Illinois

  • January 05, 2026

    Chicago Transportation Co. Underpaid Bus Drivers, Suit Says

    Former bus and charter drivers for a Chicago-based transportation company say their ex-employer owes them thousands of dollars in unpaid wages to fully compensate them for all the hours they worked transporting students to and from school, field trips and other events.

  • January 05, 2026

    Ex-Soccer Coach's Suit Over Abuse Probe Tossed For Good

    An Illinois federal judge on Monday dismissed with prejudice an amended complaint by the former head coach of Chicago's woman's soccer team who alleged the U.S. Center for SafeSport violated his due process rights while investigating him for misconduct, saying he must pursue his allegations through the center's arbitration process.

  • January 05, 2026

    Conn. AG Challenges Reynolds' Win In 'Recycling' Label Suit

    The state of Connecticut has asked a trial court judge to rethink whether Reynolds Consumer Products willfully violated state unfair trade practices laws when labeling clear plastic Hefty bags as "recycling" bags, arguing the judge held the state to a higher burden than necessary when issuing a quick win.

  • January 05, 2026

    Woman Convicted Of Murder Keeps $2.8M Bus Injury Award

    An Illinois state appellate panel has upheld a jury's $2.8 million award for a pedestrian woman who was struck by a Chicago Transit Authority bus and later convicted of murder, but said the "troubling result here" should not be considered an endorsement of her criminal conduct.

  • January 05, 2026

    Ex-CTA Worker Fights New Trial Ordered Over Jury Instruction

    A former Chicago Transit Authority employee who prevailed at trial last year on claims that he was unlawfully fired for refusing the COVID-19 vaccine on religious grounds is asking an Illinois federal judge to reconsider his decision to order a new trial, after the judge found he'd erred in instructing the jury.

  • January 02, 2026

    McDonald's Resolves Long-Running No-Poach Antitrust Case

    McDonald's has resolved yearslong antitrust litigation brought by workers over the fast-food chain's past use of no-poach provisions in its franchise agreements, according to a brief notice filed in Chicago federal court.

  • January 02, 2026

    Turkey Antitrust Judge Urges Deal Talks 'One Last Time'

    The Illinois federal judge overseeing consolidated antitrust litigation against poultry producers has urged the parties to "one last time" consider settling, citing the cost, time and resources associated with the dispute and saying they shouldn't "be stubborn about their positions."

  • January 02, 2026

    Top Property Insurance Trends To Watch In 2026

    Homeowners insurance investigations, a novel climate suit accusing oil majors of contributing to high premiums, and a California action accusing carriers of collusion are some of the top property insurance matters attorneys will be watching this year.

  • January 02, 2026

    AGs Get DOJ-HPE Docs, But Not Internal Gov't Comms

    The U.S. Department of Justice and Hewlett Packard Enterprise must produce all the communications between them discussing the settlement resolving a DOJ merger challenge, a California federal judge ruled Wednesday, giving a coalition of Democratic attorneys general an important but not unlimited peek into the controversial deal.

  • January 02, 2026

    Legal Ethics Cases To Watch In 2026

    Federal judges will continue tackling notable ethics issues in 2026, including a U.S. Justice Department battling former federal prosecutors in court and an immigration justice system in upheaval.

  • January 02, 2026

    Consumer Protection Cases And Trends To Watch In 2026

    State attorneys general will litigate more consumer protection cases in the new year, whether the suits are filed by their own offices or with the help of outside counsel, while the federal government under the Trump administration will drop pending enforcement actions and continue its shift away from broad rulemaking.

  • January 02, 2026

    Patent Litigation Trends To Watch In 2026

    Attorneys are expecting a significant increase in district court litigation after a series of dramatic changes at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office have made the Patent Trial and Appeal Board less attractive, which is one of the most significant trends for 2026.

  • January 02, 2026

    Trademark Cases To Watch In 2026

    An appeal over the use of foreign words in branding is up for consideration at the U.S. Supreme Court, and a Delaware federal judge is set to deliver his verdict following a bench trial over the "Ugliest House in America." Here are Law360's picks for the trademark cases to watch in 2026.

