Join us online from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. on Thursday, February 11 for an in-depth look at the programs and services that are available to tenants during the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as the general Illinois laws impacting tenant rights. Attorneys with basic to intermediate practice experience who attend this online seminar will better understand: the basics of representing residential tenants in eviction cases, as well as the eviction process; how to successfully negotiate landlord-tenant disputes; how (and why) to represent low-income tenants pro-bono in disputes with landlords, especially in eviction cases; what to expect during the legal process in residential landlord-tenant disputes; the potential defenses to eviction; and much more!

On behalf of the circuit judges of the Third Judicial Circuit, Chief Judge William A. Mudge announced that Angela P. Donohoo and Ronald S. Motil were elected to fill the associate judge vacancies in the Third Judicial Circuit. These associate judge vacancies were created by the election of Associate Judge Stephen A. Stobbs to the circuit court and the resignation of Associate Judge John B. Julian.

The Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES) has shared updates that may help ISBA members prepare for questions regarding 1099-G forms and IDES. 1099-G Tax Forms IDES is in the process of finalizing the annual 1099-G form mailing to all individuals who received unemployment insurance (UI) benefits in 2020.

A right of first refusal (ROFR) is an agreement giving its holder the right to purchase property in certain circumstances. ROFRs usually concern real estate, but they can cover any type of property. Generally, ROFRs provide that if an owner receives a bona fide offer to buy its property on terms it wishes to accept, the owner must give the ROFR holder notice of the offer and the opportunity to match it. The ROFR holder has no obligation to match the offer and it can refuse to do so. In that instance, the owner is free to sell the property to the offeror. If the ROFR holder does match the offer, the holder has the right to buy the property and the owner must sell it to the ROFR holder. But as Mitchell L. Marinello and Andrew P. Shelby demonstrate in their January 2021 Illinois Bar Journal article, “Right of First Refusal, Right?” under the peculiarities of Illinois law, ROFRs generally are enforceable but can lead to litigation, specifically when a property’s ROFR provisions may not be considered definite enough to be enforced.