Please register now for the ISBA Young Lawyers Division Wine Tasting Networking event. Join your peers for an evening of socializing and wine tasting!

When: Friday, February 26, 2016, 5:30 – 7:30 p.m.

Where: ISBA Chicago Office - 20 S. Clark Street, Suite 900

Online registration and more information available at www.isba.org/sections/yld/winetasting

Ballots for ISBA elections won't be distributed for another month, but it's not too early to get acquainted with the candidates' backgrounds. Voters will select from contested races for third vice-president and the Board of Governors. You can view candidate bios in the March Illinois Bar Journal.

Chief Justice Rita B. Garman announced on Monday that the Illinois Supreme Court has concluded its four-year pilot project permitting news cameras in Illinois courtrooms and has adopted a permanent Policy for Extended Media Coverage (EMC) in the Circuit Courts of Illinois.

The pilot project, which was launched by the Supreme Court on January 24, 2012, allowed the use of media cameras in certain courtrooms on an experimental basis. Since then, 15 judicial circuits have been approved to implement EMC, and more than 450 media requests have been made under the Policy.

Based on the success of the pilot project and the Court's continued goal of promoting greater transparency, accountability, and accessibility to the court system, the justices have amended the Policy to terminate its status as a pilot project and to allow each circuit court to decide whether it wishes to implement EMC.

“At every level of the judicial system, we do the people’s work, and the people have an interest in observing how the judicial process functions,” Chief Justice Garman said. "We are pleased with the success of the pilot project and with the great cooperation we have received from the media. It is time to make EMC more widely available."

People v. Ligon

By Kerry J. Bryson, Office of the State Appellate Defender

Dennis Ligon was armed with a BB gun when he approached a woman exiting her vehicle and took it from her.  He was convicted of aggravated vehicular hijacking with a dangerous weapon other than a firearm (AVH/DW), a Class X felony.  He was sentenced to natural life under the Habitual Criminal Act.

Attorney Sarah Toney discusses 5 ways to boost your firm's online presence.

The Board of Directors of ISBA Mutual Insurance voted at their December 2015 meeting to declare a $1.9 million dividend.

"We, at ISBA Mutual Insurance Company, are so proud of the progress and advancements (free policy enhancements, technology improvements and service gains) that the officers, staff and board have made this year,” said Chairman of the Board, John G. Locallo, "We are once again pleased to report a further dividend for all our member lawyers. After all, this is your Mutual and it’s a great feeling as Chairman to announce a return of your money. Have a great year!"

Efficient operations, careful risk selection and successful investment management allowed ISBA Mutual to return $18.3 million in premiums since 2000. Lawyers and law firms insured by ISBA Mutual received a dividend for the past 11 consecutive years.

ISBA Mutual provides malpractice insurance to Illinois lawyers and is available exclusively to members of the Illinois State Bar Association.

Mediation is designed to resolve differences both in and out of the courts. It requires a very different mindset than courtroom litigation. Join us in Carbondale on March 14, 2016 for this week-long mediation training and learn how to resolve conflicts in a non-adversarial, non-confrontational manner, allowing peaceful resolutions between parties.

The program is taught by Richard Calkins and Fred Lane – two nationally recognized mediators, authors and educators. Until 20 years ago, both Mr. Calkins and Mr. Lane were well-known and highly regarded litigators. Since then, however, they have successfully mediated over 5,000 cases.

Electronic filing of court documents in Illinois civil cases began with a five-county pilot project in January 2003 and has expanded to 15 of the state's 102 counties. In the 18th Circuit in DuPage County, one of the original five, e-filing became mandatory on Jan. 1 of this year, which raised questions and concerns about whether and how quickly this would spread to the rest of the state.

Just three weeks later, on Jan. 22, the Illinois Supreme Court announced e-filing would be required statewide and provided an implementation timetable: by July 1, 2017, in the Illinois Supreme Court and the five appellate districts, and by Jan. 1, 2018, in the state's circuit courts. Several states including neighboring Iowa already require e-filing, as do the federal courts.

Chief Judge David A. Hylla of the Third Judicial Circuit in Madison, who chairs the supreme court's e-Business Policy Advisory Board, applauded the step and predicted great benefits for the public. "It's a lot more cost-efficient, you're not killing as many trees, it takes a lot less time, and things get filed into the record a lot quicker," he says. "There will be some resistance, transitional work, costs, and bumps in the road. But when all is said and done, we will have a more efficient, cost effective, and user-friendly court system. The court system should not try to hold back the tide of technology, but rather embrace it." Read more in the March Illinois Bar Journal.