CBA Record January-February 2020

SUMMARY JUDGMENTS

REVIEWS, REVIEWS, REVIEWS!

Degrees of Difficulty

Reserve Your Seat for the Spring Symphony Orchestra & Chorus Concert Tickets are now on sale for “Bohe- mian Rhapsody” on Wednesday, March 11, 2020, at 7:30 p.m., at St. James Episcopal Cathe- dral (Wabash and Huron). The CBA’s Symphony Orchestra and Chorus will perform works from Chopin, Smetana, Dvorak, Brahms, Schubert and more. Order tickets at https://cbasorhapsody.bbt.me. New CLE! A Mix of Hot Topics and Best Practices for Illinois Litigators in 2020 Thursday, February 20, 2020 | 12:00-3:00 p.m. The Chicago Bar Association or LiveWebcast at www.chicagobar.org 2.75 IL MCLE Credit

D egrees of Difficulty is the first fiction book of writer Julie Justicz, and it does not disappoint. The writing is fluid and quickly draws readers in. The story moves along at a good pace through- out. The characters are real and robust. The details Ms. Justicz uses are those very details that spark recognition of the characters, allowing readers to fit characters into their own world and personalize them as if they could be neighbors. At its core, this story is about family. It follows a family in which one of the three children, Ben, has profoundly high needs, as he lacks the skills of most children, including speech and full mobility. Much of the book’s exploration focuses on the day-to-day realities of living with a family member with profound needs. Each family member relates to Ben in a unique way. The author’s examination of this sheds light on how and why some people need to protect themselves from the needs of others, how the realities of our private existences shape our ability to perform or pursue our dreams and desires, and even our choices of those very dreams. The book is also a tale of how the stress and lack of resources and support for families with special needs children can be profoundly destructive. But, through all of the unique circumstances of this particular family, each of its members are whole people who are, frankly, likeable and who have lives that continue on regardless. The book is a fast read and is easy to get lost in, but be forewarned you may want to have some tissues handy.

Degrees of Difficulty By Julie E. Justicz Fromite, 2019 Reviewed by Clare McMahon, Editorial Board Member

Join us for a timely mix of hot topics and best practices for Illinois litigators. A networking reception will follow the seminar - bring your business cards!

Topics: Expert Witnesses

Commercial Cannabis Litigation Issues in Illinois Strategies for Approaching Commercial Litigation Clients from In-House Viewpoint Speakers: Rachel Morse, Jenner & Block LLP Henry Thomas, Jenner & Block LLP MeganWebster, Mayer Brown LLP Andrew Vail, Jenner & Block LLP (moderator) More speakers to be announced.

Clare McMahon, a member of theCBARecordEditorial Board, is a sole practitioner whose practice consists largely of family law matters.

Learn more/register at www.chicagobar.org/cle or call 312-554-2056.

CBA RECORD 39