As a lawyer, time is one of your most valuable assets – but it’s also a limited resource. Between client meetings, court appearances, research, drafting, and managing your practice, the demands on your work schedule can feel overwhelming.
These struggles raise two questions: (1) How should you best prioritize your tasks and (2) How should you best utilize the time…
Continue Reading 3 Time Management Strategies for Lawyers

To brighten up the chilly Illinois winter days, we have compiled a list of upcoming events in the legal community.
From a Battle of the Bands to comedy shows, and from service days to judicial receptions, these events can expand your network and foster a deeper sense of belonging within the legal profession.
If we missed any events, please email…
Continue Reading Upcoming Events to Attend in the Illinois Legal Community

Our Professionalism Spotlight series highlights Illinois legal professionals who demonstrate the ideals of professionalism in their careers and a commitment to equitable, efficient, and effective justice.
In this Professionalism Spotlight, we spoke to Hannah R. Lamore, a partner at Mahoney, Silverman & Cross, LLC in Joliet, Ill. Hannah concentrates her practice in municipal law and civil litigation.
Hannah is an active member…
Continue Reading Professionalism Spotlight: Hannah R. Lamore, Mahoney, Silverman & Cross, LLC

In December, the Illinois Supreme Court announced a policy governing the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in Illinois courts.
The policy says that: “The use of AI by litigants, attorneys, judges, judicial clerks, research attorneys, and court staff providing similar support may be expected, should not be discouraged, and is authorized provided it complies with legal and ethical standards.
Continue Reading Illinois Supreme Court Releases Policy on AI in State Courts

The Illinois Supreme Court Commission on Access to Justice (ATJ Commission) and the Access to Justice Division of the Administrative Office of the Illinois Courts (AOIC) are accepting proposals for the new Reducing Barriers to Meaningful Access in Court Grant.
The grant encourages new programming that increases the public’s ability to participate in the court system. Organizations like administrative agencies,…
Continue Reading Illinois Supreme Court Access to Justice Commission Accepting Proposals for New Grant Addressing Barriers for Court Users

Thank you for being part of the Commission’s legal professionalism community. It has been our privilege to engage with you this year and we hope it will continue!
In the tradition of holiday wish lists, I have compiled a list of three things I wish for each of you in 2025.
1. A sense of belonging.
During the year, the…
Continue Reading Three Things I Wish for Illinois Lawyers in 2025

Year Two of my role as Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Manager at the Illinois Supreme Court Commission on Professionalism brought new and exciting opportunities to interact with a wide range of Illinois lawyers and judges.
I see these interactions as important to my ongoing education in DEI and a vital part of my effectiveness in developing programming that is…
Continue Reading 4 Meaningful Conversations I Had as a DEI Manager in 2024

Our Professionalism Spotlight series highlights Illinois legal professionals who demonstrate the ideals of professionalism in their careers and a commitment to equitable, efficient, and effective justice.
In this Professionalism Spotlight, we spoke to Judith (Judy) Conway, an attorney at Cooney & Conway LLP in Chicago. Judy represents victims of mesothelioma, lung cancer, asbestosis, and other asbestos-related diseases across the country. She…
Continue Reading Professionalism Spotlight: Judy Conway, Cooney & Conway LLP

In 2024, the Commission on Professionalism covered the issues making waves in the legal profession.
From addressing workplace bullying and diversity challenges to navigating what’s next for generative AI, we have been sharing legal professionalism news that is important to the practices of Illinois lawyers.
Here is a look at some of our most popular articles in 2024. Subscribe to …
Continue Reading Commission on Professionalism’s Most-Read Articles of 2024

Experts are debating the reasons behind a significant increase in applications to U.S. law schools, which were up almost 33% as of December 8, 2024, compared to the same time last year. The number of U.S.-based law school applicants also jumped 25% compared to 2023. The data is compiled by the Law School Admissions Council (LSAC).
Law school applicants from…
Continue Reading Law School Applications Soar 33%, As Experts Debate Reasons

ChatGPT recently marked two years since its November 2022 release. As a Large Language Model (LLM) application that can process and generate text in real-time that resembles human language, ChatGPT represented a significant breakthrough in innovative generative AI (GenAI) systems. Similar tools followed, like Claude, Perplexity, and CoPilot.
Two years in, have you tried any yet?
Over the past two…
Continue Reading How Lawyers Can Overcome Fear and Embrace AI in 2025

The legal profession may reach gender parity by 2026, the 2024 ABA Profile of the Legal Profession predicts.
The report has dubbed the years 2016 – 2026 as the “Decade of the Female Lawyer” and predicted that the legal profession will soon shift to a female majority.
Its reasoning? Women first outnumbered men in law school enrollment in 2016…
Continue Reading ‘Decade of the Female Lawyer’: ABA Profile of the Legal Profession Predicts Gender Parity by 2026

Last month, the United States observed Veterans Day, which celebrates military veterans of the U.S. Armed Forces and honors their contributions to our country. But these contributions should be celebrated year-round.
An estimated 459,569 veterans live in Illinois representing 4.7% of the state’s population. Veterans face many of the same civil legal issues as the general population but also experience…
Continue Reading How the Veterans’ Legal Aid Society Gives Back to Veterans Year-Round