Lawyers

Three-quarters of all attorneys who passed the bar exam in February opted to work in Cook County. The Illinois Supreme Court has been examining ways to address legal deserts in small and rural counties across the state.

A series of rules changes by the state's highest court is aimed at attracting new lawyers to work in areas of the state with dire need. Nine out of 10 lawyers admitted between 2020 and 2024 work in Cook and surrounding counties.

Bloomington attorney John Kim chairs the Illinois Supreme Court Commission on Professionalism, which conducted the state's first comprehensive study on bullying in the legal profession.

The state of Illinois has suspended the law license of a Bloomington attorney for misappropriating money from insurance cases and neglecting clients.

Retired Chief Circuit Judge Beth Robb knew she wanted to be a lawyer as early as Junior High School in Macomb. It wasn't easy. She went to Illinois Wesleyan University and on to law school, then came back to Bloomington-Normal and couldn’t get a job

At one time, Bill Caisley was the youngest judge in the state of Illinois, and when he retired, he was among the longest-serving members of the judiciary.

A well-known Bloomington Attorney disciplined by a state board that oversees lawyers said his mistake was not intentional.

Stories on this topic often center on the challenges of a lack of front-facing workers — like those in retail or food service. But those industries aren't the only ones forced to reckon with a challenging hiring market: The legal profession, too, is facing its own labor challenges.

The role allows an attorney to serve as the legal representative for people with disabilities who do not have qualified and willing family and friends to manage their affairs and person.

Not everybody has a lawyer when they go to court, but a new grant from the State Supreme Court Commission on Access to Justice will help increase collaboration and resources for people who represent themselves in McLean County and around the Eleventh Judicial Circuit.