The Illinois State Bar Association's Assembly met on Saturday at the conclusion of the Midyear Meeting at the Sheraton Hotel & Towers Chicago.

Highlighting the meeting was an e-business update from Illinois Supreme Court Justice Thomas Kilbride. Justice Kilbride noted that the court is developing e-filing standards to be in place throughout the state. This would allow different vendors to have a framework to work with from county to county. He expects e-filing to be open across the state voluntarily by April 3, 2012.

The Assembly also approved the ISBA legislative package for 2012.

The ISBA/IJA Meeting in Chicago is underway and three new photo galleries have been posted. Please check them out below.

• IBF Fellows Breakfast
• ISBA/IJA Myra Bradwell program
• IJA Luncheon

The ISBA/IJA Joint Midyear Meeting kicked off on Thursday in Chicago with Basic Skills Course 6.0 for new admittees.

The meeting will include the annual Illinois Bar Foundation Fellows Awards Breakfast on Friday morning, and a reception and dinner Friday evening honoring the Illinois Supreme Court with remarks by Justice Mary Jane Theis.

Two IJA/ISBA programs with MCLE credit will be held on Friday morning. “The Legacy of Myra Bradwell: In the Light of Experience,” will feature an in-depth panel discussion about the Illinois woman who became the first female to gain entrance to the Illinois bar and, in the process, influenced the future of Illinois law. “Revitalizing the Jury Trial,” presented by Chief Judge James F. Holderman and Professor Stephan Landsman, will include video presentations about various problems and solutions arising with 21^st century juries.

On Saturday, the 203-member policy-making Assembly of the ISBA will convene. Also, the IJA will conduct training sessions at the Sheraton for judges who want to deliver its two student education programs. At 9 a.m., a training for a new civics program, “Bringing the Courtroom to the Classroom,” will be presented. At 10 a.m., a training for the IJA’s “7 Reasons to Leave the Party,” will be held. Eighty judges have already registered for the civics training.

Find out more and register at www.isba.org/jointmeeting.

Visit Illinois Lawyer Now for frequent updates and photos.

Chief Justice Thomas L. Kilbride and the Illinois Supreme Court announced Thursday another step to provide better public access to legal information and to improve the efficiency of lawyers practicing in Illinois.

Effective immediately, Illinois Pattern Jury Instructions, for both civil and criminal cases, will be available on the website of the Supreme Court.

• Pattern jury instructions in civil cases
• Pattern jury instructions in criminal cases

Previously, the complete instructions were available only in bulky, bound volumes and supplemental inserts through a paid subscription or through a law library.

A new letter of agreement, between the Administrative Office of the Illinois Courts and Thomson Reuters, who publishes the volumes under the West Group name, made the change possible. Thomson Reuters retains an exclusive license for publication for commercial purposes.

"This is a very welcome step forward as we move in Illinois to integrate our court systems and processes with the latest technology," said Chief Justice Kilbride. "This was made possible by the renegotiation of our publishing contract with Thomson Reuters, and the continued efforts of the Supreme Court's E-Business Committee to make the practice of law more efficient for lawyers, more cost-effective for clients and court information more accessible to everyone—lawyer and non-lawyer.

"I also wish to thank those members of the Committee on Pattern Jury Instructions, both civil and criminal."