Dear Readers of the Bench & Bar Section Newsletter,

Welcome to this first issue of the 2018-19 bar year. David Inlander, our new chair, has started his year with a fascinating article focusing on three people who had such an impact on him and his law practice. They were his heroes. I think each of us have our own heroes or mentors.

We would appreciate if judges and or lawyers in the Bench and Bar Section would share with the rest of us your heroes by writing about them. This way, all of us can learn from your experiences. We think this might become a regular column and all of us will learn from a variety of viewpoints.

Please drop me a short article for consideration. We will review them and run them in the upcoming months. This would be one way you each could meet your required article requirement for this bar year.

In this issue, we have a very thought provoking article from Michael G. Cortina who provides each of us an opportunity to rethink our viewpoints on what are important qualifications to consider when evaluating someone’s background or preparing oneself for a position on the Bench.

We also have a great article from retired Judge Micheal S. Jordan, who became an arbitrator and mediator, on how his experience should raise issues for other possible neutrals to consider and likewise be of interest to lawyers looking for the right neutral.

In their article, Valerie Brummel and Kelly Warner write about the process of releasing a litigation hold, which parties often are not as familiar with or experienced in.

The final article is by a Sara Crook, a 2L at the University of Illinois College of Law, who recently attended the Women’s Bar Association of Illinois’ Annual Meeting. Her article reflects on her experiences there and ends by saying, “as a law student, I left the event feeling very confident I am entering the right profession.”

Lastly, we have the latest retirements and appointments in our judicial branch.