11th Annual Animal Law Conference, 2020 - Part 2

Presented by the ISBA Animal Law Section


4.75 hours MCLE credit

Original Program Date: Friday, March 6, 2020
Accreditation Expiration Date: ­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­September 6, 2024 (You must certify completion and save your certificate before this date to get MCLE credit)


Don’t miss ISBA’s 11 th Annual Animal Law Conference, which highlights important animal law updates and examines the advances made in this rapidly-evolving area of practice. Animal law attorneys, general practitioners, environmental/natural resources lawyers, and counsel for municipalities with all levels of practice experience who attend this seminar will better understand:
  • The current state of the puppy mill industry in Illinois;
  • How civil litigation is being used to help the treatment of farm animals;
  • The role of undercover investigations in animal law;
  • The ongoing legislative and regulatory reform in the horse racing industry, including the Horseracing Integrity Act;
  • The considerations that go into implementing animal protection legislation in Illinois;
  • How to apply the “Well-Being of the Companion Animal” in marriage dissolution cases;
  • The recent developments in the pet insurance industry;
  • How mandatory animal encounter training can help reduce the number of dogs shot by police officers;
  • What Lewis & Clark’s Aquatic Animal Law Initiative is doing to help aquatic animals; and
  • Much more.

Program Coordinator/Moderator:
Jane E. McBride , Illinois Humane, Springfield 
The ISBA would like to offer a special thanks to this program’s financial supporter – BrooksMcCormick Jr. Trust for Animal Rights Law and Policy – for helping to make this opportunity possible.


Illinois’ Top Legislation Ranking
This panel presentation features State legislators who have championed recent animal protection measures and provides insight into the legislative process on these matters. Learn how strategy affects the outcome, who the stakeholders are, and the considerations that go into implementing animal protection legislation in Illinois.
Moderator: Ledy VanKavage, Sr. Legislative Attorney, Best Friends Animal Society, Maryville
Senator Linda Holmes, 42 nd District, Aurora
Rep. Stephanie Kifowit , 84th District, Aurora
Rep. Diane Pappas, 45 th District, Bloomingdale

New Law: Application of the “Well-Being of the Companion Animal” in Marriage Dissolution
Don’t miss this opportunity to listen as practitioners and judges discuss their impression of the new law, approaches they anticipate to apply it, and the issues they have identified. A discussion on the potential need for a trailer bill that might provide consistent definitions and other clarifications is included.
Moderator/Speaker: Hon. William E. Holdridge, Third Appellate District, Peoria
Senator Linda Holmes, 42 nd District, Aurora
Hon. Alfred L. Levinson , Retired Associate Judge, Arlington Heights
Angela E. Peters, Buffalo Grove Law Offices, Arlington Heights

The Pet Insurance Industry
The U.S. pet insurance industry has been growing 15-20% each year for the past five years. Among this growth, Nationwide and Trupanion have the greatest share in the market, with employee benefit packages being the fastest growing form of distribution. In August 2010, the Illinois Department of Insurance issued a Pet Health Insurance Fact Sheet, while the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NACI) completed A Regulator’s Guide to Pet Insurance in the summer of 2019, with final touches being made on their proposed Pet Insurance Model Act in October 2019. This segment examines the NACI guide and the Model Act, and also discusses the recent development in the pet insurance industry.
Lynne Hennessey, Director of Compliance, Nationwide Insurance, California
Jules Benson, Veterinary Relations, Nationwide Insurance, California

Police Shooting the Household Dog
Over the past decade, Chicago police fired their guns at dogs a total of 700 times, killing an average of two dogs every week throughout one five-year span. A $750,000 settlement resulted in St. Louis County after the SWAT team raided a house over a missed gas bill and ended up killing the family’s dog. Texas saw a 90% decrease in dog shootings after mandatory animal encounter training was implemented. This presentation discusses the American Bar Association’s work in urging units of government to require police training in this area, and shows how this type of training has proven to reduce the number of dogs being shot by officers.
Daniel J. Kolde, Kolde Law, St. Louis
Chris Green, Executive Director, Animal Law & Policy Program, Harvard Law School, Massachusetts

