Natural disasters and pandemics often make us realize how fragile life can be. Recent catastrophes such as the COVID-19 pandemic, Hurricane Helene, or devastating earthquakes around the world serve to illustrate that unexpected events can happen at any time.
These events not only affect our day-to-day lives but also serve as reminders of the importance of being prepared for the future. One of the best ways to prepare is by updating your estate plan. Having a solid estate plan can give you peace of mind that your family and loved ones will be cared for, no matter what happens,
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Court Rejected Lawsuit Challenging Denial of Local Pandemic Funding
During the pandemic, a City issued the “Safer at Home
Order” which prohibited people from going out except for limited “essential
activities.” To help mitigate economic damage as a result of the Order, the
City made emergency funds available to non-essential businesses. The available
funds were limited and not all of the qualifying businesses were able to
receive funding.
A married couple who owned and operated an import and gift
store filed suit against the City after their application for the emergency
funds grant was denied. They claimed that the City denied their application because the husband had attended a
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Nursing Homes Wield Pandemic Immunity Laws To Duck Wrongful Death Suits
As the world grappled with the COVID-19 pandemic, nursing homes emerged as battlegrounds where negligence and tragedy intersected. In a heart-wrenching tale of loss and legal complexity, the story of Trever Schapers’ fight for justice highlights the challenges families face…
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Kansas City Area Returns to Pre-Pandemic Jury Verdict Trends
ABSTRACT: Yearly data released by the Greater Kansas City Jury Verdict Service shows the number of jury verdicts climbed back to pre-pandemic levels. In 2023, there was an increase in the average value of plaintiff-friendly jury verdicts even with outlier verdicts removed from the calculus. Jackson County, Missouri continues its streak of being the most plaintiff-friendly venue across the Kansas City area.
Number of Jury Trials Return to Pre-Pandemic Totals
According to the Greater Kansas City Jury Verdict Service, the total number of jury trials in the Kansas City metropolitan area has risen every year since the COVID-19 pandemic. In
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Study Finds State Court Caseloads Are Trending Toward Pre-Pandemic Levels, After COVID-19 Dip
State court caseloads are slowly increasing toward pre-pandemic levels, according to a recent analysis of 2022 data from the Court Statistics Project (CSP).
The study found that state courts managed 64.6 million incoming cases in 2022, two percent more than in 2021. In comparison, state courts managed 83.2 million cases in 2019.
While case types increased in the number of filings across the board in 2022—civil (5%), criminal (2%), domestic relations (2%), and traffic (1%)—some case types, such as traffic, remain significantly lower than pre-pandemic levels.
For example, in 2022, state courts managed 26.8 million traffic cases, compared to 39
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Civil Rights Data on Students’ Access to Educational Opportunities During the Pandemic Released by U.S. Department of Education
On November 15, 2023, the U.S. Department of Education’s (“Department”) Office for Civil Rights (“OCR”) released new civil rights data from the 2020-2021 school year, as well as seven data reports and snapshots which provide an overview of that data. OCR also launched a redesigned Civil Rights Data Collection (“CRDC”) website that includes public-use data files, reports, and snapshots, which school districts can use to review their own and other districts’ data, available here.
OCR’s CRDC, a mandatory survey of public schools, provides the federal government and the public with data about the extent to which students have
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Two ways COVID changed divorce
By Jeffery M. Leving:
The coronavirus pandemic impacted every facet of our lives. We changed how we worked. We changed how we socialized. We changed how we parented and educated our children. With all these changes, it should come as no surprise that we changed how the legal system operated, particularly when it came to family law and divorce.
Divorce is likely to be a growing issue in the coming months. According to a recent report in Kiplinger, the rates of people looking to get a divorce increased dramatically once the courts started to open back up after lockdowns and stay-at-home orders.
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Oregon Becomes Third State to Approve Alternative to the Bar Exam
Earlier this month, the Oregon Supreme Court unanimously approved an alternative to the bar exam for students hoping to practice law in the state.
Beginning in May 2024, graduates from an ABA-accredited law school can complete a Supervised Practice Portfolio Examination (SPPE) instead of the traditional bar exam. SPPE requires graduates to complete 675 hours of work under the supervision of a licensed Oregon attorney and compile a portfolio of their work, which will be evaluated by the Oregon State Board of Bar Examiners.
Oregon is the first state to implement a program like SPPE, Brian Gallini, Dean of Willamette
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EEOC Issues Its Year End Litigation Round Up and Strategic Enforcement Plan for the Next 5 Years
ABSTRACT: In its 2023 year end litigation round up and strategic enforcement plan for fiscal years 2024-28, the EEOC highlights its increased enforcement activities over the past year, and new areas of emphasis for future enforcement.
