Illinois Bar Journal

From humble beginnings as a child working in his parents’ grocery store in southern Illinois to his well-earned reputation as the region’s preeminent pension law attorney, Dennis Orsey will bring a wealth of experience to his term as the 144th president of the Illinois State Bar Association. Orsey assumes his role as president during historic turmoil resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic and the economic downturn it has created.  “There are going to be lots of firsts as we try to move forward and find our way through this maze,” Orsey says. To learn more about Orsey and his vision for the ISBA, read his featured profile in the Illinois Bar Journal’s July issue.

Direct-to-consumer (DTC) genetic tests are giving consumers unprecedented, inexpensive access to their genetic predispositions. As a result, state and federal governments have had to grapple with consumer-protection laws and private companies with airtight contracts and clear, conspicuous disclosures. Governments have an interest in robust privacy protections for consumers, yet companies that offer DTC genetic-testing services want to protect their brand and the integrity of their products. The general public stands to benefit significantly from the scientific advancements based on the study of genetic material. But in light of this rapidly growing landscape, what do our client patients, providers, and companies need to know? In her June Illinois Bar Journal article, “Inconclusive Results,” Haley J. Guion provides a history of DTC genetic testing, identifies key stakeholders in the genetic testing market, and outlines corresponding legal principles at issue for these players.

Despite how simple celebrities like Henry Winkler and Tom Selleck make reverse mortgages out to be on their television commercials targeting seniors, loss mitigation for reverse mortgages confounds homeowners, advocates, and judges alike. In his June 2020 Illinois Bar Journal article, “Reverse Mortgages Gone Bad,” Matthew Hulstein explains what families can do to bring a reverse mortgage out of default and keep their home.

An underdiscussed but vitally important aspect of today’s criminal justice system is the ever-expanding role of assessments charged to convicted defendants in criminal cases. These fines and fees charged by states and municipalities aim to minimize the cost of criminal prosecutions on the taxpayers and deter future criminal activity. Nationally, convicted persons are charged an average of $13,607 for conviction-related costs, including restitution and attorney fees. As Benjamin Sardinas notes in his May Illinois Bar Journal artilcle, “The Ball Is in Your Court,” nearly half of convicted persons’ families who helped cover those costs say they could not afford such fees and 38 percent of those families found court fees and fines the most difficult among the costs of conviction. Since the passage of Illinois Supreme Court Rule 472, correcting errors in the calculation and imposition of court assessments have become part of the responsibilities of trial prosecutors and defense attorneys. Sardinas reviews the history of correcting errors in sentencing, the changing legal landscape in the wake of Rule 472, and suggests how criminal trial attorneys may challenge assessments and sentencing errors to prevent their incidence and prevalence.