Pro bono service is a core element of the legal profession, one that attorneys, judges, and other legal professionals revere. To reinforce that tie to service, the profession hosts annual Pro Bono Week programming for lawyers and the public to attend. For…
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After the success of last year’s Expungement and Record Sealing Summit, the Champaign County Circuit Clerk’s Office is hosting its now annual event again, this October. On Saturday, October 21st, volunteer attorneys will provide free legal assistance to those individuals wishing to expunge, clear, or seal past criminal records. The…
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Last year, the University of St. Mary’s School of Law selected Jayne Reardon, Executive Director of the Illinois Supreme Court Commission on Professionalism, to write a piece about the possibility of lawyers practicing in an alternative business structure (ABS) for the school’s law review. Jayne’s article on the inclusion of ABS in…
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E-filing is coming. As many of you know, lawyers in Illinois will be required to file electronically in Illinois state court civil cases starting January 1, 2018. Therefore, case documents must be filed electronically through the newly developed centralized manager, eFileIL, and all filing fees must be paid electronically as well. In light of…
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At the Illinois Supreme Court Commission on Professionalism, we are charged to connect lawyers and inspire change. Through our weekly blog posts and news items, our monthly e-newsletter, various video projects, and even our educational programming – like the Future is Now Conference or any of our in-person and online CLEs –…
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For more than 25 years, Chicago lawyers have been giving back — and not just by taking pro bono cases. They’re serving elementary and middle school classrooms throughout the Chicago metropolitan area. The Constitutional Rights Foundation Chicago (CRFC) introduced its “Edward J. Lewis II Lawyers in the Classroom” program to help students learn about…
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Health and wellness isn’t just an issue tied to the legal profession. It’s also a rising epidemic impacting children across the country. That’s why CASA, the Court Appointed Special Advocates of Kane County, a nonprofit volunteer organization that advocates for children in the juvenile court system, is hosting its annual fall…
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This July, Illinois made changes to its professional responsibility CLE requirement. From here on out, Illinois attorneys must take one hour of diversity and inclusion CLE and one hour of mental health and substance abuse CLE as part of the six hours of…
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You’ve seen the headlines in your news-feed. “Bar passage rates are dropping.” “Law graduate employment is down, while law school debt continues to climb.” There is a crisis in legal education, and one member of the ABA Council of the Section of Legal Education believes he has a…
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With August coming to a close, law schools are officially back in session. In Illinois, the Commission on Professionalism welcomed 1Ls at seven of the nine local law schools. At each Professionalism Orientation, Justices, Judges, Deans, facilitators, Commissioners, and even our very own…
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Though they are the fastest growing racial group in the United States, Asian American enrollment in law schools has declined more than any other race. Oddly enough, this hasn’t always been the case. In fact, over the last thirty years, the number of Asian American law students has quadrupled to the point where they made…
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E-filing isn’t just mandatory in Illinois. In fact, many courts have implemented electronic filing to some extent. This month, however, that list of courts now includes the Supreme Court of the United States. Beginning November 13, 2017, the United States Supreme Court will require e-filing of…
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