especially deep trove of Illinois materials spans a complete collection of caselaw; statutes; attorney general’s opinions; and the state’s court rules, constitution, and administrative code. During the second half of 2024, vLex Fastcase, comprising two namesake companies that merged in 2023, will roll out an update that will gallop ahead of the previous version’s capabilities with “nonhallucinatory” AI, a “negative” Cert citator that identifies nonprecedential decisions, and several other updates.
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July 29, 2024 | Practice News
In his July Illinois Bar Journal Ethics column, “Let’s Celebrate the 4s,” ISBA General Counsel Charles Northrup examines the designation “of counsel” and when, and when not, to use it.
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July 25, 2024 | Practice News
Justice Joy V. Cunningham of the Supreme Court of Illinois has announced the formation of a standing Judicial Selection Committee (Committee). The Committee has been formed for the purpose of assessing the qualifications of those who apply for appointment to vacancies in the Supreme Court’s First District - Cook County.
Under the Illinois Constitution, judicial vacancies on the Circuit and Appellate Courts are filled on an interim basis by Supreme Court appointment. Appointed individuals then must run in the next election to maintain the seat.
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July 21, 2024 | Practice News | ISBA News
The Illinois State Bar Association (ISBA) encourages its members to take part in the Commission on Disability Rights of the American Bar Association (ABA)'s #BeCounted campaign in celebration of Disability Pride Month.
1 comment (Most recent July 26, 2024) -
July 19, 2024 | Practice News | People
The Illinois Supreme Court has announced today the appointment of Cook County Circuit Judge Celia G. Gamrath to the First District Appellate Court.
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July 17, 2024 | Practice News | People
Illinois Judges Association Past President Judge Barbara Crowder (ret.) of Edwardsville was elected President of the Board of Directors of the Lawyers Trust Fund of Illinois (LTF) at the June 2024 meeting of the Board held in Chicago.
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July 16, 2024 | Practice News
On April 12, 2024, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit issued notice that it proposed modifications to Circuit Rules 31, 34, 40, 47, and 60. The court carefully considered the comments received and made an additional modification to Circuit Rule 34. The court hereby provides notice of adoption of the attached modifications, effective immediately.