  • January 02, 2026

    Illinois Cases To Watch In 2026

    The Seventh Circuit will have its first opportunities in 2026 to analyze recent U.S. Supreme Court precedent narrowing federal bribery convictions as it resolves two high-profile public corruption appeals, while the Illinois Supreme Court could significantly impact state jury management when it decides whether a juror's "surrender" note signaled enough deliberation discord to warrant a retrial. 

  • January 02, 2026

    Trade Secret Trends To Watch In 2026

    The landscape of trade secret law could see significant developments in 2026 as courts address the aftermath of astronomical jury awards and navigate jurisdictional tensions surrounding the timing and specifics of trade secret disclosures in litigation.

  • January 02, 2026

    Personal Injury, Medical Malpractice Cases To Watch In 2026

    Multidistrict litigation against the biggest tech companies over purported social media addiction and a U.S. Supreme Court case regarding state medical malpractice lawsuit requirements are among those that injury and malpractice attorneys will be following closely in 2026.

  • January 02, 2026

    The Top General Liability Cases To Watch In 2026

    State courts across the country will evaluate general liability policy language in the new year as the Illinois Supreme Court tackles whether certain regulatory permits serve as an exception to a pollution exclusion and a Delaware trial court considers possible coverage of talc claims. Here, Law360 looks at the top cases to watch in 2026.

  • January 01, 2026

    4 High Court Cases To Watch This Spring

    The U.S. Supreme Court justices will return from the winter holidays to tackle several constitutional disputes that range from who is entitled to birthright citizenship to whether transgender individuals are entitled to heightened levels of protection from discrimination. 

  • January 01, 2026

    Blue Slip Fight Looms Over Trump's 2026 Judicial Outlook

    In 2025, President Donald Trump put 20 district and six circuit judges on the federal bench. In the year ahead, a fight over home state senators' ability to block district court picks could make it more difficult for him to match that record.

  • January 01, 2026

    BigLaw Leaders Tackle Growth, AI, Remote Work In New Year

    Rapid business growth, cultural changes caused by remote work and generative AI are creating challenges and opportunities for law firm leaders going into the New Year. Here, seven top firm leaders share what’s running through their minds as they lie awake at night.

  • December 23, 2025

    Top Illinois Decisions Of 2025

    State and federal courts have handed down rulings in Illinois cases this year that made clear plaintiffs must allege concrete injury for common law standing, narrowed the scope of the federal anti-kickback statute and laid out a new standard for certifying collective actions.

  • December 23, 2025

    OCC Wants To Preempt State Mortgage Escrow Interest Laws

    The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency has unveiled a pair of proposals aiming to, among other things, preempt state laws requiring banks it regulates to make interest payments for escrow accounts connected to certain types of residential mortgage loans, calling it a "critical tool for reducing unnecessary burden."

  • December 23, 2025

    Chicago Firm Taps Ex-Prosecutor For White Collar Practice

    Chicago law firm Goldberg Kohn has tapped a former federal prosecutor to not only lead and build a new white collar practice but also assist its commercial litigation and whistleblower-focused false claims groups.

  • December 23, 2025

    Chicago Mayor Allows $16.6B Budget Without Head Tax

    Chicago's mayor said Tuesday that he will neither sign nor veto the City Council's $16.6 billion budget, which does not contain the $33-per-employee monthly tax on larger employers he sought, meaning it will take effect without his signature.

  • December 23, 2025

    20 Years Later: How A Pink House Reshaped Takings Law

    The U.S. Supreme Court's 2005 holding in the controversial eminent domain case Kelo v. New London remains intact despite multiple challenges to urban development projects, but its unpopularity has spurred most states to spend the past 20 years reshaping their land-taking laws.

Expert Analysis

  • A Simple Way Courts Can Help Attys Avoid AI Hallucinations

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    As attorneys increasingly rely on generative artificial intelligence for legal research, courts should consider expanding online quality control programs to flag potential hallucinations — permitting counsel to correct mistakes and sparing judges the burden of imposing sanctions, say attorneys at Lankler Siffert & Wohl and Connors.

