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Illinois Supreme Court

  • April 20, 2020 | Practice News
    Attorneys With June 30, 2020 as Their MCLE Compliance Deadline May Choose a Three-Month Extension at No Cost

    The Illinois Supreme Court has announced that attorneys with a June 30, 2020 MCLE compliance deadline may opt for a three-month extension at no cost if they choose the option by July 31, 2020. Hundreds of free accredited courses are available, including the ISBA’s member-only 15 hours of free CLE per bar year (which ends June 30), sponsored by the ISBA Mutual Insurance Company.

    The full press release is as follows:

    The Illinois Supreme Court recognizes that, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, attorneys with last names beginning A-M in the 2018-2020 reporting period may be unable to complete their continuing education credits by the upcoming June 30, 2020 deadline. In consultation with the MCLE Board, the Court has decided to provide every attorney in this group the option to secure a no-cost, three-month extension to complete those credits. An attorney secures that extension by submitting an online report to the Board no later than July 31, 2020. 

  • April 14, 2020 | Practice News
    Illinois Judicial College to Host Live Webcast on Remote Hearings in Child Protection Cases

    The Illinois Supreme Court Judicial College (Judicial College) Committee on Guardian ad litem Education (GALE) and Committee on Judicial Education (COJE), will host a one-hour live webcast on April 17 at noon titled Conducting Remote Hearings in Child Protection Cases. Registration is available at https://www.pathlms.com/aoic

  • April 2, 2020 | Practice News
    Illinois Supreme Court Commission on Pretrial Practices Releases Final Report

    The Illinois Supreme Court Commission on Pretrial Practices (Commission) has released its final report concerning pretrial reform in the Illinois criminal justice system.

  • March 26, 2020 | Practice News
    Bar Admission Ceremonies to Be Conducted via Live Video Conference

    The bar admission ceremonies typically held in the five judicial districts will be condensed into one ceremony held via video conference due to the coronavirus. The single statewide swearing-in will be hosted by Chief Justice Anne M. Burke and will be held at 10:30 a.m. on Thursday, May 7. Candidates for admission will be given login criteria to the live video conference. Candidates will have a copy of their attorney oath emailed to them from the Supreme Court Clerk’s Office and will be asked to sign and mail that in prior to the ceremony.

  • March 18, 2020 | Practice News
    Supreme Court Relaxes Requirement to Allow 14 Days for Paper Copies

    Effective for anything filed on March 16 through March 31, 2020, the Illinois Supreme Court has approved relaxing the requirement in Paragraph 8a of the Supreme Court’s Electronic Filing Procedures and User Manual to give parties 14 days instead of the usual five days to provide the Court the 13 copies of certain e-filing documents.

  • March 13, 2020 | Practice News
    Illinois Supreme Court Disbars 2, Suspends 7 in Latest Disciplinary Filing

    The Illinois Supreme Court announced the filing of lawyer disciplinary orders on March 13, 2020. Sanctions were imposed because the lawyers engaged in professional misconduct by violating state ethics law.

  • February 11, 2020 | Practice News
    Illinois Supreme Court Announces Volunteer Pro Bono Pilot Program to Reduce Criminal Appeals Backlog

    The Illinois Supreme Court today announced a pilot program utilizing volunteer pro bono attorneys to reduce the backlog of criminal appeals that are currently pending with the Office of the State Appellate Defender (OSAD) across the state. 

    In this six-month pilot program, pro bono attorneys will help reduce the backlog by substituting for OSAD in certain criminal appeals. The pilot program will launch in the First and Second Districts of the Appellate Court with managerial assistance from the Administrative Office of the Illinois Courts. Upon favorable assessment of the pilot program, it would be expanded to include the Third, Fourth and Fifth District Appellate Courts. 

  • February 10, 2020 | Practice News
    Illinois Supreme Court Justice Robert R. Thomas Announces Retirement

    Illinois Supreme Court Justice Robert R. Thomas has announced his retirement from the Illinois Supreme Court effective Feb. 29, 2020.

    Justice Thomas, 67, became the first Chief Justice from DuPage County when he was elected to that post from 2005-2008. One of the major accomplishments during Justice Thomas’ tenure as Chief was the establishment of the Supreme Court Commission on Professionalism, an outgrowth of the Special Supreme Court Committee on Civility, which was formed in 2001. 

  • February 7, 2020 | Practice News
    Illinois Supreme Court Amends Bail and Bond Rules

    The Illinois Supreme Court has amended several Rules pertaining to bail and bond, effective March 1.

    The Supreme Court on Feb. 6 announced that it has amended Rules 501, 526, and 528.

  • January 21, 2020 | Practice News
    Illinois Supreme Court Appoints Leslie D. Davis to ARDC Review Board

    The Illinois Supreme Court has appointed Leslie D. Davis of Chicago to serve as a member of the Attorney Registration & Disciplinary Commission (A.R.D.C.) Review Board effective Jan. 10 and expiring on Dec. 31, 2021. The A.R.D.C. is the Supreme Court agency that investigates and prosecutes allegations of lawyer wrongdoing in Illinois.  

    Davis is a partner in the Chicago office of Riley Safer Holmes & Cancila LLP. She concentrates her practice in commercial litigation, including product liability, employment counseling, and insurance litigation. She has led numerous arbitrations and chaired and/or co-chaired many cases to verdict for Fortune 500 companies in state and federal court.