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by Judith Miller, Esq.
Americans are fairly comfortable with wealth inequality. At least, that is one conclusion that can be drawn from the 2011 research findings of Dr. Michael Norton, Harvard Business School.1
The Illinois Supreme Court announced today two amendments to Order M.R. 30370 regarding remote proceedings in adult criminal cases. The Illinois Judicial Conference’s Court Operations During COVID-19 Task Force (Task Force) recommended these amendments to avoid any ambiguity and to simplify logistical issues regarding the waivers.
The COVID-19 pandemic has affected each area of law in different ways, but common themes overlap all practices, including the signing and witnessing of documents, writes Daniel C. Katzman in his March 2020 Illinois Bar Journal article,"Are E-Signatures E-nough?" Court pleadings, settlement documents, purchase agreements, and estate-planning paperwork are a few examples of the countless legal draftings that require multiple signatures. With many lawyers being socially distanced from their offices, staff, and clients, electronic signatures have come to the forefront as a convenient and beneficial tool to the practice of law. Although many lawyers may cringe at the notion of e-anything, e-signatures have been utilized for years, Katzman asks whether e-signatures really can be as legally acceptable as pen-and-paper signatures.
Chief Justice Anne M. Burke and the Illinois Supreme Court announced today an order for the creation of a new Supreme Court Statutory Court Fees Task Force (“Task Force”) to replace the original 15-member Task Force created under the Access to Justice Act. The new Task Force is charged with conducting a thorough review of the entire Criminal and Traffic Assessment Act (CTAA), including the various statutory fees imposed or assessed on criminal defendants and civil litigants and the fiscal impact of the new civil and criminal fee schedules. It will also identify any issues with implementation and propose recommendations for legislative and/or rules changes as needed. The Order is available on the Court website.
Launching and running a law firm in “normal” times is difficult enough. But doing so during a pandemic creates additional challenges on top of the usual ones, say attorneys who participated in the ISBA’s February CLE program, “Starting and Running Your Own Law Practice.” The presenters’ expertise formed the basis of the 2021 March Illinois Bar Journal cover story, “The COVID-19-Era Firm.” The IBJ spoke with the program’s presenters, who outlined their pandemic-minded advice for solo and small-firm attorneys who are either starting out or rethinking the ways they conduct business. Their main takeaways: Plan to add extra measures of flexibility, networking, and a focus on well-being to the typical to-do list of establishing technology, billing and finance practices, incorporation paperwork and tax filings, a library of forms and documents, and policies that guide employee-related decisions.
The Illinois Supreme Court today announced the expansion of the Remote Access Policy (RAP) for Illinois licensed attorneys and legal services providers in User Group 5. This will give Illinois attorneys expanded access to court information and documents in the 87 county courts currently integrated and certified through re:SearchIL. The expansion is effective March 1, 2021.
The Public Interest Law Initiative (PILI) recently launched the Illinois Pro Bono Research Alliance, which matches Illinois law school student volunteers with attorneys in need of research assistance on pro bono legal matters.
Chief Justice Anne M. Burke and the Illinois Supreme Court announced today two new temporary orders and one amended order regarding eviction cases and electronic signatures in Illinois courts. The orders were first proposed by the Illinois Judicial Conference Court Operations During COVID-19 Task Force (“Task Force”) to address the anticipated surge of evictions once the moratoria expire and improve access to justice for self-represented litigants.
A federal district court judge presiding over the Society Insurance Business Interruption Coverage MDL, which involves the potential applicability of insurance coverage for restaurants suffering financial losses due to COVID-19, ruled on Feb. 22 that the cases may move forward in determining whether their insurance policies cover such losses.
For more than 50 years, the Illinois State Bar Association (ISBA) has conducted a Judicial Advisory Poll of attorneys to provide Illinois’ legal community and voting public with information on judicial candidates. The poll, which is supervised by the ISBA’s Standing Committee on Judicial Advisory Polls, represents one of the most important and publicly visible functions that the ISBA performs. In their 2021 February Illinois Bar Journal article, “The ISBA Judicial Advisory Poll: Myths and Misconceptions,” members of the ISBA’s Standing Committee on Judiciary Advisory Polls examine common issues raised regarding the ISBA poll. The authors explain the committee’s work and how it arrives at its findings and positions. The article also describes the committee’s use of expertise in statistics and research methodology to help guide its decision making and evaluation of its procedures.