The Illinois Trust Code becomes effective Jan. 1, 2020, representing a multiyear effort to modify and adapt the Uniform Trust Code. In his December Illinois Bar Journal article, “The New Illinois Trust Code: Practical Pointers,” Dan Felix provides a topic-oriented introduction that moves progressively through the Code. He notes several changes from the existing Illinois Trust and Trustees Act and raises questions for further resolution. Felix also includes a practical checklist for attorneys who will be working with the Code.
Practice News
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December 2, 2019 | Practice News
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November 26, 2019 |
Practice News
By Missy Greathouse
Illinois Agricultural Mediation Program—Background and Funding
The Illinois Agricultural Mediation Program (IAMP) is a state-certified mediation program offering mediation and other services to Illinois farmers. IAMP is one of 41 agricultural mediation programs throughout the country serving as a Certified State Agricultural Mediation Program governed by 7 C.F.R., Part 785, under the authority of 5 U.S.C. 301, 7 U.S.C. 1989 and 7 U.S.C. 5101-5104. This federal program arose out of the 1980s farm crisis and was authorized by the Agricultural Credit Act of 1987.
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November 25, 2019 |
Practice News
The Illinois Supreme Court today issued an order allowing the use of electronic devices during Supreme Court oral arguments.
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November 25, 2019 |
Practice News
During the past half-century or so, Illinois Supreme Court Chief Justice Anne M. Burke has written the original grant that launched the Special Olympics, led the national review board that investigated the Catholic Church’s pedophilia scandal, spearheaded an effort to renovate the Illinois Supreme Court building in Springfield, and worked to unclog the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services backlog of cases at the request of then-Gov. Jim Edgar. Now, after her long and distinguished career that began as a Chicago Park District educator and includes more than three decades on the bench, Anne Burke has reached the pinnacle of the Illinois judiciary as the Illinois Supreme Court’s new chief justice. To learn more about Chief Justice Burke and her impressive career, read the December 2019 Illinois Bar Journal cover story.
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November 21, 2019 | Practice News
The Illinois Supreme Court handed down nine opinions on Thursday, November 21. Full summaries of the opinions are available below.
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November 21, 2019 |
Practice News
The Circuit Court of Cook County and the Illinois Supreme Court Access to Justice Commission (ATJ Commission) today have announced a partnership that will allow individuals to appear for cases remotely in three different divisions of the Cook County Circuit Courts.
The Remote Video Pilot program will launch on Dec. 2, 2019, and run through Nov. 30, 2020. Two judges from each of the chancery, county, and domestic relations divisions will oversee the use of remote video in their courtrooms.
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November 19, 2019 | Practice News
The Illinois Supreme Court announced the filing of lawyer disciplinary orders on Nov. 19, 2019. Sanctions were imposed because the lawyers engaged in professional misconduct by violating state ethics law.
4 comments (Most recent November 22, 2019) -
November 18, 2019 |
Practice News
The advent of smartphones containing audio and video capabilities gives virtually everyone the means to preserve evidence. More often than not, audio and video information will be the most persuasive evidence the jury will see or hear. In his November 2019 Illinois Bar Journal article, “What Every Trial Lawyer Needs to Know About Audio Recordings,” William Hanson reminds us that in Illinois, a person commits eavesdropping when he or she knowingly, intentionally, and without consent uses an eavesdropping device in a surreptitious manner for the purpose of overhearing, transmitting, or recording all or any part of any private conversation. Hanson goes on to unpack the differences between legality, authenticity, and consent as these concepts pertain to audio recordings.
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November 14, 2019 |
Practice News
By Mark C. Palmer, Chief Counsel at the Illinois Supreme Court Commission on Professionalism
What channels of trust have you built lately? Put another way, what social capital tracks have you put down to promote and maintain the delivery of your firm’s services?
Whether you’re the managing partner at a large firm or a solo practitioner, part of your job as a professional is being attentive to your social capital networks. This could include anyone from friends, neighbors and former classmates, to colleagues in civic organizations and legal associations. Your network also intersects with those of your employees; and together, your firm’s social capital provides the foundation for a business to thrive.
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November 12, 2019 |
Practice News
You have represented ABC Company for many years and seen it grow from a mom-and-pop operation to having more than $200 million in annual revenues and more than 300 employees. You are of that increasingly rare breed—a corporate generalist—and have represented ABC on its day-to-day contractual matters and during occasional acquisitions. But now, the first-generation owners have told you that they wish to sell the business. Of course, they want you to represent them in this once-in-a-lifetime transaction. The investment banker they have engaged to conduct the sale process has recommended that the buyer be required to obtain a representations and warranties (rep & warranty) insurance policy as part of the transaction. While you have heard about rep & warranty insurance, you have never come across it on a transaction before. Dykema attorneys Stephen Sayre and Brendan Cahill, in their November 2019 Illinois Bar Journal article, “Coming to a Deal Near You,” walk you through the steps of a deal requiring rep & warranty insurance.