The Illinois Supreme Court Commission on Access to Justice (ATJ Commission) is seeking two volunteer members to serve on its Forms Committee. The expected term of service is three years.
Practice News
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WHAT: The grand opening program and tour of the new Learning Center, with Supreme Court Chief Justice Mary Jane Theis and Supreme Court Historic Preservation Commission Executive Director John Lupton serving as speakers at the event.
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As James A. Rapp reminds us in his September Illinois Bar Journal article, “Hello, Goodbye … Planning for Retirement Success,” about one in eight lawyers is 65 years old or older, which means facing the challenge of succession planning is here for many lawyers and firms. Rapp suggests that lawyers and firms should consider what experiences—good and bad—they have had within the firm and with other lawyers or firms when lawyers retire and recommends that lawyers and firms develop a perspective consistent with the interests of the lawyer involved, the firm, and most importantly, the firm’s clients.
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The Illinois Supreme Court has appointed Illinois attorney Lea S. Gutierrez to serve as the new Administrator of the Attorney Registration & Disciplinary Commission (ARDC) effective October 23, 2023.
5 comments (Most recent September 15, 2023) -
Illinois has a long history of pretrial reform efforts starting with the abolishment of bail bondsmen in 1963. Those efforts continue as Illinois becomes the first state to abolish cash bail on September 18, 2023.
1 comment (Most recent September 14, 2023) -
In his September Illinois Bar Journal article, “Busting the Myth About Corporate Trustee Fees,” Jay E. Harker notes that many Illinois attorneys—some regularly, some occasionally—draft revocable, living trusts, and that all of them know firsthand that clients overwhelmingly prefer to designate family members as their successor trustees. This very often this works out just fine for all concerned, Harker notes. But he suggests that some estate-planning scenarios scream for serious consideration of a corporate trustee.
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The Illinois Supreme Court has announced a grand opening for a new Learning Center on September 20, 2023, at the Supreme Court Building at 200 E. Capitol Avenue in Springfield. The grand opening program will be held from 1:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.
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Security-related advice will be among the many topics covered during the “ISBA Solo and Small Firm Conference 2023: The Intersection of Technology and the Law” Sept. 28-29. Speakers for the security-related sessions spoke with the Illinois Bar Journal to summarize what they plan to discuss. For example, too many solo and small firms assume that their size protects them. But hackers know such firms have “fewer resources and less time, and they’re less attuned to cyberthreats because they’re just trying to run their businesses,” one presenter says.
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Chief Justice Mary Jane Theis and the Illinois Supreme Court announced today an order entered to help the court system implement the pretrial release provisions of the SAFE-T Act, which goes into effect on September 18, 2023.
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In his August Illinois Bar Journal Judging Your Writing column, “Chat Not,” First District Illinois Appellate Court Justice Michael B. Hyman experiments with ChatGPT and gauges its capability as a legal writing tool. He asks OpenAI’s free ChatGPT 3.5 to prepare memos on various legal topics and prods the tool when its answers lack substance. His conclusion—chatbots are not a viable option … yet.