The Illinois State Bar Association’s Board of Governors approved two new Professional Conduct Advisory Opinions on March 26 during its regularly scheduled Board meeting.
The opinions address a lawyer representing surviving spouse as both estate administrator and renouncing spouse, and a lawyer's disclosure of client estate planning documents after the client's death.
ISBA members, sign up to receive The Bar News' biweekly e-newsletter by emailing emailpreferences@isba.org
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April 6, 2021 |
ISBA News
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Historically, guilty-plea defendants in Illinois have been denied the opportunity to present actual-innocence claims based on newly discovered evidence because their convictions were founded on valid guilty pleas. However, the Illinois Supreme Court recently held in People v. Reed that these defendants can raise claims of actual innocence under the Post-Conviction Hearing Act. Although this is a momentous victory for guilty-plea defendants, the burden they must meet is significant. In her April 2021 Illinois Bar Journal article, “Guilty Plea, Innocent Defendant,” Ashley Kidd, a law clerk for the Third District of the Illinois Appellate Court, discusses the function of plea agreements in our criminal justice system, the Reed decision, and how these claims should be presented post-Reed.
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April 5, 2021 |
People
After nearly a century of thoughtfulness toward others, dedication to his craft, and an endless devotion to Chicago sports teams, revered attorney, loving husband and beloved father Dale A. Anderson, 83, passed away on Monday, March 22, 2021 from complications due to cancer. He was an ISBA member for over 40 years, serving as ISBA president in 1980.
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Most presentations today are virtual, and ISBA wants to equip you with the techniques you need to reach your online audience. Join us as our master series speaker, David Mann, returns from noon until 1:30 p.m. on Wednesday, April 28 with a fresh look at the how to effectively interact in the virtual world, including tips for clarity and how to maintain your online professionalism. Topics include: how to translate arcane legal language into plain English; how to create captivating openings with rhetorical impact; delivering your case story for engaging flow; illustrating complex legal concepts simply; how structure and language can inspire action; understanding which storytelling techniques build clarity, understanding, and trust; using the camera in a professional manner; knowing which Zoom (and other platform) features can enhance your delivery skills; how to use lighting and sound to your advantage; arranging the background to communicate stability and trustworthiness; and how to use polls and other virtual platform features effectively.
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April 1, 2021 |
Practice News
The Federal Bureau of Prisons seeks an administrative united states penitentiary attorney in Thomson, Illinois. The legal practice at the United States Penitentiary located in Thomson is part of the Consolidated Legal Center (CLC), Federal Medical Center, Rochester, Minnesota. This CLC covers a wide variety of issues focusing on correctional law and litigation, either through administrative or litigation channels and includes such matters as inmate's reasonable access to the courts (through access to legal materials, legal correspondence, and attorney-client visits), conditions of confinement, medical care, diet and religious accommodations, housing assignments, hygiene and sanitation, access to information, and discipline.
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Every client and trial are different. But successful trial lawyers know that winning a case requires deep preparation and attention to detail that begin long before jurors are seated and the trial starts. Recently, in an ISBA CLE titled The Eight Things Every Trial Lawyer Should Know, Illinois attorneys and judges shared characteristics all good trial attorneys have in common. The Illinois Bar Journal features their key takeaways in the April 2021issue. Their tips and tricks cover eight aspects of trial law: presenting and arguing motions in limine, selecting a jury, making objections, establishing proofs through direct examination, controlling a witness on cross examination, handling the jury instructions conference, delivering a closing argument, and maintaining professionalism during an adversarial process.
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March 29, 2021 |
ISBA News
Voting is now underway in the 2021 ISBA Election. ISBA's election provider Election America emailed e-ballots to members with valid email addresses today, Monday, March 29. Members without a valid email address will be mailed a paper ballot. The deadline for voting is Friday, April 30, 2021 at 4:30 p.m.
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The Administrative Office of the Illinois Courts announced today that it will receive a $100,000 grant from the National Center for State Courts (NCSC) as part of the Justice for All (JFA) Project. This is the second $100,000 grant that the Illinois Courts have received from the NCSC, with the first awarded in October 2019.
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Join us from 8:55 a.m. until noon on Wednesday, April 21 for this half-day seminar as we delve into all things condominium! Learn how to properly submit property to the Illinois Condominium Act, how to properly form a condominium (or other type of homeowner) association, the ins and outs of condo deconversion, and how to effectively represent owners of condominiums. The program closes with a look at condos from the judicial perspective.
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March 23, 2021 |
Events
Join the ISBA’s Health Care Law Section Council and Young Lawyers Division from 5 to 6 p.m. on April 20 for the online event, “Illinois Cannabis: Complex Legal Issues.” Panelists will provide a comprehensive review of medical and recreational cannabis legislation related to licensing, employment, and other pertinent topics.