Trial Briefs

The newsletter of the ISBA’s Section on Civil Practice & Procedure

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2022 Articles

ABA House of Delegates: 2022 Annual Meeting Resolutions By Emily N. Masalski July 2022 On August 8 and 9, 2022, the ABA House of Delegates meeting will be held in Chicago.
Appellate Court Dodges an Interesting Question: Kallal v. Lyons By Robert Handley May 2022 A summary and analysis of Kallal v. Lyons.
Battle Lines on the Verdict Form: How Many Lines Should Go to the Jury? By Kingshuk Roy November 2022 There is often a dispute at trial over how many lines should be included on the verdict form. Some advocate for separate lines for each distinct damage claim while others seek to combine damage categories into a single line. This article reviews how appellate courts have handled this dispute.
Chair’s Column By Emily N. Masalski July 2022 A note of welcome from the chair.
Emergency Preparedness Tips and Resources for Attorneys By Emily N. Masalski July 2022 On July 6, 2022, the Illinois Supreme Court announced the creation of the Supreme Court Committee on Judicial Security and Safety, which will collaborate with judicial and law enforcemnet partners to monitor and review current and anticipated judicial security needs and practices.
ESI: A Primer By George Bellas & Joseph Dybisz May 2022 Because exorbitant litigation costs resulting from complex e-discovery could materially impact a client’s ability to prove a given claim or defense, knowing how to identify, preserve, and negotiate with opposing counsel to obtain relevant electronically stored information presents critical leverage points during e-discovery.
Illinois Supreme Court M.R. 31228 August 2022 M.R. 31228 for the first time establishes Time Standards for Case Closure in the Illinois Trial Courts effective July 1, 2022
Keys to Increasing Your Prospects for Success in Mediation: Insights from Chief Circuit Mediator for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit By Edward Casmere May 2022 Highlights from conversations with Joel Shapiro, a mediator at the U. S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit for the last 28 years.
Nixing SOJ as of Right Results in Appellate Reversal By J. Matthew Pfeiffer July 2022 In Gohari v. McDonald’s Corp., the appellate court held that because a trial court judge had not ruled on any substantial issues and had not begun a hearing on the merits before a party made a motion for substitution of judge as of right, section 2-1001 of the Illinois Code of Civil Procedure required such motion to have been granted.
No Good Deed Goes Uncovered: An Illinois Insurer’s Failed Attempt to Exclude Coverage for Its Friendly Insured’s Work By Will T. Owens & Kimberly A. Davis September 2022 Exclusions in insurance policies are one method by which insurers and insureds come to terms on the scope of insurance coverage, or lack thereof.
Practice Tips to Prevent Improper Witness Coaching at Remote Depositions By David A. Weder November 2022 An overview of the risks of remote depositions and practical tips to protect against them. 
1 comment (Most recent November 25, 2022)
Rule 137 Sanctions By Richard Douglass May 2022 Every now and then, our adversaries cross the line by pursuing frivolous claims. And if reason alone is not enough to dissuade them from pursuing such claims, often the best action we can take on behalf of our clients is to seek sanctions under Rule 137.
Supreme Court Rules Committee to Hold Public Hearing on Civil Practice Proposals By J. Matthew Pfeiffer September 2022 The Illinois Supreme Court Rules Committee will hold a public hearing on October 5, 2022, to seek comments on six proposed amendments to the Illinois Supreme Court Rules, four of which pertain to civil practice.
Time in a Bottleneck: Living With the Time-to-Disposition Standards By Eugene Doherty August 2022 A look at why attorneys should care about the time-to-disposition standards.
Time Standards Establish ‘Statewide Expectation for Judges, Litigants, and Attorneys’ By Hannah R. Lamore August 2022 On March 25, 2022, the Illinois Supreme Court entered an Order establishing Time Standards for Case Closure in the Illinois Trial Courts, which went into effect on July 1, 2022.