From: BCRNews

The 13th Judicial Circuit Courts, which consist of LaSalle, Bureau and Grundy counties, will resume resume operations (whether in person or remotely) beginning on June 1, subject to the mandatory and recommended provisions of Illinois Supreme Court Order M.R. 30370 entered on May 20, 2020, and the Supreme Court Guidelines for Resuming Illinois Judicial Branch Operations during the COVID-19 pandemic and subject to the individual judge’s management discretion within the parameters of the order and guidelines in individual cases and calls.

From: Cook County Chief Judge Evans

Discussions continue on the upcoming phases of operation in the Circuit Court of Cook County. The court is currently operating on its modified schedule through May 31. The court continues to monitor the pandemic and is mindful that the pandemic is not expected to peak until mid-June.

On Thursday, Chief Judge Timothy C. Evans will enter an order that essentially extends his current order to July 6 or until further order of court, meaning the date could be earlier than July 6. On June 1, emergency matters will continue to be heard in civil and criminal cases. Since the modified court operations began on March 17, judges have heard more than 111,000 criminal matters either in person or via videoconference. The number of hearings in civil cases is still being compiled.

Chief Judge Evans considered entering an order to resume more court proceedings on June 15. But he decided to extend the date to July 6 to allow enough time for all justice system stakeholders to ensure that more proceedings will be conducted in a way that protects everybody. These conditions have not been finalized, but they will be consistent with best practices involving face coverings, physical distancing, room capacity limits and flexibility for those who cannot attend court due to illness or exposure to illness.

Chief Judge Evans is asking judges to review pending cases with attorneys via telephone or videoconference to determine when cases can be scheduled on or after July 6.

In addition, the court is seeking additional Zoom licenses, so that more proceedings may be conducted via videoconference and livestreamed via the court’s YouTube channel. The court currently has 50 Zoom licenses and is awaiting the result of contractual negotiations between the county and Zoom to secure 350 more Zoom licenses.

The court will continue to monitor the pandemic and make additional announcements as needed.

From: U.S. District Court-Northern District of Illinois

Chief Judge Rebecca Pallmeyer releases May 25, 2020 Video Message to the Bar, advising she has appointed a task force to plan for the safe resumption of operations at the courthouse.

https://www.ilnd.uscourts.gov/Pages.aspx?page=covidvideo

From: William Pokorny of Franczek

City Council approved an amendment to the Chicago Fair Workweek Ordinance to temporarily protect employers from lawsuits.  Although the substantive requirements of the Ordinance will still go into effect on July 1, 2020 as scheduled and may still be enforced by the City, individual employees will not be allowed to file lawsuits for violations of the ordinance occurring before January 1, 2021.  For safety-net hospitals, the ordinance will still go into effect on January 1, 2021 as originally scheduled.

Separately, the City’s Department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection (“BACP”) issued a final rule clarifying certain requirements under the Ordinance to assist businesses in moving forward with updating their scheduling practices. As we previously reported, the Ordinance applies only to certain “Covered Employers,” that employ the requisite number of employees and those primarily engaged in one of the following industries: business services, healthcare, hotel, manufacturing, restaurant, retail, and warehouse services. Key provisions of the final rule are summarized below. 

From: One Legal Blog

Paralegals should be many things: organized, efficient, ethical, hard-working, meticulous, and methodical. Being methodical means forming a routine and sticking to it, even as deadlines loom and stress ensures. Here are some of the qualities that define a methodical paralegal and why methodical should be your new MO.

From: Illinois Supreme Court

The Illinois Supreme Court today issued an order and operational guidelines to help courts statewide resume in-person operations and establish procedures for remote hearings. Since midMarch, the state’s courts have been operating under precautionary measures to minimize the spread of COVID-19 while continuing to conduct emergency and essential matters.

This order is effective June 1 and modifies the Court’s March 17, 2020 order so that each circuit may return to hearing all court matters either in-person or remotely according to a schedule adopted for each county by the chief circuit judge. Remote hearings, which have proven to be successful nationwide, will play a large role in reducing the numbers of people appearing at courthouses and ensuring the safety of court users, staff and judicial officers. 

From: Udemy

Paralegal Power Breaks are ideal for entry level to seasoned paralegals. These short information packed sessions provide a convenient and useful method for paralegals to learn new concepts, improve on various legal processes, and interact with other paralegals in different locations. They are provided in order to assist with paralegal career development. The sessions are short, concise, and packed with useful information and resources that can be immediately put to use.

From: Cook County Record

Pritzker has asked the Illinois Supreme Court to issue an order effectively ending legal challenges to his authority to order Illinois residents to limit gatherings, close businesses, and stay home.

Administrative Orders were entered on May 5, 2020 for Will County and Lake County and copies are available in our member Resource Center in the COVID-19 Resources folder.

Will County has extended its protocols and procedures set forth in prior Administrative Orders until May 29th.

Lake County is rescheduling dates to after May 29th, which notices will be generated by the clerk. Branch courts (Mundelin, Park City, and Round Lake Beach) will remain closed until July 6th.

Please view the court orders for more information.

From: Chicago Tribune

Ida B. Wells, the investigative journalist, civil rights crusader and legendary Chicagoan, received a Pulitzer Prize citation as part of this year’s annual awards.

The honor, announced Monday by the board of the Pulitzer Prizes, is a testament to Wells’ long-standing work and contributions to the country, said Michelle Duster, the great-granddaughter of Wells.

“The only thing she really had was the truth,” Duster said Monday, noting that Wells’ life was not easy and admirers should not minimize what she overcame. “And she used journalism as a tool to not just report what was going on, but she used her skill as a journalist, to the best of her ability, to impact social change.”

#ChicagoProud