Illinois

  • December 09, 2025

    Feds Only Proved 'Messy' Friendship, Not Bribery, Jury Hears

    A former suburban police chief urged Illinois jurors Tuesday to clear him of bribery and obstruction charges over $10,000 in cash he allegedly accepted, split and later tried to cover as a $7,000 loan, saying the "absolute inconsistencies" in witness testimony prove prosecutors are reaching for a conviction.

  • December 09, 2025

    7th Circ. Denies Tax Evader's New Trial Over Disciplined Atty

    A man convicted of tax fraud will not get a new trial based on his lawyer's removal from the Seventh Circuit Bar two months after his conviction in an unrelated case, the appellate court ruled Tuesday, saying the discipline must relate to his own defense.

  • December 09, 2025

    PE-Backed Medical Supplies Giant Medline Eyes $5B IPO

    Private equity-backed medical supplies behemoth Medline has outlined terms for its long-awaited initial public offering, telling U.S. regulators that it plans to raise about $5 billion in what would mark the largest IPO of 2025.

  • December 09, 2025

    McDonald's Narrows Fired Worker's Sex Harassment Suit

    An ex-McDonald's worker failed to show she was fired for complaining that a co-worker sexually harassed her, an Illinois federal judge ruled, cutting claims from a proposed class action that the fast food giant often retaliated against workers who reported on-the-job sexual harassment.

  • December 08, 2025

    Trump's 'Unlawful' Freeze Of Wind Projects Gets Blocked

    A Massachusetts federal judge Monday blocked President Donald Trump's executive order indefinitely pausing permits for wind farm projects, ruling that the order was arbitrary and capricious and contrary to the law.

  • December 08, 2025

    Ford Urges 9th Circ. To Decertify 'Death Wobble' Classes

    An attorney told a Ninth Circuit panel Monday it should decertify all the subclasses of buyers alleging some of Ford's pickup trucks suffered a steering defect known as the "death wobble," saying the district court didn't properly consider whether the models in question are largely used for business purposes.

  • December 08, 2025

    7th Circ. Mulls Vagueness Of Ill. DOC's Use-Of-Force Rule

    A Seventh Circuit judge said Monday that it wasn't the court's job to determine if three fired prison guards violated their employer's use-of-force rule during their violent encounter with a prisoner, and that the court's review was limited to whether the Illinois Department of Corrections imposed an unconstitutionally vague policy.

  • December 08, 2025

    1st Circ. Keeps Planned Parenthood Funding Ban In Place

    The First Circuit on Monday issued an administrative stay that temporarily keeps in place a ban on Medicaid funding for Planned Parenthood, pausing a lower court's ruling.

  • December 08, 2025

    7th Circ. Questions Popcorn Shop Director's Retaliation Proof

    A Seventh Circuit panel appeared doubtful Monday that a former assistant research and development director for Chicago's iconic Garrett Popcorn Shops had enough direct evidence to try to convince a jury that lodging several federal food safety complaints led to her termination.

  • December 08, 2025

    Amazon, UL Say Chinese Cos. Lied About E-Bike Safety Tests

    Amazon and product safety organization UL are accusing a number of Chinese firms of falsely promoting their electric scooters and e-bikes as certified by UL despite never actually having their products tested by the 131-year-old safety group.

  • December 08, 2025

    EPA Asks Judge To Let Solar Energy Funding Cuts Stand

    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency told a Washington federal district court that its decision to freeze funding for a low-income solar energy program should stand while states pursue a lawsuit to free up the money.

  • December 08, 2025

    Catching Up With Delaware's Chancery Court

    The Delaware Chancery Court delivered a busy first week of December, featuring commercial disputes, post-closing merger and acquisition battles and renewed scrutiny of fiduciary conduct ranging from oil and gas investments to healthcare acquisitions. 

  • December 08, 2025

    Justices Won't Review Bankruptcy Court's Scope In Tax Case

    The U.S. Supreme Court announced Monday that it will not take up an Indiana couple's bid for a bankruptcy court to review the legality of a tax debt, maintaining an appellate split on the power of bankruptcy courts to address tax claims.

  • December 05, 2025

    Real Estate Recap: Energy-Dependent Deals

    Catch up on this past week's key developments by state from Law360 Real Estate Authority — including how energy scarcity is affecting data center deals.