In its Year End Litigation round up for Fiscal Year 2023, the EEOC reports that systemic lawsuits, defined as “pattern or practice, policy and/or class cases where the discrimination has a broad impact on an industry, profession, company or geographic location,” have increased to 25, nearly doubling the number of filings from the previous year. The EEOC also filed 32 non-systemic class suits
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Asylum Immigration Regulation Lawsuit Reaches Appeals Court
When COVID-era Title 42 restrictions ended in May, the Biden administration announced new regulations for migrants seeking asylum at the Mexican border. This announcement led to a lawsuit filed by advocacy groups to block the implementation of the regulation. This week, the case made its way to the federal appeals court. Given the unknown of how this lawsuit will be resolved and the complexities of U.S. immigration law, it is critical for anyone seeking asylum to have the legal guidance of an Illinois immigration lawyer.
Court Case
The regulation makes the assumption that most of those migrants are
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Illinois Freedom to Work Act – Are Non-Competes On Their Way Out?
In 2022, Illinois significantly restricted the use of non-compete agreements with the passage of the Freedom to Work Act. The Act prohibits non-compete agreements for workers earning less than $75,000 per year (adjusted upwards every five years, capped at $90,000 per year beginning on January 1, 2037), prohibits non-solicitation agreements for workers earning less than $45,000 per year (again, adjusted every five years), requires certain notices to accompany non-competition and non-solicitation agreements, and restricts the use of such agreements for many COVID-related layoffs and for most construction workers and for public workers or educators covered by collective bargaining agreements.
The
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Empowering Borrowers: The First Month After the Student Loan Payments Resumed
The resumption of student loan payments has been a hot topic in recent months, as many borrowers felt the pressure of the impending restart of their financial obligations. For many, the COVID-19 pandemic brought financial uncertainty and relief in the form of temporary payment pauses. However, with the pause ending, borrowers have had to confront their student loan debt once again. This transitional period has been marked by both anxiety and hope, thanks to programs like those offered by Daniel J. Winter and StudentLoanLawChicago, and we have already helped many borrowers get back on track with their payment plans and
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Marking the Retirement of Jerry Larkin, Who Led the ARDC With Exceptional Foresight, Integrity, and ‘Irish Wit’
When Jerome “Jerry” Larkin joined the Illinois Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission (ARDC) in 1978, he had just graduated from Loyola University Chicago School of Law, spent eight years in the Catholic seminary system, and knew he wanted to dedicate his career to public service.
After just a couple of years at the ARDC—an entity charged by the Illinois Supreme Court with upholding the legal profession’s integrity in Illinois—Larkin began to realize he might have found the place where he could accomplish his mission.
“As early as year three or four, I was sitting on a curb with John O’Malley
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Professionalism Spotlight: Thomas McClure, Illinois State University
Our Professionalism Spotlight series highlights Illinois legal professionals who are demonstrating the ideals of professionalism in their daily lives.
The Professionalism Spotlight replaces our popular Lawyer Spotlight series, to recognize the inspiring work of lawyers, as well as paralegals, court clerks, legal assistants, trial court administrators, law school personnel, and other legal and court professionals across the state.
These individuals are all essential in the delivery of equitable, efficient, and effective justice in Illinois.
In our first Professionalism Spotlight, we profile Thomas McClure, a professor in Illinois State University’s Department of Politics and Government where he teaches paralegal education
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Megan Stumph-Turner Presents on Hot Topics in Real Estate Litigation
Baker Sterchi Member Megan Stumph-Turner recently presented the Quimbee CLE course, “Hot Topics in Real Estate Litigation.” This program delves into current trends in real estate litigation, such as antitrust cases, post-pandemic force majeure clause disputes and construction delay and cost-related litigation.
Stumph-Turner is located in Baker Sterchi’s Kansas City office, with a practice focused on civil litigation across various areas, including creditors’ rights, financial services, real estate, construction and commercial litigation. She has been recognized in The Best Lawyers in America for her outstanding work in real estate and commercial litigation in the Kansas City Metropolitan area. She is
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The Automobile Financing Crisis
The average cost of owning a vehicle in 2022 was $10,728, about 17.5 percent of the median income for a household of one in the state of Illinois.
Macroeconomic Environment
Inflation
The macro-economic global environment is still experiencing fallout from many governments’ economic policies in response to the coronavirus pandemic which included, stimulus packages supporting individuals and businesses with direct payments, increase unemployment benefits, and grants to businesses. Additionally, the government mandated that many businesses shut down to stop the spread of the coronavirus through social interaction. These policies caused demand to increase and supply to decrease, causing a significant
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