CBA Record

PRESIDENT’S PAGE BY DANIEL M. KOTIN

The Chicago Bar Association www.chicagobar.org OFFICERS President Daniel M. Kotin Tomasik Kotin Kasserman, LLC First Vice President Hon. Thomas R. Mulroy Circuit Court of Cook County Second Vice President Steven M. Elrod Holland & Knight LLP Secretary Jesse H. Ruiz Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP Treasurer Executive Director Terrence M. Murphy Assistant Executive Director Elizabeth A. McMeen BOARD OF MANAGERS Ashly I. Boesche Alan R. Borlack Hon. Maureen E. Connors Mary K. Curry Hon. Thomas M. Durkin Hon. Timothy C. Evans Hon. Shelvin Louise Marie Hall Robert F. Harris Patricia Brown Holmes Maurice Grant Grant Law LLC

Adapting for the Future While Maintaining Our Traditions

supporting evidence over the internet. Like- wise, defendants answer claims and provide conflicting evidence on-line. Ultimately, a judge or magistrate decides the case based upon these submissions and distributes his or her judgment electronically. There is no face-to-face interaction between the parties, nor the judge. Although our American right to a trial by jury as well as due process protections may make this English method impossible in the United States, we must accept the fact that our legal system 10 years from now will look vastly different than it does today. With that I mind, we now must do what we can to stay in front of these changes and be prepared for them when they occur. In our ongoing efforts to improve access to justice in our community, we continue to support the expansion of innovations in our small claims courts. Too often, Cook County residents cannot afford to participate in our legal system because court appearances require litigants to miss work, lose pay, and potentially lose their jobs. Judge Ken Wright, Presiding Judge of the First Municipal District, has implemented a “Flex Call,” which affords citizens the opportunity to come to court before work in the morning or after work in the evenings and thereby participate in the justice system without compromising their livelihoods. In a similar vein, we are exploring and promoting the concept of opening a branch courthouse in a big-box store in an underprivileged Chicago neighborhood. After all, if citizens can have their eyes examined and purchase glasses at Costco, why shouldn’t they be able to adjudicate a legal dispute with their landlord at the same location?

T echnology is advancing at an unprec- edented rate. Even though the legal system has been behind the curve in adapting to technology, our profession is now embracing this new reality, and we must be prepared for more advances that emerge virtually every month. Twenty-five years ago, most written legal communication was conducted via U.S. Mail. Then, fax machines became the norm. Now, more than anything, our legal communication is done via e-mail. Twenty-five years ago, legal research was performed using law books in libraries. Now, all research is on-line, and traditional law libraries have virtually ceased to exist. Twenty-five years ago, court filings were all paper documents that were stamped by court clerks, copied, and mailed to other parties. Now, e-filing is required in many jurisdictions. Despite what feels like a seismic shift in our legal landscape, the reality is that these changes are just the tip-of-the-iceberg, and many more dramatic changes are on the horizon. For example, in England, small civil claims are already being adjudicated entirely on-line. Plaintiffs submit their claims and

Matthew T. Jenkins Michele M. Jochner Kathryn Carso Liss Pamela S. Menaker Paul J. Ochmanek Jr. Eileen M. O’Connor Nigel F. Telman Frank G. Tuzzolino

Andrew W. Vail Allison L. Wood

8 SEPTEMBER 2016