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Thursday, November 21, 2019    

Illinois SB 730 was just passed by the General Assembly and is now at the Governor’s office awaiting signature. The bill proposes a number of changes to the Illinois Governmental Ethics Act, including one that would impact units of local government. If signed, the bill would establish a set date each year (on or before February 1st) by which the chief administrative officer of a unit of local government must file with the county clerk the names of those officers and employees who must file statements of economic interest with the local government unit
Continue Reading Bill Would Modify Local Government Ethics Reporting Deadline

Before getting started on the blog entry of the week, I want to congratulate the Washington Nationals on their World Series victory where for the first time, a road team won every single game. Congratulations. I will be very curious to see whether the Washington nationals go to the White House. As everyone knows, a lot of professional sport teams are handling that different ways.

Turning to the blog entry of the week, on October 29, 2019, the Seventh Circuit decided here Shell v. Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway Company. I have previously blogged on that case here. So,
Continue Reading Shell Reversed on Appeal

Employers who collect biometric information such as fingerprints, face scans, or retina or iris scans from employees—or even customers—need to ask permission and explain why the data is being collected, or they could well face legal liability.
The Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act (BIPA), which regulates how employers must handle biometric data, received a relatively liberal interpretation from the Illinois Supreme Court, which means that state-level lawsuits have wider latitude than federal ones—but even suits dismissed at the federal level can sometimes be refiled in state court.   The law remains in flux when it comes to what, exactly, constitutes
Continue Reading Employers Need Permission to Collect Biometrics

The Illinois Supreme Court handed down one opinion on Thursday, Aug. 1. In People v. Johnson, the court held that the act of shoplifting could be prosecuted as burglary as opposed to retail theft.

People v. Johnson

By Kerry J. Bryson, Office of the State Appellate Defender

In July 2014, Darren Johnson and another man entered the Rock Falls Walmart, placing two backpacks on top of a coin counting machine in the vestibule on their way into the store. Inside, they gathered some items of clothing and then, without paying for the clothing, returned to the vestibule, retrieved the backpacks,
Continue Reading Quick Take on Illinois Supreme Court Opinion Issued Thursday, August 1

If a veteran has a service-connected disability, the VA will rate it according to the “Schedule for Rating Disabilities.” In this document, which is in the Code of Federal Regulations, the VA listed every disability or condition they could think of that might affect a veteran.  If a veteran’s disability is not listed, the VA will rate it by using a comparable disability.  The ratings range from 0% to 100% and are meant to compensate the veteran for how much the disability affects her ability to work.  The rating corresponds to how much compensation she will get each month.  For
Continue Reading VA Ratings: What are They and how do They Work?

Law aims to close legal loopholes that hide harassment concerns from public view.
In the past few weeks, Illinois Legislators have been working feverishly to advance SB1829, the Workplace Transparency Act. In an already busy legislative session filled with worker-friendly initiatives, the bill has already passed the Senate and is advancing rapidly through the House, picking up scores of sponsors along the way.

The bill would:

  • Mandate annual sexual harassment training and prescribe the content for such training.
  • Extend the IHRA’s protections against harassment to independent contractors.
  • Grant victims of sexual harassment up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave for


Continue Reading #MeToo – Focused Workplace Transparency Act Gains Momentum in Springfield

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Dorothy Crawley was a tenured teacher at Wells Preparatory Elementary School.  After receiving an anonymous tip that she had used sick days to take a Caribbean cruise, the Chicago School Board investigated and then filed charges against her alleging that, among other things, she made false representations in her employment record, violated Board policy prohibiting the use of sick days for personal time and engaged in conduct unbecoming of a school employee. The Board recommended immediate dismissal for cause.
At a hearing on the charges, Ms. Crawley first admitted that she knew about the sick leave policy but claimed
Continue Reading School’s out for Teacher Who Misused Sick Days for Vacations and a Road Trip to New York City

Revamped “Illinois Lawyer Now” to highlight member blogs, ISBA content

The ISBA is excited to announce the launch of a new blog aggregation site, the newly minted Illinois Lawyer Now. Powered by LexBlog, the site hosts original ISBA substantive legal news, as well as content from members’ legal blogs. By aggregating ISBA and members’ legal blogs, Illinois Lawyer Now will be the preeminent site for up-to-date, Illinois-specific legal content.

