Practice News

Chief Justice Thomas L. Kilbride and the Illinois Supreme Court announced Thursday that two counties in the Second Judicial District will be added to a pilot project allowing the filing of the trial record on appeal electronically.

The Supreme Court Order authorized the Illinois Appellate Court in the Second Judicial District to begin an e-project that will allow attorneys, parties and appellate justices to view, access and work electronically from the official record of cases on appeal from DeKalb and McHenry counties for appeals filed after August 1, 2012.

DeKalb and McHenry will join DuPage and Ogle counties in the Second Judicial District to electronically transfer the official court record of cases on appeal. Other Illinois counties in the pilot project include Clinton County in the Fifth Judicial District, Rock Island County in the Third Judicial District and Adams County in the Fourth Judicial District.

In addition, the Court announced in January a pilot project for the electronic filing of motions, briefs and related documents with the Illinois Supreme Court Clerk's office. That project involves the Illinois Attorney General, the State Appellate Defender's Office and the Office of the Illinois State's Attorneys Appellate Prosecutor.

Chief Justice Kilbride has said making the records on appeal available electronically will bring the courts closer to eventually making e-business universal throughout the Illinois court system. Justice Kilbride has pledged to make Illinois court operations more efficient by implementing improvements in technology since becoming Chief Justice in October 2010.

ISBA Director of Legislative Affairs Jim Covington reviews bills in Springfield of interest to ISBA members. This week he covers House Bill 5823 (Health Care Services Lien Act), Senate Bill 3171 (Medical Records of deceased family members) Senate Bill 2840 (Medicaid and estate planning) and House Bill 1263 (eavesdropping). More information on each bill is available below the video.

House Bill 5823 (Thapedi, D-Chicago; Mulroe, D-Chicago) does three things to the Health Care Services Lien Act. (1) Proportionately reduces subrogation claims or other claims of right of reimbursement for medical expenses in the same proportion that the claimant’s recovery is reduced because of comparative fault or uncollectability of the full value of the full claim because of limited liability insurance or from any other cause. (2) Requires a party asserting a subrogation claim or other right of reimbursement to bear the pro rata share of the claimant’s attorney’s fees and litigation expenses. (3) Allows petitions to adjudicate rights under this Act to be served on interested adverse parties by personal service, substitute service, or registered or certified mail. House Bill 5823 exempts any health-care provider's liens and UIM and UM cases. This bill may be voted on today or tomorrow by the House Judiciary Committee I and the House. 

ISBA President John G. Locallo uses his latest Tech Minute to highlight legal apps for your smartphone. He discussed legal apps previously in his December Bar Journal column - but not with a guitar in his hands.