Appointing a GAL? The Language You Use Is Important!By Hon. Donald Bernardi, (ret.)October 2020A recent Illinois Supreme Court case suggests that both judges and practitioners ought to pay careful attention to the purpose of guardian ad litem appointment.
From Crisis to Crisis: The CFPB’s COVID-19 Mortgage RegulationBy Joshua L. Roquemore & Rodney PerryNovember 2020The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, established on the heels of the Great Recession, is poised to lead the regulatory charge of mortgage forbearance as a result of COVID-19.
Illinois ARDC Statement on RacismJuly 2020A statement from the Illinois Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission regarding its commitment to addressing injustice.
The Illinois Two-Step: The Forbidden Dance?By Michael G. CortinaMay 2020When there is a dispute as to the validity of a mortgage and the mortgagee wants to foreclose, some lawyers may consider filing declaratory judgment actions that seek a declaration that the mortgage is valid so that they can later file another action to foreclose the judicially-declared valid mortgage—but this is against the spirit of Illinois mortgage foreclosure law and may violate the tenets of res judicata.
Lessons From Facebook’s Record $550 Million Biometric SettlementBy Nick Kahlon & Eli LitoffMarch 2020On January 29, 2020, Facebook, Inc. agreed to pay over half a billion dollars to settle claims that it violated the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act by using facial recognition software to help users “tag” their friends in photographs.
Let’s Talk About ‘Sex’: SCOTUS Delivers Title VII Landmark RulingBy Azar Alexander & Joy AndersonJuly 2020On June 15, the United State Supreme Court directly and unequivocally answered the question of whether an employer can terminate an employee for their sexual orientation and/or gender identity.
The Other PandemicBy Justice Michael B. HymanJune 2020Lawyers are perfectly suited to find ways to dismantle systemic barriers, to promote inclusivity and diversity, to combat overt or explicit bias, to advocate for a legal system accessible to all, and to illuminate the nature of unconscious bias and address its root causes.
The Right of Confrontation: A Concept for the AgesBy Hon. Jesse G. ReyesJune 2020With non-traditional avenues of providing justice on the rise, the question then becomes: Can trials be constitutionally conducted over remote video conferencing platforms where the participants will not be face-to-face?