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  • September 3, 2019 | Practice News
    Make It Go Away: A Practical and Realistic Guide to Expungement, Sealing, and Other Criminal Record Reforms
    Arguably one of the most significant developments in recent Illinois criminal justice reform was Public Act 100-284. Signed into law on Aug. 24, 2017, this amendment to the Illinois Criminal Identification Act (ICIA) enacted among the nation’s broadest sealing and expungement reforms to date. As a result of the ICIA (one might also add the automatic expungement provisions included in the Cannabis Regulation and Tax Act signed into law this summer), there has never been a better time to file an expungement or sealing petition in Illinois. But clients seeking to take advantage of criminal record reforms are going to have questions—lots of them. You’ll need answers. In his September 2019 Illinois Bar Journal article, “Make It Go Away,” criminal-defense attorney Paul Meyers examines typical questions and concerns clients have when pursuing relief under the ICIA.
  • August 29, 2019 | CLE
    CLE: Real Estate Law Update – 2019
    Join us Oct. 2 in Bloomington for a full-day seminar focusing on a number of key real estate issues and recent case law updates and legislative changes that affect your client. Real estate lawyers, corporate law attorneys, and general practitioners with basic to intermediate practice experience who attend this seminar will better understand: block chain and new technologies; the Multi Board Real Estate Contract 7.0; land banks and opportunity zones as a means of revitalizing communities; updates in privacy and security laws impacting real estate; and eminent domain.
  • August 28, 2019 | Practice News
    Quick Takes for Your Practice: Five Things You Should Know About Handling a Divorce
    Attorney Marie Sarantakis discusses the five things every attorney should know about handling a divorce, which include being familiar with the Illinois Marriage and Dissolution of Marriage Act, focusing on the facts of your case, familiarizing yourself with your county’s rules, being aware of a judge’s preferences, and knowing your clients.  
    1 comment (Most recent August 30, 2019)
  • August 27, 2019 | ISBA News
    ISBA President Presents American Lawyers Alliance’s Law-Related Education Teacher of the Year Award to Illinois Educator
    ISBA President David Sosin presented the American Lawyers Alliance’s Law-Related Education Teacher of the Year Award to Dennis Brown, a teacher at Huntley High School, on Aug. 9 in San Francisco. The event coincided with the American Bar Association's 2019 Annual Meeting.  The awards were created to honor teachers who have made significant contributions in the area of law-related education and who have developed programs that have:
  • August 26, 2019 | Member Services
    Practice HQ Resource: Tornado Preparedness Checklist
    A tornado is one of the most violent and destructive types of storms, often developing with little to no advance warning. Parts of Illinois are particularly susceptible to tornadoes, so it’s important for law firms to be prepared for such an occurrence.
  • August 26, 2019 | CLE
    CLE: Practice Ready Series—From Initial Client Representation through Trial or Settlement
    Don’t miss the ISBA’s fifth installment of the Practice Ready Series, which is designed for new lawyers needing guidance on the trial process. The event will be held from noon until 1 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 19 in the Chicago Regional Office. Topics include: the issues to consider when accepting a case; client expectations; pre-suit investigations; filing the lawsuit; properly handling the discovery; and pretrial motions.
  • August 26, 2019 | Practice News
    There’s a Place for Us
    “I’ve spent most of my 55 years thinking of myself as an undercover introvert,” writes Karen Erger in her Your Life’s Work column in the August 2019 Illinois Bar Journal. “I love what I do, and my work puts me behind a podium and face-to-face with strangers all the time. But I don’t enjoy or seek out those activities for their own sake, and my idea of a great day (at work, anyway) is one spent alone in my office reading, writing, and delving so deeply into my projects that I lose track of time.” In her column, Erger reflects on life as an introverted lawyer, coming to peace with that, and how she refuses to let it get the best of her.
  • August 23, 2019 | Practice News
    Access to Justice Commission is Accepting Proposals for Self-Represented Litigant Coordinators
    The Illinois Supreme Court Commission on Access to Justice (ATJ Commission) and the Administrative Office of the Illinois Courts has issued a request for proposals (RFP) from all judicial circuits in Illinois for self-represented litigant (SRL) coordinators.  SRL coordinators are intended as a bridge, linking their courthouses with others throughout the state to share ideas, develop new resources, and establish programs for assisting SRLs. Monetary grants will be awarded to a limited number of judicial circuits to support the work and programs of the coordinator. Even if a grant is not awarded, the designated coordinator may participate in the SRL coordinator program. 
  • August 21, 2019 | Practice News
    Illinois Supreme Court to Hear Oral Arguments at Lewis & Clark Community College in Godfrey
    The Illinois Supreme Court will leave the Illinois Supreme Court Building in Springfield behind for a day to hear oral arguments at Lewis & Clark Community College in Godfrey. The Supreme Court will hear arguments in two cases starting at 10:30 a.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 18 in the Hatheway Cultural Center, located at 5800 Godfrey Rd, Godfrey. The upcoming arguments at Lewis & Clark Community College will be the Court’s first road trip since March 15, 2018, when arguments were heard at the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign.
  • August 21, 2019 | People
    PILI Accepting Nominations for Awards
    Nominations are open for PILI awards to recognize attorneys and legal programs making outstanding contributions in pro bono and public interest law across the state of Illinois. Attorneys can either submit a self-nomination or nominate a colleague.  PILI Annual Awards Every year, PILI presents several awards to acknowledge lawyers and legal programs. The deadline for nominations is Sept. 6. The Distinguished Public Service Award honors an individual whose commitment to public interest work has shaped a career dedicated to service. The Distinguished Alumni Awards recognize one former PILI Intern and one former PILI Fellow for outstanding contributions of public interest and/or pro bono work. The Pro Bono Initiative Award acknowledges a single entity for its significant pro bono work in the community.