Appellate Lawyers Association of Illinois upcoming events

How Appealing: Free CLE to Become a Volunteer Attorney in the Second District Appellate Court's Pilot Mediation Program (October 08, 2026)

Thu, 08 Oct 2026 19:00:00 GMT

The Appellate Lawyers Association of Illinois (ALA), The Appellate Court of Illinois, Second District and Public Interest Law Initiative (PILI) Invite You to Attend a CLE Training:

How Appealing: Free CLE to Become a Volunteer Attorney in the Second District Appellate Court's Pilot Mediation Program

This two-hour CLE will prepare lawyers to (1) better assist their clients in appellate mediation and (2) qualify attorneys to engage with the Appellate Court of Illinois, Second District in its launch of a pilot program for appellate mediation for some self-represented litigants [SRLs]. The pilot responds to the increasing number of SRLs in the appellate court and improves access to justice by providing video-conference mediation [at no cost to the litigants] and the help of volunteer attorneys just for mediation (not for the appeal itself).

Lawyers attending the program will leave this online seminar with a deeper understanding of

How appellate mediation provides access to justice for all litigants,
Best practices for appellate advocacy in mediation,
Appellate rules and procedures that confound clients and SRLs,
The mechanics, strategies, and goals of appellate mediation, and
Much more.

Please note: Illinois attorneys, who attend this CLE and are currently licensed and have had any responsibility with at least one appeal to a court of review or mediation education and experience, will be qualified to apply to serve as pro bono counsel for the pilot appellate mediation program.

Speakers:

Justice Elizabeth Rochford, Illinois Supreme Court
Justice Margaret J. Mullen, Illinois Appellate Court
Judge Jorge Ortiz, Chair, Access to Justice Commission
Rocco J. Spagna, Chief Circuit Mediator for the 7th Circuit Court of Appeal
Jeffrey H. Kaplan, Clerk of the Illinois Appellate Court, 2d District
Kimberly Glasford, President Appellate Lawyers Association of Illinois
Abigail Causer, Public Interest Law Initiative
Laura Josephson-Bernat, Josephson Bernat Dispute Resolution
Julia R. Lissner, Akerman LLP

Questions? Email: AC2mediation@illinoiscourts.gov

MCLE: Participants will earn 2.0 hour of MCLE credit from the ALA.

Location: Online. You will receive a Zoom meeting link via email after registering for this event. (Please note that only speakers will be visible, so participants need not dress formally for this event.)

Cost: Free

How Appealing: Free CLE to Become an Appellate Mediator in the Second District Appellate Court's Pilot Mediation Program (October 15, 2026)

Thu, 15 Oct 2026 19:00:00 GMT

The Appellate Lawyers Association of Illinois (ALA), The Appellate Court of Illinois, Second District and Public Interest Law Initiative (PILI) Invite You to Attend a CLE Training:

How Appealing: Free CLE to Become an Appellate Mediator in the Second District Appellate Court's Pilot Mediation Program

This two-hour CLE will prepare lawyer/mediators to (1) facilitate appellate mediation and (2) qualify lawyer/mediators to engage with the Appellate Court of Illinois, Second District in its launch of a pilot program for appellate mediation for some self-represented litigants [SRLs]. The pilot responds to the increasing number of SRLs in the appellate court and improves access to justice by providing video-conference mediation [at no cost to the litigants] and the help of volunteer attorneys, just for mediation.

Lawyer/mediators attending the program will leave this online seminar with a deeper understanding of

The key differences between mediation in the trial and appellate courts,
Best practices for appellate mediation,
Appellate rules and procedures that affect the reward/risk analysis,
The mechanics and goals of appellate mediation, and
Much more.

Please note: Lawyer/mediators, who attend this CLE and meet other criteria will be qualified to apply to serve as a mediator for the pilot appellate mediation program. Mediators serving in the pilot will be compensated. Mediators must be either a (1) a current or retired attorney, licensed to practice law in Illinois for at least 10 years with substantial and recent experience mediating actual cases, or (2) retired judge, and be able to independently host a videoconference mediation, demonstrate completion of a recognized 40-hour mediation training. In addition, mediators for family cases must demonstrate completion of at least 10 hours of recognized training specific to family mediation.

Speakers:

Justice Elizabeth Rochford, Illinois Supreme Court
Justice Margaret J. Mullen, Illinois Appellate Court
Judge Jorge Ortiz, Chair, Access to Justice Commission
Rocco J. Spagna, Chief Circuit Mediator for the 7th Circuit Court of Appeal
Jeffrey H. Kaplan, Clerk of the Illinois Appellate Court, 2d District
Kimberly Glasford, President Appellate Lawyers Association of Illinois
Abigail Causer, Public Interest Law Initiative
Jonathan B. Amarillio, Taft Stettinius & Hollister LLP
Laura Josephson-Bernat, Josephson Bernat Dispute Resolution

Questions? Email: AC2mediation@illinoiscourts.gov
MCLE: Participants will earn 2.0 hour of MCLE credit from the ALA.

Location: Online. You will receive a Zoom meeting link via email after registering for this event. (Please note that only speakers will be visible, so participants need not dress formally for this event.)

Cost: Free

United States Supreme Court Year in Review (October 22, 2026)

Thu, 22 Oct 2026 17:00:00 GMT

The Appellate Lawyers Association of Illinois (ALA) and the DuPage County Bar Association (DCBA) Cordially Invite You to Attend an Appellate Practice Seminar:

UNITED STATES SUPREME COURT YEAR IN REVIEW:

2026 VIRTUAL LUNCHTIME APPELLATE SEMINAR

Please attend our appellate practice seminar reviewing and analyzing recent significant opinions from the United States Supreme Court. The Presenter will be ALA Past President Michael A. Scodro, a partner at Mayer Brown LLP and co-head of its Supreme Court and Appellate Practice. He formerly served as Illinois Solicitor General and as a Law Clerk for United States Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor. He is a long-time Lecturer in Law at the University of Chicago Law School, where he teaches a seminar on the United States Supreme Court. ALA President Kimberly Glasford will moderate this event.

MCLE: Participants will earn 1.0 hour of MCLE credit from the ALA.

Location: Online. You will receive a Zoom meeting link via email after registering for this event. (Please note that only speakers will be visible, so participants need not dress formally for this event.)

Cost: Free for the ALA and DCBA members; $25 for non-members.

Questions? Contact Christine Kowal at christine@applawyers.org

Third District Appellate Court Roundtable Luncheon (October 29, 2026)

Thu, 29 Oct 2026 17:00:00 GMT

The Appellate Lawyers Association (ALA) and the DuPage County Bar Association (DCBA) Cordially Invite You to Attend our:

Third District Appellate Court Roundtable Luncheon

Please join us for our annual, in-person, roundtable luncheon with the Justices of the Illinois Appellate Court, Third Judicial District. Numbers permitting, the ALA will seat at least one justice at each table.

Date: Thursday, October 29, 2026

Time: 12:00 p.m. to 1:30 p.m.

Cost: $50 for public-sector ALA and DBCA members; $60 for private-sector ALA and DCBA members; $65 for public-sector nonmembers; $75 for private-sector nonmembers. Lunch is included.

CLE Credit: Participants will earn 1.0 credit for this event. The ALA is an approved MCLE provider.

Questions? Christine Kowal at christine@applawyers.org

Cancellations/Refunds: Cancellations must be received two business days prior to the event in order to receive a full refund. No refunds will be processed after this time. Cancellations must be in writing and may be submitted to christine@applawyers.org. Additionally, payment is expected from no-shows.