Back by popular demand! Don’t miss this full-day seminar on October 9, 2017 in Chicago or Fairview Heights that arms you with the information you need to successfully handle your next workers’ compensation case! Labor and employment attorneys and workers’ compensation practitioners attending this seminar will better understand: how orthopedic physicians diagnose and treat workers’ compensation injuries; the recent rule changes at the Illinois Workers’ Compensation Commission; the ethical issues to avoid during your next workers’ compensation case; how to prepare and present your arbitration case; how to coordinate workers’ compensation benefits with the Public Employee Disability Act; and recent case law updates that may affect your client.

It's not unusual to hear judges and lawyers - mostly judges - talk about how many pro se litigants they encounter these days. And the eye-popping statistics more than bear out the anecdotal evidence. Data from the Administrative Office of the Illinois Courts ("AOIC") show that in 2015, nearly two-thirds of total civil cases outside Cook County - 65.2 percent - had at least one self-represented litigant. For certain types of cases, this figure rises as high as 80 percent. In addition, the court system is facing the facts that one out of five Illinois residents speaks a language other than English at home according to U.S. Census data, the number of Illinois residents below the poverty line has grown, and the number of pro bono attorneys has not kept pace. "People are self-represented for a whole host of reasons," says Danielle Hirsch, assistant director of the AOIC's Civil Justice Division. "Some can't afford representation, some don't know where to find it, and some are do-it-yourselfers who want the sport of trying it on their own. It would be hard to treat them as a monolith." Hirsch adds that in practice areas like small claims or family, "the default is self-representation." And defendants overall are about two-thirds pro se, she says.

Officer Michelle Wilgus of the Belvidere Police Department received the ISBA Law Enforcement Award on September 18 during a Belvidere City Council meeting. The award was presented by Julie Johnson, ISBA Board of Governors and attorney at Aronberg Goldgehn Davis & Garmisa in Chicago. The ISBA Law Enforcement Award was created to recognize sworn law enforcement officers for conduct that promotes justice and to distinguish those individuals whose service to the public brings honor and respect to the entire criminal justice system. It recognizes those who excel in law enforcement. Officer Wilgus, who was nominated for the award by Johnson on behalf of the ISBA Standing Committee on Women and the Law, was acknowledged for strengthening the relationship between the Belividere Police Department and the community by starting the ‘Badges with Books’ outreach program.

The Illinois Supreme Court will host a memorial service in honor of the late Justice John J. Stamos at 2 p.m. tomorrow, Wednesday, September 20, at the Illinois Supreme Court at 20 E. Capitol Avenue in Springfield. The opening and closing remarks will be delivered by Chief Justice Lloyd A. Karmeier. Tributes will be given by Supreme Court Justice Mary Jane Theis; the Honorable Benjamin K. Miller, a former Supreme Court Justice; the Honorable Gino L. DiVito, a former Appellate Justice; Mr. James J. Stamos, Esquire, of Stamos & Trucco LLP, the son of Justice Stamos; and ISBA president, the Honorable Russell W. Hartigan, a former Cook County Circuit Judge.