  • December 05, 2025

    7th Circ. Won't Revive Ex-Tenant's Palestinian Flag Bias Suit

    The Seventh Circuit has backed the dismissal of a Palestinian American's Fair Housing Act lawsuit that accused an apartment building's owner and operator of wrongfully evicting her after she refused to remove a Palestinian flag outside her apartment window.

  • December 05, 2025

    9th Circ. Won't Unfreeze Trump Cuts To Student Mental Health

    The Ninth Circuit rejected the Trump administration's effort to undo a lower court's pause on federal funding reductions to K-12 mental health services, siding with a coalition of 16 states seeking to preserve programs established in the wake of high-profile school shootings.

  • December 05, 2025

    7th Circ. Backs Distribution Of $2.5M In Fraud Funds

    The Seventh Circuit on Thursday rejected a real estate banking business's argument it should have been prioritized over other investors for proceeds from the liquidation of assets related to an alleged $135 million Ponzi scheme, and affirmed a lower court's finding it would have learned of those other investors' interests on two Chicago properties with a more diligent inquiry.

  • December 05, 2025

    Manufactured Housing Cos. Ditch Price-Fixing Claims

    An Illinois federal judge has tossed a proposed price-fixing class action against multiple manufactured housing companies and a data company, ruling the proposed class failed to show the businesses conspired to jack up rent prices.

  • December 05, 2025

    Energy Dept. Defends $7.5B Grant Cuts In Political Bias Case

    The U.S. Department of Energy has urged a federal judge in Washington not to block its termination of energy project grants worth more than $7.5 billion, arguing there is no merit to claims alleging the federal government unconstitutionally targeted funds for Democratic-leaning states.

  • December 05, 2025

    Biz Didn't Own Patent, Judge Rules, Sinking Suit Against Bank

    A Texas federal judge has ruled that a patent-holding company did not actually own a patent it was asserting against a Canadian bank since the agreement transferring the patent rights to it was void as a matter of law, dismissing the company's allegations of infringement.

  • December 05, 2025

    NYT, Chicago Tribune Sue Perplexity Over 'Verbatim' Outputs

    Adding to the heap of pending federal court cases launched by publishers against artificial intelligence companies, The New York Times and Chicago Tribune sued Perplexity AI in New York, claiming its search engine illegally scrapes content from their websites and spits out portions verbatim.

  • December 05, 2025

    High Court To Review Trump's Birthright Order

    The U.S. Supreme Court agreed Friday to review the constitutionality of President Donald Trump's executive order aimed at limiting birthright citizenship, after lower courts unanimously found the order to contradict the U.S. Constitution and federal law.

  • December 04, 2025

    Ill. Atty Faces Disbarment For Taking $300K In Client Funds

    A hearing panel for Illinois' attorney watchdog has recommended that a Chicago lawyer be disbarred for allegedly taking nearly $300,000 in client money that didn't belong to him and for separately using tactics in litigation that were aimed solely at embarrassing opposing counsel.

  • December 04, 2025

    Protesters' Use-Of-Force Suit Stays Open To Field Objections

    A lawsuit accusing immigration officials of using excessive force against Chicago press and peaceful protesters should briefly stay alive for potential class member objections, but the government's position that dismissal would prevent the class from filing similar future claims is seemingly "not correct on the law," a federal judge said Thursday.

  • December 04, 2025

    Pot Co. Says Ill. Agency's Tech Glitch Led To Loan Denial

    A Chicago-area cannabis cultivator claims it lost out on millions of dollars in loan forgiveness due to a glitch in an Illinois-run website and a state agency's arbitrary decision prohibiting the grower an opportunity to refile, according to a lawsuit filed in Cook County court.

Expert Analysis

  • Series

    My Opera And Baseball Careers Make Me A Better Lawyer

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    Though participating in opera and the world of professional baseball often pulls me away from the office, my avocations improve my legal career by helping me perform under scrutiny, prioritize team success, and maintain joy and perspective at work, says Adam Unger at Herrick Feinstein.

