The Allerton Conference provides an opportunity for attorneys, judges and law professors from throughout the State to discuss important issues affecting civil procedure and litigation and to suggest new Supreme Court Rules and legislation. The goal is to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of the civil justice system in Illinois. The 2013 Conference focused on “Adaptations of New Technologies to Civil Case Processes” and included discussion of whether current laws have kept up with today’s changing technology.

 “Ask a Lawyer Day” will be held on Saturday, April 27, from 9 a.m.-2 p.m. We hope you will be able to volunteer again this year to contribute to the ongoing success of this event. We are seeking lawyer volunteers to answer phones at the Illinois Bar Center in Springfield from 9-11:30 a.m. and/or 11:30–2 p.m. Continental breakfast and lunch will be provided by the ISBA.Please complete this form if you are able to volunteer your time and expertise again this year. You can fax the completed form to (217) 525-9063 attention Tracy Potter, or you may call Tracy at (800) 252-8908 or email your response to tpotter@isba.org.

Illinois Supreme Court Chief Justice Thomas L. Kilbride announced Wednesday the expansion of an e-project that allows attorneys, parties and appellate justices to view, access and work electronically from the official record of cases on appeal in the Fourth Judicial District.The Supreme Court has authorized Logan County to allow the electronic transfer of the official court record of cases on appeal filed after July 1, 2013. Logan joins Adams and Moultrie counties in the Fourth Judicial District and 14 other counties that participate in the pilot project.Since he became Chief Justice in 2010, Justice Kilbride has pledged to make the Illinois courts more user friendly by implementing improvements in technology. Since then, the Supreme Court has opened avenues for e-filing, creating a special E-Business Committee in June 2011; announcing in October 2012 statewide standards and new and amended Supreme Court rules that will allow all courts in Illinois to begin electronic filing in civil cases; and greatly expanding the pilot project that allows the e-filing of the trial record in the Appellate courts."Logan County becomes the 17th county in Illinois that will file the trial record on appeal electronically," Chief Justice Kilbride said. "We've come a ways since announcing the first two counties to participate in the pilot project back in 2011."We give a big thank you to all who have helped us and the courts make progress."

The Illinois State Bar Association has announced winners of its Lawyers Feeding Illinois food and fundraising campaign whose goal was to raise at least one million meals. Lawyer teams and more than 2,000 donors raised in excess of 1,270,000 meals for the benefit of Illinoisans facing hunger in a statewide campaign held Feb. 18-March 1.The competition winners will be honored at a ceremony on May 8 at the ISBA’s Chicago Regional Office. Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan, whose office supported the campaign, will be on hand to help present the awards.Law firms, individual lawyers and organizations to receive awards are: