Practice News

Every August, the Illinois Bar Journal publishes its annual Legislative Roundup of bills pass by the General Assembly and signed by (or awaiting the signature of) the governor. Take a few minutes to scan through the list of new laws curated by Jim Covington, the ISBA’s director of legislative affairs. The online version of the Legislative Roundup is updated as Gov. Pritzker signs each bill as it becomes a public act. Covington pays special attention throughout the year to legislation affecting lawyers and the practice of law, not least regarding trusts, estate planning, real estate, family law, civil litigation, business law, criminal justice, and juvenile law.  

WHAT: Memorial service honoring the late Justice James D. Heiple 
WHEN: 2 p.m., Wednesday, Sept. 22, 2021 
WHERE: Supreme Court Courtroom, 200 E. Capitol Ave., Springfield and livestream

The Illinois Supreme Court will host a memorial service in honor of the late Justice James D. Heiple, who served on the Illinois Supreme Court from 1990 to 2000. A program will be available for download on the Court’s website a few days before the service.  

In his August Illinois Bar Journal article, “Are Mindfulness & Meditation Relevant for Lawyers?”, retired attorney Jeffrey H. Bunn asks what exactly are mindfulness and meditation? How can they impact the daily practice of law? When and where do we meditate? How long do we need to meditate? And how often do we need to do it? His answers to these and other questions make the case that mindfulness and meditation can help attorneys better manage their thoughts and emotions in a variety of situations that lawyers encounter every day involving difficult clients; unpleasant work peers; contentious opposing counsel; or challenging judges, arbitrators, and mediators.

Our panel of leading appellate attorneys reviews the three Illinois Supreme Court opinions handed down Thursday, July 29. In Beaman v. Freesmeyer, the Court found that the plaintiff presented sufficient evidence to create a genuine issue of material fact on the commence-and-continue element of his malicious prosecution claim. In Indeck Energy Services v. DePodesta, the Illinois Supreme Court defined what constitutes an injury in the context of claims for usurpation of a corporate opportunity, breach of fiduciary duty, and breach of contract. In People v. Dorsey, the Court rejected the defendant’s claim that his sentence violates the proportionate penalties clause of the Illinois Constitution, finding that the claim was forfeited and barred by the doctrine of res judicata.