The Illinois Supreme Court has adopted a new rule that establishes guidelines for the state’s courts to use “parenting coordinators” to resolve minor issues that are causing conflict in family law cases. The rule went into effect immediately, on May 24, 2023.
Rule 909 provides a framework that allows each judicial circuit, if it chooses, to adopt local rules “for…
Continue Reading New Illinois Supreme Court Rule Establishes Parenting Coordinator Program for State Courts

“You are on mute.” How many times have you heard or said this during an online meeting in the last few years? Recently, I experienced it at a very inopportune time.
Let me set the scene. In addition to participating in smaller, legal professionalism-focused CLEs throughout the year, the Commission on Professionalism hosts a large annual conference called The Future …
Continue Reading 4 Lessons Learned When I Forgot to Unmute

Illinois courts can receive grant funding for local access to justice initiatives through the Illinois Supreme Court Access to Justice Commission (ATJ Commission) and the Administrative Office of the Illinois Courts Access to Justice Division’s (AOIC ATJ Division) ATJ Improvement Grant.
The ATJ Improvement Grant (previously named the Self-Represented Litigant Coordinator grant) will award up to $30,000 to cover…
Continue Reading Illinois Courts: Apply for Grants to Support Access to Justice Initiatives

The Illinois Supreme Court Commission on Access to Justice (ATJ Commission) announced that it is accepting nominations for two awards: the Thomas L. Kilbride Judicial Access to Justice Award and the Jeffrey D. Colman Access to Justice Award.
The Illinois Supreme Court created the ATJ Commission in June 2012 to “promote, facilitate and enhance equal access to justice with an…
Continue Reading Nominations Are Open for the Illinois Supreme Court ATJ Commission’s Access to Justice Awards

With the growing technological advancements in the legal industry, legal professionals are increasingly exploring the use of large language models (LLMs) such as ChatGPT and Google’s Bard to enhance their practices. The potential of LLMs and their applications to revolutionize the legal profession is undeniable, but the integration of these models into the practice of law requires ethical considerations.
Background…
Continue Reading The Rise of ChatGPT: Ethical Considerations for Legal Professionals

Last week, in honor of Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month (APA), we revisited our movie watchlist that will help educate and inform lawyers about the experiences of Asian and Pacific Americans. This week, we are focusing on books.
Last year, we asked for recommendations from member of the APA community on books that would help lawyers expand their understanding of…
Continue Reading 5 Books to Explore Asian and Pacific American Heritage

In honor of Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month, which is celebrated in May, we are revisiting our watchlist of shows that will help educate and inform you about the experiences of Asian and Pacific Americans.
Asian/Pacific is a broad term that encompasses all of the Asian continent and the Pacific islands of Melanesia (New Guinea, New Caledonia, Vanuatu, Fiji, and…
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Civility in the U.S. is worse today compared to 10 years ago, according to 85% of respondents to the American Bar Association’s Survey of Civic Literacy 2023.
A significant number of respondents attribute the decrease in civility to social media, media, and public officials, and believe that family and friends and public officials should be primarily responsible for improving…
Continue Reading Most Americans Believe Civility in the U.S. Is Declining, According to ABA Survey

The Illinois Supreme Court Commission on Professionalism is pleased to announce that it awarded 2,204 hours of professional responsibility (PR) CLE hours to attorneys who attended its annual Future Is Now: Legal Services conference. This includes 551 CLE hours in diversity and inclusion and 551 CLE hours in mental health and substance abuse.
Deputy Director Stephanie Villinski with Kara Hardin,…
Continue Reading Commission on Professionalism Awards 2,204 PR CLE Hours to Attorneys at Annual Legal Professionalism Conference

Last week, during the Commission’s annual The Future Is Now: Legal Services conference, speaker Kara Hardin (an attorney and psychotherapist), asked the hundreds of attorneys in attendance, “How are you, really?”
Their responses were recorded via an anonymous poll and displayed in a word cloud. Here is what they said:

 
The mental health challenges faced by attorneys are…
Continue Reading Lawyers: How Are You, Really?

Lawyers across the country will celebrate Law Day 2023 on May 1 with celebrations and informative events beginning this week and continuing through next week.
Law Day was first recognized by President Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1958 to mark the nation’s commitment to the rule of law. Since then, every president has issued an honorary Law Day proclamation.
This Law…
Continue Reading Celebrate Law Day 2023 with These Events

Consider this: If you were paired, at random, with another American, there is a 61.1% chance that the other person will be of a different race or ethnicity.  
Is this a lot higher than you would anticipate? The reality is that the U.S. population is rapidly becoming more diverse. Do the majority of your clients or prospective clients have the…
Continue Reading Why Cultural Competency is a Must-Have Skill for Growing Law Firms 

Amid the seemingly ubiquitous discussions of “will lawyers be replaced by [insert the latest innovation],” perhaps a more important question for lawyers and the legal profession is being obscured: Why don’t more people with legal problems currently turn to lawyers as the solution?
According to a 2019 report issued by World Justice Project, 66% of the individuals surveyed in…
Continue Reading Strategies for Building a Sustainable Legal Practice