  • Surveying The Changing Overdraft Fee Landscape

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    Despite recent federal moves that undermine consumer overdraft fee protections, last year’s increase in fee charges suggests banks will face continued scrutiny via litigation and state regulation, says Amanda Kurzendoerfer at Bates White.

  • The Evolving Legal Landscape For THC-Infused Beverages

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    A recent Eighth Circuit ruling, holding that states may restrict the sale of intoxicating hemp-derived products without violating federal law, combined with ongoing regulatory uncertainty at both the federal and state levels, could alter the trajectory of the THC-infused beverage market, say attorneys at Pashman Stein.

  • Series

    Creating Botanical Art Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Pressing and framing plants that I grow has shown me that pursuing an endeavor that brings you joy can lead to surprising benefits for a legal career, including mental clarity, perspective and even a bit of humility, says Douglas Selph at Morris Manning.

  • Supreme Court's Criminal Law Decisions: The Term In Review

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    Though the U.S. Supreme Court’s criminal law decisions in its recently concluded term proved underwhelming by many measures, their opinions revealed trends in how the justices approach criminal cases and offered reminders for practitioners, says Kenneth Notter at MoloLamken.

  • Opinion

    The Legal Education Status Quo Is No Longer Tenable

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    As underscored by the fallout from California’s February bar exam, legal education and licensure are tethered to outdated systems, and the industry must implement several key reforms to remain relevant and responsive to 21st century legal needs, says Matthew Nehmer at The Colleges of Law.

  • Previewing State Efforts To Regulate Mental Health Chatbots

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    New York, Nevada and Utah have all recently enacted laws regulating the use of artificial intelligence to deliver mental health services, offering early insights into how other states may regulate this area, say attorneys at Goodwin.

  • E-Discovery Quarterly: Rulings On Relevance Redactions

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    In recent cases addressing redactions that parties sought to apply based on the relevance of information — as opposed to considerations of privilege — courts have generally limited a party’s ability to withhold nonresponsive or irrelevant material, providing a few lessons for discovery strategy, say attorneys at Sidley.

  • Opinion

    Section 1983 Has Promise After End Of Nationwide Injunctions

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    After the U.S. Supreme Court recently struck down the practice of nationwide injunctions in Trump v. Casa, Section 1983 civil rights suits can provide a better pathway to hold the government accountable — but this will require reforms to qualified immunity, says Marc Levin at the Council on Criminal Justice.

  • Series

    Playing Soccer Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Soccer has become a key contributor to how I approach my work, and the lessons I’ve learned on the pitch about leadership, adaptability, resilience and communication make me better at what I do every day in my legal career, says Whitney O’Byrne at MoFo.

  • Series

    Law School's Missed Lessons: Learning From Failure

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    While law school often focuses on the importance of precision, correctness and perfection, mistakes are inevitable in real-world practice — but failure is not the opposite of progress, and real talent comes from the ability to recover, rethink and reshape, says Brooke Pauley at Tucker Ellis.

  • Midyear Rewind: How Courts Are Reshaping VPPA Standards

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    The first half of 2025 saw a series of cases interpreting the Video Privacy Protection Act as applied to website tracking technologies, including three appellate rulings deepening circuit splits on what qualifies as personally identifiable information and who qualifies as a consumer under the statute, say attorneys at Perkins Coie.

  • Trans Bias Suits Will Persist Despite EEOC's Shifting Priorities

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    In U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission v. Sis-Bro, an Illinois federal court let a transgender worker intervene in a bias suit that the EEOC moved to dismiss, signaling that the agency's pending gender identity-related actions will carry on even as its priorities shift to align with the new administration, say attorneys at Venable.

  • Series

    Adapting To Private Practice: From ATF Director To BigLaw

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    As a two-time boomerang partner, returning to BigLaw after stints as a U.S. attorney and the director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, people ask me how I know when to move on, but there’s no single answer — just clearly set your priorities, says Steven Dettelbach at BakerHostetler.

  • 4 In-Flux Employment Law Issues Banks Should Note

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    Attorneys at Ogletree provide a midyear update on employment law changes that could significantly affect banks and other financial service institutions — including federal diversity equity and inclusion updates, and new and developing state and local artificial intelligence laws.

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