Do you have a legal blog?

Legal blogs are eligible for inclusion if the author of the blog is an ISBA member or the blog is associated with a firm
Continue Reading ISBA Launches Legal Blog Aggregation Site

Thanks for joining LexBlog! We’re excited to help you create great legal content. This post shares some important information to help you with your new site. It covers topics such as logging in to the platform and where to find help articles or support. We’ve also added some of our favorite blog posts as placeholder content below. They will be automatically deleted from your site when you launch.
To add posts, user accounts, or make other changes to your site, log in at your site address plus /wp-admin/. If you have not logged in to the LexBlog Platform before, you
Continue Reading Getting started with LexBlog

When planning a new blog or evaluating your current blog, measurable goals help you determine if your site is successful. The LexBlog philosophy of blogging skews away from content marketing and toward connection and reputation building. Who you connect with, be it a colleague or client, should be your desired outcome.
Your goals should be specific, measurable, realistic, and time-based.

  • Specific: Avoid fuzzy, unclear words like “Improve my online performance.”
  • Measurable: Numbers and data give you a clear metric for your goals.
  • Realistic: While your goals should motivate you, an unattainable goal can weigh you down when you don’t reach


Continue Reading Setting your site goals and measuring your success

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Imagine you’re an estate planning lawyer in Des Moines looking to grow your practice.
The marketing folks at Principal Park, home of the Triple A Des Moines Cubs, call to tell you that you’ll have free use of a luxury box for five of next year’s ball games. Better yet, they tell you they’ll arrange for the food and drink and invite a who’s who in networking for a Des Moines estate lawyer.
Twenty attendees for each game will include wealthy people in the Des Moines area who are looking for an estate planning lawyer, some
Continue Reading Listening: First step in blogging by lawyers

This is a Cover

Imagine you’re an estate planning lawyer in Des Moines looking to grow your practice.
The marketing folks at Principal Park, home of the Triple A Des Moines Cubs, call to tell you that you’ll have free use of a luxury box for five of next year’s ball games. Better yet, they tell you they’ll arrange for the food and drink and invite a who’s who in networking for a Des Moines estate lawyer.
Twenty attendees for each game will include wealthy people in the Des Moines area who are looking for an estate planning lawyer, some
Continue Reading Listening: First step in blogging by lawyers

When people ask me what they should do to get started on blogging, I rarely talk technology or even blogging. While those are important elements of blogging, they are next steps. Things you do after you decide you want to blog and have found your tribe and your voice.
Ask yourself this when you decide you want to start blogging: Who am I blogging for? If your answer is everyone, you are not going to be happy. Nor is anything you are about to read going to help you.
When you are right, you are looking for an audience. I
Continue Reading Before you blog, find your tribe

To create a successful blog, you will need to listen to your audience and online influencers. These resources will help you understand why listening is important and to find the tools that can help you.
As LexBlog’s Kevin O’Keefe explains:
“Blogging is much more than ‘message sending.’ You listen to the conversation that’s already taking place among leaders and the media covering your niche area of expertise. Only after listening can you engage in the discussion by referencing the discussion in your blog posts and commenting at other blogs.”

These links explain what listening means and why it’s an important
Continue Reading Finding listening tools

To create a successful blog, you will need to listen to your audience and online influencers. These resources will help you understand why listening is important and to find the tools that can help you.
As LexBlog’s Kevin O’Keefe explains:
“Blogging is much more than ‘message sending.’ You listen to the conversation that’s already taking place among leaders and the media covering your niche area of expertise. Only after listening can you engage in the discussion by referencing the discussion in your blog posts and commenting at other blogs.”

These links explain what listening means and why it’s an important
Continue Reading Finding listening tools