The Bar News

Bar News Sections

Practice News

  • June 24, 2019 | Practice News
    Meet New ISBA President David Sosin, If You Can Keep Up with Him

    Read the July 2019 Illinois Bar Journal and get to know new ISBA President David Sosin. Sosin, a partner of the Orland Park firm of Sosin, Arnold & Schoenbeck, practices real estate, land use, and zoning law. He also serves as attorney for the Village of Crestwood just east of Orland Park. He has a long history of bar leadership, including stints as president of the Southwest Suburban Bar Association and the Illinois Bar Foundation prior to entering the leadership track at the ISBA, where his wife, Janet, recently retired as director of bar services after more than 30 years of service.

    Sosin sees many needles to move during the 2019-20 bar year. Included among his top priorities are: attorney wellness, law firm succession planning, bar association leadership, and health insurance for lawyers and firms.

  • June 20, 2019 | Practice News
    Quick Takes on Illinois Supreme Court Opinions Issued Thursday, June 20

    The Illinois Supreme Court issued five opinions on Thursday, June 20. The ISBA's panel of leading civil attorneys reviewed the opinions and provided summaries. In Nichols v. Fahrenkamp, the court took on the question of whether quasi-judicial immunity extends to court-appointed guardians ad litem in the context of the administration of funds from a personal injury lawsuit. The court dismissed a man’s class action lawsuit against Walgreens on the grounds that his claim was precluded under the voluntary payment doctrine in McIntosh v. Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. In County of Will v. Pollution Control Board, the court upheld the board’s determination that groundwater monitoring regulations were unnecessary to protect groundwater from clean construction and demolition debris and uncontaminated soil fill operations. In Ward v. Decatur Memorial Hospital, the court weighed in on whether res judicata bars a plaintiff from refiling an action because he voluntarily dismissed the third amended complaint after a circuit court involuntarily dismissed several counts from the original, first, and second amended complaints in the initial action. The court addressed whether a court may impose sanctions in the form of attorney fees under Illinois Supreme Court Rule 137(a) against a plaintiff to compensate an attorney defending himself against a frivolous cause of action in McCarthy v. Taylor.

  • June 19, 2019 | Practice News
    Can You See It? Predicting an Augmented Future for Illinois Attorneys

    In 2016, a new game called Pokémon Go invited players to use their smartphone cameras to find and battle animated creatures the game layered on top of, or near, images of real objects displayed on their smartphone screens. Creatures could be hunted anywhere: on sidewalks, on pets, at restaurants, in parks, and on your neighbor's backyard patio. The game was a massive, worldwide success. But news stories proliferated of Pokémon hunters entering other people's property without permission, causing traffic accidents, and congregating in large groups at random locations.

    Read Alexander Porter’s article, “Can You See It? Predicting an Augmented Future for Illinois Attorneys,” in June’s Illinois Bar Journal for an overview of how augmented reality likely will touch upon many legal issues, including trespassing, public and private nuisance, privacy, personal and financial data, terms of use, and intellectual property.

  • June 18, 2019 | Practice News
    Quick Takes for Your Practice: How to Evaluate Permanency in a Workers' Compensation Case

    Attorney Howard Ankin discusses how to evaluate permanency in a workers’ compensation claim.

  • June 18, 2019 | Practice News
    Land of Lincoln Legal Aid Seeks Staff Attorney

    Land of Lincoln Legal Aid, a non-profit organization that provides free legal services to low-income individuals in central and southern Illinois, is seeking a staff attorney at the Northern Regional Office in Springfield.

    The position includes representing victims of domestic violence in a variety of matters, including but not limited to orders of protection, civil no stalking orders, and divorces. The position also includes representation of low-income persons in routine and complex housing and consumer litigation and expungement cases, as well as participation in community legal education and outreach. 

  • June 18, 2019 | Practice News
    Spotlight on Pro Bono: Statewide Online Access to Free Legal Services

    By Beverly A. Allen

    In 2012, Legal Service Corporation awarded a Technology Initiative Grant to Land of Lincoln Legal Assistance Foundation, now Land of Lincoln Legal Aid, and its project partners, Prairie State Legal Services, Legal Assistance Foundation, Illinois Legal Aid Online (ILAO), and PSTI to develop a statewide online access system, which would serve as a virtual entryway to the Illinois legal services delivery system. Land of Lincoln Legal Aid serves 65 counties in central and southern Illinois. Prairie State Legal Services serves 36 counties throughout northern and central Illinois. Legal Assistance Foundation serves all of Cook County. ILAO developed a statewide legal services website that serves advocates and self-represented litigants in the state of Illinois by providing access to legal information. The award-winning website functions as a search engine for people to find information and assistance related to their legal problems. PSTI is a company that developed the cloud-based case management software program, Legal Server, that is utilized by the three legal service project partners to manage their cases.

  • June 13, 2019 | Practice News
    Illinois Supreme Court Appoints Mulroe as Circuit Judge in Tenth Subcircuit of Cook County

    John G. Mulroe has been appointed as a Cook County Circuit Judge in the Tenth Judicial Subcircuit.

    Mulroe was appointed to fill the vacancy created by the retirement of the Hon. Thomas Allen. The appointment is effective June 21, and will conclude December 7, 2020, when the position will be filled by the November 2020 General Election.

  • June 13, 2019 | Practice News
    eFileIL Temporarily Unavailable in Late June

    In preparation of the civil filing code and fee changes required as a result of Public Act 100-987, pursuant to the Clerks of Courts Act (705 ILCS 105/27.1b) effective July 1, eFileIL will be unavailable statewide starting at noon Friday, June 28, until 8 a.m. Monday, July 1.

    Filers will be unable to submit documents to the court through eFileIL during this time, but will be permitted to file paper documents locally at the appropriate clerk’s office during regular business hours without needing to submit a Certificate of Exemption from e-Filing form.

  • June 10, 2019 | Practice News
    Practice Checkup

    Lawyers are trained to practice law, not run businesses. But solo practitioners and leaders of smaller firms generally need to excel at both. That means winning cases, satisfying clients, and attending to the financial wellness of your firm-each of which requires a combination of strong administrative habits and skills. In the Illinois Bar Journal’s June cover story, “Practice Checkup,” we consider suggestions from lawyers for staying organized, maintaining your revenue stream, assessing your marketing tactics, and planning for the future. How long has it been since you took stock of your business acumen?

  • June 7, 2019 | Practice News
    PILI Announces 2019 Class of Law Student Interns and Graduate Fellows

    The Public Interest Law Initiative (PILI) has announced the 2019 class of summer interns and fellows. This year, 50 summer law student interns and 75 graduate fellows will provide 42,500 hours of legal services at any of PILI’s 60 participating agencies. 

    PILI’s Law Student Internship Program connects law students from across the country with public interest law agencies in Illinois and pays them for their work. Summer 2019 PILI interns come from 23 law schools and include rising 2Ls and 3Ls. They will each provide 400 hours of legal services at 28 legal service agencies, for a total of 20,000 hours served. See a full list of the 2019 law student interns.