The civil justice system relies on many people doing their part. We, as the plaintiff’s attorney, accept and file the case. From there, someone serves the complaint. The defendant receives the complaint and, typically, sends to an insurance company or employer. This initiates a flurry of activity, including lawyers and their staff. 

Big money is everywhere. More and more, we see private equity or other well-funded individuals and entities injecting themselves into anything capable of turning a profit. With the influx of capital, there is great opportunity but also great risk of losing the things that matter most. 
 

“No one can whistle a symphony. It takes an orchestra.” 

There are few things more satisfying and beautiful than being part of a successful team. We all have various teams in our lives seeking to accomplish different goals. Whether it be our families, friends, coworkers, or other groups working towards a common pursuit, these teams thrive or suffer based on how its leaders and members work together. 
 

The whole is greater than the sum of its parts. This principle applies to each group of people in our lives, whether it be family, a law firm, or an organization like ITLA. Indeed, the honor and privilege bestowed upon me as the ITLA president this year quite literally exemplifies why we can accomplish so much more together than we can by ourselves. One person serves as president; but ITLA’s work would not be possible without the extraordinary people who devote so much of themselves to the organization and its mission.

What a year this has been!  Just under twelve months ago jury trials in our state were infrequent, and our membership was trying to cope with a second year of pandemic induced interruptions to our civil justice system.  Now, we have trials occurring and several of the COVID-19 related modifications which allow for remote depositions and court appearances seem to be permanent additions to the way we practice law.  These changes have increased the efficiency of all our practices in many respects.  Hopefully, we do not regress to the days of multiple in person court appearances for non-substantive matters out of some desire to return to “normal.”  We need to be both vigilant and vocal to ensure the continuation of these positive developments.   

The Importance of being involved

     By now all of you should have received your ISBA ballots for the 2022 annual election. You may vote for any office that falls within the geographical area of your ISBA address.

The contested offices are:
1.    Third Vice President
2.    Board of Governors – First Judicial District (Cook County)

Voting concludes April 29, 2022 at 4:30 pm.  

    The full participation of ITLA membership is of the upmost importance.  

Senate passes bipartisan bill ending forced arbitration in sexual harassment cases

In a voice vote on Thursday morning, the Senate approved the Ending Forced Arbitration of Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment Act. The bill, which was approved by the House in 335-97 vote on Monday, “would end forced arbitration in workplace sexual assault and harassment cases, allowing survivors to file lawsuits in court against perpetrators.”

FDA Endorses Stricter Asbestos Testing Following AAJ’s Recommendation

Washington, DC — The following is a statement from American Association for Justice President Navan Ward regarding FDA white paper on testing methods for asbestos in cosmetic products containing talc. In March of 2020, AAJ joined with National Women’s Health Network (NWHN), and URGE: Unite for Reproductive & Gender Equity, as well as the Environmental Working Group to petition the FDA on behalf of 24,035 Americans asking the FDA to require cosmetic companies to use the most sensitive state-of the-art methods to test for asbestos in cosmetics:

The past few months have again seen many positive developments. On October 1 we were able to hold our Back in the Saddle Seminar in St. Louis. It was our first in person seminar in nearly two years. Following the seminar, we hosted numerous judicial leaders, statewide office holders and legislative leaders for the St. Cardinals versus Chicago Cubs baseball game. The evening was a great success and provided another opportunity for our members to interact with one another and so many great friends of our association.

Challenge to Achieving Fairness in Civil Jury Selection
“This paper identifies multiple challenges that courts face to achieving fairness in the selection of juries in civil cases. Achieving representative cross-sections of the community in jury venires, and ensuring that our civil juries reflect the community as well, are essential components contributing to the fairness and legitimacy of our civil justice system. Although legal rules and practices attempt to maximize fair and representative juries, the courts encounter substantial difficulty in achieving this important goal.