The Rise of Aquatic Animal Law: Lewis & Clark Launches First Initiative
The program closes with a comprehensive look at aquatic animal law issues – from Canada’s recently passed legislation that bans whales, dolphins, and porpoises from being bred or held in captivity, to how National Geographic brought the plight of betta fish into the limelight which inspired a class action lawsuit by a Lewis & Clark graduate that resulted in two of the three pet industry defendants agreeing to no longer sell betta fish in small containers. The Lewis & Clark’s Aquatic Animal Law Initiative is also explored throughout this informative segment.
Prof. Kathy Hessler, Clinical Professor of Law and Animal Law Clinic Director, Lewis & Clark Law School, Oregon 

11th Annual Animal Law Conference, 2020 - Part 1

Presented by the ISBA Animal Law Section


3.0 hours MCLE credit

Original Program Date: Friday, March 6, 2020
Accreditation Expiration Date: ­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­September 6, 2024 (You must certify completion and save your certificate before this date to get MCLE credit)


Don’t miss ISBA’s 11 th Annual Animal Law Conference, which highlights important animal law updates and examines the advances made in this rapidly-evolving area of practice. Animal law attorneys, general practitioners, environmental/natural resources lawyers, and counsel for municipalities with all levels of practice experience who attend this seminar will better understand:
  • The current state of the puppy mill industry in Illinois;
  • How civil litigation is being used to help the treatment of farm animals;
  • The role of undercover investigations in animal law;
  • The ongoing legislative and regulatory reform in the horse racing industry, including the Horseracing Integrity Act;
  • The considerations that go into implementing animal protection legislation in Illinois;
  • How to apply the “Well-Being of the Companion Animal” in marriage dissolution cases;
  • The recent developments in the pet insurance industry;
  • How mandatory animal encounter training can help reduce the number of dogs shot by police officers;
  • What Lewis & Clark’s Aquatic Animal Law Initiative is doing to help aquatic animals; and
  • Much more.

Program Coordinator/Moderator:
Jane E. McBride , Illinois Humane, Springfield 
The ISBA would like to offer a special thanks to this program’s financial supporter – BrooksMcCormick Jr. Trust for Animal Rights Law and Policy – for helping to make this opportunity possible.


Puppy Mill Update
This presentation offers an update on the continuing prevalence of breeders who profit by maintaining animals in seriously substandard conditions and who sell the animals strictly as a commodity. Topics include: the concentrated locations around Illinois where puppy mills operate; the steps being taken by national, regional, and local non-profits to confront the phenomenon of these breeders; which efforts have been successful in combating the puppy mill problem; how laws are being enforced; and the impact of retail sales being banned in Illinois and across the nation, including legal action to address sham rescue suppliers.
Mindi Callison, Bailing Out Benji, Iowa

Farm Animals and Slaughter: Hidden Cruelty and Killing
Don’t miss this opportunity to get a firsthand look at a modern industrial slaughterhouse, including its work and conditions, as well as society’s penchant for hiding violent labor practices. A discussion on civil litigation on behalf of farm animals is also included. Additional topics include: the lawyer’s role in effecting change for farmed animals; recent case law studies; the role of undercover investigations in animal law; the mistreatment of animals through litigation; comparative impacts of litigation and policy; and the specific areas of law that present opportunities for the growth of litigation on behalf of farmed animals.
Cheryl Leahy, Executive Vice President, Animal Outlook, Washington, D.C.

Spotlight on Horse Racing
Horse racing has long been in the scopes of animal welfare organization, but the 2019 Santa Anita racehorse deaths resulted in a nationwide outcry against the sport. In the thick of this scrutiny, Illinois enacted a new gaming bill that bolsters horse racing at the state’s three remaining tracks (Fairmont, Hawthorne, and Arlington) by allowing additional gaming at the tracks in an effort to increase race purses, ends the practice of recapture, and paves the way for another harness track in Cook County. Join us for a look at the horse racing industry, a discussion on the Santa Anita racehorse deaths, and an overview of the ongoing legislative and regulatory reform in the industry, including the Horseracing Integrity Act (HR 1754).
Elisabeth Custalow, Manager of Regulatory Affairs, PETA Foundation, Washington, D.C.


