The elevation of Justice Rita B. Garman to become Chief Justice of the Illinois Supreme Court will be marked by an installation ceremony Monday, October 28 at the Vermilion County Courthouse in Danville.Justice Garman will become the 119th Chief Justice of the Illinois Supreme Court, the second woman in Illinois to be Chief Justice and the second woman to head one of the three branches of government in Illinois."I am honored and humbled to have been chosen by my colleagues to serve as Chief Justice," Justice Garman said. "This office has been held by many great jurists, several of whom I have served with and count among my friends. I welcome the challenges and the responsibility that go with the role of Chief Justice because I know that I can count on the support of my colleagues at all levels of the judiciary and the members of the Illinois bar."Justice Garman was elected to the Court from the Fourth Judicial District, which is made up of 30 counties that stretch across central Illinois from west to east.Her selection as Chief Justice on the seven-member Court culminates her long service to the people of Illinois. There are more than 950 judges in Illinois, and Justice Garman has served in the judiciary longer than all of them--except one.

In a ruling that emphasizes the importance of a "level playing field" in dissolution of marriage proceedings, the Illinois Supreme Court held that a wife could disgorge earned fees from her husband's divorce lawyer in order to pay her own legal expenses.Both spouses had virtually no access to money, but the husband's family loaned him $8,750 to pay legal fees related to the divorce. He paid the money to his lawyer as an advanced payment retainer that, pursuant to the prior supreme court decision in Dowling v. Chicago Options Associates, Inc., 226 Ill. 2d 277 (2007), was earned by the lawyer upon receipt.In the case of In re Marriage of Earlywine, 2013 IL 114779, a unanimous supreme court ruled that the public policy behind the "leveling of the playing field" provisions of the Illinois Marriage and Dissolution of Marriage Act require the husband's lawyer to give up about half of his earned fees despite the provisions stated in Dowling that allow for advanced payment retainers. Read more and find out what lawyers are saying about the decision in the November IBJ.

Increasingly, drug cases are part of the criminal caseload throughout Illinois. As such, it is important for attorneys to educate themselves on the tools needed for handling these types of cases and to be prepared for the unique issues that drug cases often present. Join us in Springfield on November 14th or Chicago on November 22nd! Attorneys with basic to intermediate experience practicing in criminal courts throughout the state who attend this seminar will better understand: the recently passed legislation involving drug and criminal cases; the most common issues involving pre-trial motions in drug cases; search and seizure issues, including the use of dogs to find drugs in homes and vehicles; how to utilize the veteran’s courts to assist your clients; what to expect in drug and other specialty courts; and much more!The seminar is presented by the ISBA Criminal Justice Section and qualifies for 5.25 hours MCLE credit.Click here for more information on the Springfield program.Click here for more information on the Chicago program.

The Illinois Bar Foundation held its 15h Annual Gala on Oct. 18. Manny Sanchez, of Sanchez Daniels & Hoffman, was honored with the Distinguished Award for Excellence.