The Illinois Supreme Court has appointed the Hon. Lisa Holder White, Resident Circuit Judge of Macon County, Sixth Judicial Circuit, to the Appellate Court of Illinois, Fourth Judicial District. White has been assigned to duty with the Fourth District Appellate Court since 2013. This vacancy was created by the death of the Hon. John McCullough. It is effective July 1, 2014, and terminates on Dec. 1, 2014,

Improve your trial skills in this "learn-by-doing" program that covers all phases of trial work from both a plaintiff and defendant's viewpoint. The program consists of two semesters and runs approximately four months per semester. (You may start with the semester of your choice.) The program qualifies for a total of 54 hours MCLE credit, including 54* hours PMCLE credit (27 hours MCLE/27 hours PMCLE credit per semester). Class takes place each Tuesday evening from 5:15 – 6:45 p.m. at the Illinois State Bar Association – Chicago Regional Office, 20 South Clark Street, Suite 900.Fall Semester begins September 9, 2014!Through this course, you will learn and practice new trial techniques that are most effective and consistent with the Federal Rules of Evidence and the new Illinois Rules of Evidence. Each session is audio-video taped so you can see and hear the improvements in your voice, manner and trial technique. The program has been proven to be of value whether your practice includes trying jury and non-jury cases, administrative hearings, arbitrations, or mediations. The course is taught and coordinated by Fred Lane and Scott Lane.Click here for more information and to register.

When the Illinois Supreme Court in March struck down the state's eavesdropping law as overly broad and thus unconstitutional, lawmakers were under pressure to quickly draft a new law to protect the privacy interests of citizens whose conversations may now be recorded without their consent.Just before the General Assembly recessed in May, the Senate passed a new eavesdropping law (HB 4283), but the House adjourned before taking action on a Senate amendment.The definition of private conversation under the Senate's amendment of HB 4283 is any communication between two or more persons intended to be of a private nature under circumstances "reasonably justifying that expectation."The Senate amendment, however, contains exemptions that allow police officers, with permission from prosecutors, to record conversations as part of felony criminal investigations without a judicial warrant. Baker and representatives from the American Civil Liberties Union object to those exemptions, and they are likely to be the subject of continued debate when the General Assembly reconvenes. Find out more on the July Illinois Bar Journal. The implications of not having an eavesdropping law in place are nicely summarized by John Roska of the Land of Lincoln Legal Assistance Foundation in the Champaign News-Gazette. 

Q. Do I need to get my client’s informed consent to have another lawyer (not in my firm) attend a routine status conference because I’ve got a scheduling conflict?A. RPC 1.2(e) provides that a lawyer can’t delegate to another lawyer not in that lawyer’s firm the responsibility for performing work for the client without the client’s informed consent. Comment [14] to that Rule clarifies that it is designed to prevent a lawyer from transferring “complete or substantial responsibility” of a matter to another lawyer.  The Comment goes on to say it is not intended to “prevent lawyers from engaging lawyers outside of their firm to stand in for discrete events in situations such as personal emergencies, illness, or schedule conflicts.” For further insight on the increasing use of “coverage attorneys” see this month’s Illinois Bar Journal.