The Illinois Supreme Court announced today amendments to Supreme Court Rule 299 regarding compensation for attorneys appointed to represent indigent parties. Amended Rule 299 doubles compensation for an attorney appointed by a court in this state to represent an indigent party to $150 per hour (from its previous minimum of $75 per hour) and $150 per hour for time reasonably expended out of court (from its previous minimum of $50 per hour).

 It’s Halloween season, so what better time than to reflect on the role of “Devil’s advocate,” suggests ISBA General Counsel Charles J. Northrup in his October Illinois Bar Journal ethics column, “Giving the Devil His Due.” The essential characteristic of the Devil’s advocate is good communication, Northrup continues. “And as a fundamental part of good communication, it should come as no surprise that the idea of being a good Devil’s advocate is fully embraced by the Illinois Rules of Professional Conduct.”

 As federal and Illinois state courts seem to disagree as to whether in personam deficiency judgments are mandatory or discretionary under the Illinois Mortgage Foreclosure Law (IMFL), what’s a client to do? In his October Illinois Bar Journal article, “The Illinois-Federal Foreclosure Split,” Morgan I. Marcus writes that there are practical considerations for creditors and borrowers to keep in mind.

At its meeting on Friday, October 20, 2023, the ISBA Board of Governors formally adopted the following Resolution, which was originally drafted and adopted by the ISBA International and Immigration Law Section Council: WHEREAS, the State of Illinois is hosting approximately 3,000 Afghans who have sought refuge in the State since August 2021; and WHEREAS, as one of the largest state bar associations in the country whose members are representing many of these refugees, it is vital that the ISBA use its voice to urge a positive solution to this situation. For these reasons, the International and Immigration Law Section Council asks the ISBA to adopt the following resolution: