The ISBA Lawyer-to-Lawyer Mentoring Program held its 2016 Orientation on Jan. 20 at the Chicago Office. Jayne Reardon, Executive Director of the Illinois Supreme Court Commission on Professionalism, walked the mentors and mentees through the program for 2016-2017.

The Illinois Supreme Court has appointed Elizabeth A. Karkula as a Circuit Judge of Cook County, at Large. This appointment is effective Jan. 19, 2016 and terminates on Dec. 3, 2018. It was created by the death of the Hon. Jean Prendergast Rooney.

In 2014, President Obama announced that he was using his executive authority to make significant changes to the immigration system. Over the past 10 months, the Department of Homeland Security and Department of State have announced new regulations relevant to business immigration, the availability of visa numbers, the citizenship process, and other areas of U.S. immigration. Join us for a live webcast on January 22, 2016 that offers an in-depth look at the changes that have already taken place, as well as those that are coming soon. Topics include: work authorization requirements to certain H-4s; new policy guidance on the specialized knowledge worker visa (L-1B); changes to the Visa Bulletin that provide earlier filing dates for adjustment applications; credit card payments for citizenship applications; new parole admission category for entrepreneurs; new guidance on the availability of National Interest Waivers for entrepreneurs; and the publication of a new OPT regulation for F-1 STEM students. A discussion on the status of other significant programs involving executive action in the courts is also included, as well as a review of important U.S. Supreme Court and other federal decisions that will affect your practice.

In the December ISBA Family Law newsletter, Marie Sarantakis offers a Top 10 list of changes wrought by the sweeping IMDMA revisions that took effect January 1. Here's a summary. 1. New terminology. Words like “custody” and “visitation” have been replaced with less adversarial terms like “parental-decision making” and “parenting time." 2. No-fault divorce. "Irreconcilable differences" is now the only ground. 3. Less waiting. The period parties must wait to get a divorce is reduced from two years to six months, with no wait in uncontested cases. 4. The end of heart balm. No more actions for alienation of affection, etc. 5. Property allocation explained. Courts now have to issue written findings explaining their rationale for property distribution. 6. Removal of children based on distance. Parents must seek leave to relocate based on the distance, not the state, of their new residence. 7. Speedier orders of dissolution. Judges must issue the order within 60 days after proofs close. 8. College expenses capped. College expenses are capped at the cost of attending the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana unless good cause to do otherwise is shown or the parties agree to a different amount.