In its lead November feature article, the Illinois Bar Journal profiles several attorneys who decided to ditch the office years ago or were forced to because of the COVID-19 pandemic. While some attorneys say working at home is a mixed bag, others have embraced their new home offices and vow never to commute again. The COVID-19 pandemic has forced millions of U.S. workers to perform their jobs at home. (At one point during the pandemic, more than 60 percent of the U.S. labor market was working remotely; by midsummer, the percentage had dipped to about 42 percent, which is still significantly higher than pre-COVID-19 levels). While working at home isn’t new, including for attorneys, the pandemic has nudged many more toward the work-at-home lifestyle.

The ISBA is hosting a Facebook contest for a chance to win a $100 Visa gift card.

The winner’s name will be announced on the ISBA's Facebook page and in The Bar News.

The Illinois Supreme Court handed down one opinion on Wednesday, October 28. In People v. Casler, the Supreme Court reversed and remanded a defendant’s conviction for obstructing justice when he provided a false name to police.

The Illinois Supreme Court announced this week the expansion of the Volunteer Pro Bono Program for Criminal Appeals (Program) to include the Third, Fourth, and Fifth Appellate Districts beginning on December 1, 2020.

The ISBA and the Illinois Supreme Court hosted a virtual listening tour this year to explore and collaborate on local issues across the state. Sessions were held in all five Judicial Districts.

The Illinois Supreme Court announced today two orders which were proposals from the Illinois Judicial Conference’s Court Operations During COVID-19 Task Force (Task Force).

The Orders are available on the Court website by clicking here.

Join us from 2 to 3:30 p.m. on Thursday, November 12 for this online look at how the pandemic has impacted the landlord-tenant landscape, including the new requirements for rental housing, the governor’s executive order, and the new Rule 139 regarding practice and procedures in eviction proceedings that were recently issued by the Illinois Supreme Court.

This year, legalized recreational cannabis was supposed to dominate the news in Illinois and elsewhere (other things happened). In their October Illinois Bar Journal article, “What’s That Smell?,” Emily L. Fitch and Brenda M. (Duke) Mathis revisit Illinois’ new cannabis-related laws and follow the legal issues sprouting from cannabis legalization. They conclude multiple issues remain to be clarified by legislative action and caselaw, including questions surrounding probable cause with the scent of cannabis alone and whether a free air sniff is sufficient when the dog has been trained to detect cannabis. Up to this point, Illinois courts have placed only limited restrictions on free air sniffs. However, it does appear that the reviewing courts are prepared to throw out a prosecutorial-minded approach to the free air sniff and write new caselaw in the face of cannabis legalization. Fitch and Mathis also summarize new cannabis laws and compare Illinois with other states revisiting probable-search caselaw in light of cannabis legalization.

Chief Justice Anne M. Burke and the Illinois Supreme Court announced today the amendment of Rule 415, which will allow attorneys to provide a copy of discovery to a defendant unless good cause is shown why the discovery should not be furnished to the defendant. 

By Michael Bergmann, Executive Director of the Public Interest Law Initiative

Coordinated by the American Bar Association’s Standing Committee on Pro Bono and Public Service, Pro Bono Week is intended to inspire even greater pro bono participation by lawyers throughout the nation. In 2020, Pro Bono Week will be celebrated from October 25-31. This initiative provides an opportunity for legal organizations across the country to collaboratively commemorate the vitally important contributions of America’s lawyers and to recruit and train the many additional volunteers required to meet the growing demand. The Standing Committee on Pro Bono and Public Service undertook this initiative to provide a format for showcasing the incredible difference that pro bono lawyers make to our nation, to our system of justice, to our communities and, most of all, to the clients they serve. For more information, visit www.celebrateprobono.org.