Construction Payment - Documentation Needed

Presented by the ISBA Construction Law Section


1.0 hour MCLE credit

Original Program Date: Wednesday, September 23, 2020
Accreditation Expiration Date: September 6, 2024 (You must certify completion and save your certificate before this date to get MCLE credit)


Learn what documentation is needed for your client to get paid on their construction project with this online seminar. Topics include: the importance of sworn owner’s and contractor’s statements, lien waivers, and construction disbursing escrow; Illinois’ proper payment system and the documentation required to limit the owner’s exposure; the reasons for needing additional information by title companies; and what a contractor and subcontractor need to provide in order to get paid.


Program Coordinators:
Paul Peterson, Attorney at Law, Mount Prospect
Adam B. Whiteman, Whiteman Borden LLC, Chicago

Program Moderator:
Paul Peterson, Attorney at Law, Mount Prospect

Program Speaker:
Brienne Berscheid, Chicago Title Insurance Company, Chicago

After Bostock: LGBTQ Rights - Implications for Employees and Employers

Presented by the ISBA Labor and Employment Law Section
Co-Sponsored by the ISBA Human Rights Section and the ISBA Standing Committee on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity


1.75 hours MCLE credit

Original Program Date: Thursday, October 1, 2020
Accreditation Expiration Date: ­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­September 6, 2024 (You must certify completion and save your certificate before this date to get MCLE credit)


Bostock v Clayton County Georgia[1] was the landmark case decided June 15, 2020 by the U.S. Supreme Court establishing that discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation is illegal. Don’t miss this in-depth look at how this case will impact future anti-discrimination laws, as well how the underpinning tensions of statutory interpretation and judicial philosophies brought a conservative justice to a surprising conclusion.


Program Coordinator/Moderator:
Alan M. Kaplan, Masuda Funai, Eifert & Mitchell, Ltd. Schaumburg

Program Speakers:
Kara N. Ingelhart, Lambda Legal, Chicago
Aaron B. Maduff, Maduff & Maduff LLC, Chicago

[1] https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/19pdf/17-1618_hfci.pdf

Client Portals: A New View into Case Information

ISBA’s Practice Toolbox Series
Presented by the Illinois State Bar Association


1.0 hour MCLE credit, including 1.0* hour Professional Responsibility MCLE credit in the following category: Professionalism, Civility, or Legal Ethics credit


Original Program Date: August 23, 2022
Accreditation Expiration Date: ­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­September 1, 2024 (You must certify completion and save your certificate before this date to get MCLE credit)


It’s hard to believe that lawyers have had access to online practice management programs for 15 years or more. One of the significant innovations of these web-first programs compared to their traditional, desktop-based rivals is offering client portals, where people outside the firm can see and interact with their own client file. Of course, the firm remains in control of who can see what. These portals are so popular that some traditional programs have added portals to their products as well. But, just as the word “car” means everything from an econobox to a luxury sedan, different products’ portals offer different features. This seminar walks through the key features of client portals, how they work, what you can use them for, and how different vendors’ products compare.


Program Speaker:
Jeffrey R. Schoenberger, Affinity Consulting Group
 About the Speaker: Jeff’s unique role at Affinity involves managing our Practice Management Advisory program. Prior to joining the Affinity family, Jeff practiced law with Legal Aid in Cincinnati, Ohio. He learned about Affinity and consulting as a career path through some of partners Paul Unger’s and Barron Henley’s CLE courses. Jeff’s describes his superpower as his ability to “get the podcast done.” His favorite part of his job is discovering new tech and techniques to help attorneys.

Pricing Information
  • Please Note: You must attend the entire program in order to earn MCLE credit for this seminar.
  • Fees:
    • ISBA Member Price of $30 is displayed below when you login and program is eligible for Free CLE member benefit
    • New Attorney Member (within the first five years of practice) - $25
    • Law Students - Free