Our Professionalism Spotlight series highlights Illinois legal professionals who demonstrate the ideals of professionalism and a commitment to equitable, efficient, and effective justice.
In this Professionalism Spotlight, we spoke with Sterling, Ill.-based attorney Trent Bush. Serving a rural area, Trent has experience in most civil practice areas but has primarily focused on litigation in the last several years.
He is…
Continue Reading Professionalism Spotlight: Trent L. Bush, Ward, Murray, Pace & Johnson, P.C.

A 10-year passion project recently came to fruition for Chicago attorney Jim Fine, when the Roosevelt University Legal Clinic (RULC) officially launched this summer.
RULC, which is being led by Fine, will begin by providing pro bono and low-cost basic legal services to Roosevelt’s students, faculty, and staff, and hopes to expand into the larger Chicago community.
The clinic will…
Continue Reading The ‘Madison Crusader’ Funnels Passion for Advocacy into Roosevelt University Legal Clinic

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) have announced a new grant initiative to support local courts in improving accessibility for people with disabilities.
The Disability Accessibility Improvement Grant will help Illinois courts bridge budget gaps to address barriers that prevent…
Continue Reading New Grant Aims to Improve Accessibility in Illinois Courts for People With Disabilities

A Council of the American Bar Association (ABA) will soon seek public comment regarding proposed revisions of an accreditation standard, Standard 206, governing diversity and inclusion in ABA-approved law schools.
According to an ABA Journal article, the Council of the ABA Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar (Council) voted on August 16, 2024, to propose changing…
Continue Reading ABA Council to Seek Public Comment on Proposed Revisions to Accreditation Standard Governing Diversity and Inclusion in Law Schools

Tom JakewayTrial Court Administrator
In 2023, 50 organizations across the state used the Commission’s free, open-source mentoring curriculum as the foundation for their lawyer mentoring programs.
Since we began developing our professionalism-based curriculum for attorney mentoring programs in 2011, it has been used by law firms, bar associations, government offices, law schools, court districts, professional organizations, and a corporation.
Illinois’…
Continue Reading 17th Judicial Circuit Aims to Elevate Civility as a ‘Cultural Norm’ Through Mentoring

Should my law firm be on TikTok? What is Threads? Is it too late to create a Facebook page for my law firm? Have you heard of that new platform, FriendFrame?
Okay, FriendFrame doesn’t exist… yet.
The majority of law firms (89%) have an existing social media presence, according to American Bar Association data. Most firms that use social…
Continue Reading Should My Law Firm be on TikTok? 4 Questions to Ask Before Adopting Any Social Media Platform

A recent survey by the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) found that people working in the U.S. experience 202 million acts of incivility each day, with nearly 40% of the uncivil behavior happening at work.
Incivility in workplaces can impact employee morale and may be costing U.S. organizations roughly $2 billion per day in absenteeism and diminished productivity, the …
Continue Reading Workplace Incivility May Be Costing U.S. Businesses $2B Per Day, Survey Finds

Late last month, the American Bar Association issued Formal Opinion 512 detailing a lawyer’s ethical obligations when using generative artificial intelligence (genAI) in legal practice.
The Opinion acknowledges that lawyers often use traditional AI to boost the quality and efficiency of their legal practices, for example in contract analysis or e-discovery. However, the advent of genAI, which creates new content…
Continue Reading Breaking Down the ABA’s Guidance on Using Generative AI in Legal Practice

Last summer, our resident well-being blogger Stephanie Villinski wrote a blog urging Illinois lawyers to take advantage of their last chance to soak up summer. Did you take her advice?
Putting work responsibilities aside to focus on summer fun is not always easy for lawyers. The emails and client demands do not stop when the warmer weather hits.
However, summer…
Continue Reading Illinois Lawyers: There is Still Time for Summer Fun With These Events

Last month we celebrated Disability Pride Month, a commemoration each July of the signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), as well as a time to highlight the contributions of people with disabilities and raise awareness of the stigmas many still face.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 1 in 4 adults in…
Continue Reading Equip for Equality Attorney Discusses ‘Shared Humanity’ and Impact of Legal Victory for People With Disabilities

Our Professionalism Spotlight series highlights Illinois legal professionals who demonstrate the ideals of professionalism and a commitment to equitable, efficient, and effective justice in Illinois.
In this Professionalism Spotlight, we spoke with attorney Mathew Kerbis, the founder of Subscription Attorney LLC, where he provides general practice transactional services.
According to its website, Subscription Attorney offers unbundled and limited-scope legal services…
Continue Reading Professionalism Spotlight: Mathew Kerbis, Subscription Attorney, LLC

As the world focuses on the athletic elite competing at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, a peculiar star has emerged for Team USA, twisting and turning his way into our hearts.
Affectionately dubbed “Mr. Pommel Horse” or “Pommel Steve,” Stephen Nedoroscik delivered a spectacular routine on the pommel horse that clinched the bronze medal for the U.S. men’s gymnastics…
Continue Reading Lessons for Lawyers from ‘Mr. Pommel Horse,’ Olympian Stephen Nedoroscik

Do you remember the anticipation you felt in the weeks leading up to law school? Do you remember if hearing stories about unending class prep and the dreaded Socratic method filled you with anxiety? Or maybe you didn’t know what to expect.
No matter what comes to mind, most law students likely feel a mix of excitement and apprehension leading…
Continue Reading ‘Run your own race’: Advice from three former Illinois law students