ISBA President Robert Downs
IJA President James Wexstten
A joint committee of the state's top legal associations is holding open forums in Chicago and Collinsville next week for Illinois judges and lawyers on how to solve negative behavior in litigation.
"A survey of lawyers and judges conducted by the joint Committee on the Role of the Bench in Raising the Bar reveals that 95 percent of respondents had witnessed or been the target of negative behavior in the litigation process," states a flyer promoting the forums. "This behavior may have come from other lawyers, court personnel, litigants, judges, or jurors."
The committee is an offshoot of the Illinois State Bar Association, Illinois Judges Association, and Chicago Bar Association.
The first meeting will be held from 3-5 p.m. on April 20 at the Illinois State Bar Association regional office, 20 S. Clark St., Suite 900, in Chicago.
On April 21, lawyers and judges are invited to attend a meeting at the Gateway Convention Center in Collinsville from 3-5 p.m.
According to the ISBA, discussions will focus on "solutions to the problem of negative behavior in litigation and the role the bench can play in controlling such behavior. These open forums will seek solutions that will enable good lawyers to be rewarded for good behavior."
Registration is requested by calling David Anderson at the ISBA, 800-252-8908 or e-mail him at anderson@isba.org.