The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Illinois is seeking experienced, highly qualified attorneys for litigation and trial advocacy, with the intellect and proven ability to handle federal criminal prosecutions as an Assistant United States Attorney (AUSA) in their Criminal Division in the Fairview Heights Office.

Chief Justice Anne M. Burke and the Illinois Mental Health Task Force will host a special screening of the newly released documentary The Definition of Insanity as well as a Family Panel discussion on Tuesday, December 1, 2020, from 3-5 p.m. 

The ISBA offices will be closed for Thanksgiving on Thursday, November 26 and Friday, November 27. The offices will resume normal business hours on Monday, November 30.

On behalf of everyone at the ISBA, we wish you a happy, fun, and safe long weekend. Happy Thanksgiving!

The Illinois Supreme Court has announced the amendment of Rule 21, which grants chief circuit judges the administrative authority to direct judges into a voluntary program to address certain types of judicial conduct.

The Committee Comments to the Rule were also updated. All changes are effective January 1, 2021.

The Illinois Supreme Court has announced that Thirteenth Circuit Judge Eugene P. Daugherity has been assigned as an Appellate Court Justice in the Third District.

Judge Daugherity was assigned to fill the vacancy created by the appointment of Justice Robert E. Carter to the Supreme Court of Illinois effective December 8, 2020. The assignment of Judge Daugherity takes effect on December 8, 2020 and will remain in effect until December 5, 2022.

Even though attorneys worry about claims of legal malpractice, they are not the only insurable threat to the financial stability of law firms. Attorneys must recognize other risks of loss, which they frequently—and unwittingly—ignore. Attorneys should have a working understanding of the insurance coverages that are available to mitigate against these risks. While legal malpractice insurance will be discussed, this online seminar focuses on an in-depth discussion of the various types of insurance that can be purchased by law firms to protect their myriad risk of loss along with an overview of the marketplace in Illinois for such insurance.

Perhaps no one has been more outspoken regarding the importance of oral arguments in appellate courts than Illinois Supreme Court Justice Karmeier, who has reiterated the importance of providing appellate counsel an opportunity to “isolate and clarify the core issues in a case and to direct the court’s attention to matters that may have been overlooked or misunderstood.” As chief justice, he categorized the “interactive nature” between counsel and the justices as being “invaluable” to the court’s decision-making process and emphasized the importance of the interaction between the justices themselves during oral argument. Justice Karmeier also lauded oral argument as a key component to “providing public visibility and institutional legitimacy to our system of judicial review.” All of these statements came to fruition in an amendment of Illinois Supreme Court Rule 352, known affectionately by some as “Thou shalt oral,” which into effect July 1, 2018, and has had a significant impact on appellate advocacy. In her November Illinois Bar Journal article, “Oral Arguments: More and Less Remote,” Amanda Hamilton discusses the steady increase in oral arguments in Illinois appellate courts and why Illinois appellate practitioners must be prepared to present and defend their positions on complex issues at oral argument with increasing frequency.

Chief Justice Anne M. Burke and the Illinois Supreme Court announced today the amendment of Rule 23, which will allow litigants to cite unpublished opinions from the Illinois Appellate Courts for persuasive purposes. Amended Rule 23 is effective Jan. 1, 2021.

The Illinois Supreme Court Rules including Amended Rule 23 can be found on the court's website.

The Illinois Supreme Court today announced the amendment of Rule 113.

The changes go into effect December 1.