  • 8 Ways Lawyers Can Protect The Rule Of Law In Their Work

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    Whether they are concerned with judicial independence, regulatory predictability or client confidence, lawyers can take specific meaningful actions on their own when traditional structures are too slow or too compromised to respond, says Angeli Patel at the Berkeley Center of Law and Business.

  • 3 Cautionary Tales For Cos. Using Facial Recognition Tech

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    Whether a business intends to develop its own facial recognition applications or contract with another company to use such services, three recent case studies should be kept in mind to help lower the risk of litigation or regulatory enforcement, says Adam Nyenhuis at Hilgers Graben.

  • Series

    Law School's Missed Lessons: Communicating With Clients

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    Law school curricula often overlook client communication procedures, and those who actively teach this crucial facet of the practice can create exceptional client satisfaction and success, says Patrick Hanson at Wiggam Law.

  • How State AG Consumer Finance Enforcement Is Expanding

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    As the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau becomes less active, state attorneys general are increasingly shaping the enforcement landscape for consumer financial services — and several areas of focus have recently emerged, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.

  • What Businesses Need To Know To Avoid VPPA Class Actions

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    Divergent rulings by the Second, Sixth and Seventh Circuits about the scope of the Video Privacy Protection Act have highlighted the difficulty of applying a statute conceived to regulate the now-obsolete brick-and-mortar video store sector in today's internet economy, say attorneys at DTO Law.

  • Series

    Adapting To Private Practice: From US Rep. To Boutique Firm

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    My transition from serving as a member of Congress to becoming a partner at a boutique firm has been remarkably smooth, in part because I never stopped exercising my legal muscles, maintained relationships with my former colleagues and set the right tone at the outset, says Mondaire Jones at Friedman Kaplan.

  • Opinion

    Senate's 41% Litigation Finance Tax Would Hurt Legal System

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    The Senate’s latest version of the Big Beautiful Bill Act would impose a 41% tax on the litigation finance industry, but the tax is totally disconnected from the concerns it purports to address, and it would set the country back to a time when small plaintiffs had little recourse against big defendants, says Anthony Sebok at Cardozo School of Law.

  • Series

    Performing As A Clown Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    To say that being a clown in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade has changed my legal career would truly be an understatement — by creating an opening to converse on a unique topic, it has allowed me to connect with clients, counsel and even judges on a deeper level, says Charles Tatelbaum at Tripp Scott.

  • Focusing On Fluoride: From FDA To Class Action

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    A class action filed two days after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced plans to remove ingestible fluoride prescription drug products for children from the market may be the tip of the iceberg in terms of the connection between government pronouncements on safety and their immediate use as evidence in lawsuits, says Rachel Turow at Skadden.

  • Series

    Law School's Missed Lessons: Rejecting Biz Dev Myths

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    Law schools don’t spend sufficient time dispelling certain myths that prevent young lawyers from exploring new business opportunities, but by dismissing these misguided beliefs, even an introverted first-year associate with a small network of contacts can find long-term success, says Ronald Levine at Herrick Feinstein.

  • DOJ Has Deep Toolbox For Corporate Immigration Violations

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    With the U.S. Department of Justice now offering rewards to whistleblowers who report businesses that employ unauthorized workers, companies should understand the immigration enforcement landscape and how they can reduce their risk, say attorneys at McDermott.

  • Trade In Limbo: The Legal Storm Reshaping Trump's Tariffs

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    In the final days of May, decisions in two significant court actions upended the tariff and trade landscape, so until the U.S. Supreme Court rules, businesses and supply chains should expect tariffs to remain in place, and for the Trump administration to continue pursuing and enforcing all available trade policies, say attorneys at Ice Miller.

  • Move Beyond Surface-Level Edits To Master Legal Writing

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    Recent instances in which attorneys filed briefs containing artificial intelligence hallucinations offer a stark reminder that effective revision isn’t just about superficial details like grammar — it requires attorneys to critically engage with their writing and analyze their rhetorical choices, says Ivy Grey at WordRake.

  • 3 Rulings May Reveal Next Frontier Of Gov't Contract Cases

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    Several U.S. Supreme Court decisions over the past year — involving wire fraud, gratuities and obstruction — offer wide-ranging and arguably conflicting takeaways for government contractors that are especially relevant given the Trump administration’s focus on diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, say attorneys at Rogers Joseph.

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