The right to trial by jury, though secured by our federal constitution, is meaningful only if jurors have a clear understanding of what they are to decide and which legal principles should guide their decision. Attorneys who try civil cases before juries in Federal Court need to understand the “ins and outs” of the various legal rules and issues that present themselves when drafting and using jury instructions. Join us on May 20th for this online seminar that offers a basic understanding of the federal civil practice and local federal court rules that address jury instructions, including how to draft and when to use jury instructions, protecting against instruction error, and preserving jury issues for appeal.The program is presented by the ISBA Federal Civil Practice Section and qualifies for 2.0 hours MCLE credit.Click here for more information and to register.

The Illinois Supreme Court overturned the 2013 pension law on Friday, ruling it unconstitutional. Justice Karmeierdelivered the judgment of the court, with opinion. Chief Justice Garman and Justices Freeman, Thomas, Kilbride, Burke, and Theis concurred in the judgment and opinion, which can be found at http://illinoiscourts.gov/Opinions/SupremeCourt/2015/118585.pdf

The Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund (IMRF) requests proposals from attorneys/law firms to act as hearing officer for the Board of Trustees in administrative hearings. IMRF anticipates that the contracts to be awarded will be for a two (2) year period, with a possible one (1) year extension, at IMRF’s option.In order to be considered for selection, proposals must be received via e-mail in Adobe Acrobat or Word format no later than June 15, 2015, 4:30pm CST.Find out more and download the full RFP at www.imrf.org/en/about-imrf/procurement/bid-schedule

While licensed Illinois attorneys no longer have to worry about passing the bar exam, future exam takers will face a tougher passing score, also known as the "cut score." Fortunately for them, it isn't as tough as the Illinois Board of Admissions to the Bar originally intended.The Board had not raised the bar exam's passing score since 1994, when it was increased to 264 out of a possible score of 400. After evaluating average scores across both the multiple choice and written portions of the exam, the Board found that an increase in the passing score was necessary.Regina Kwan Peterson, the Board's director of administration, compares the recalibration of the passing score to the recentering of the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT), which had remained unchanged since 1941. "These sorts of things don't happen often," she says.In July 2015, the minimum passing score will be raised to 266. Instead of the next increase taking effect in 2016, the new schedule increases the score for the July 2017 exam to 268. Find out more in the May Illinois Bar Journal.