CBA Record May-June 2026

EDITORIAL BOARD EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Nikki Marcotte Laurie & Brennan, LLP ASSOCIATE EDITOR Anne Ellis 2E Services, LLC SUMMARY JUDGMENTS EDITOR Daniel A. Cotter Aronberg Goldgehn YLS JOURNAL EDITORS J. Kopczyk Attorney at Law CBA RECORD

EDITOR’S BRIEFCASE

BY NIKKI MARCOTTE, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

A Bar Year to Be Proud Of

I t’s hard to believe that the end of the bar year is almost here. I swear just yesterday it was July 2025, and then I blinked, and a whole year has passed by. But what a historic one it has been for our association and for our publication. The CBA, under President Judge Pat ton’s stewardship, comprehensively tackled complex issues addressing the lightning-fast development of AI and its widespread use (and misuse) in the legal profession. To that end, the CBA has implemented 10 new AI related committees covering a range of con centrations and practice areas. Very recently we also hosted a groundbreaking three-day

Katherine Hanson First District Appellate Court

Daniel J. Berkowitz Cruser, Mitchell, Novitz, Sanchez, Gaston & Zimet LLP Jacob B. Berger Tabet DiVito & Rothstein LLC Amy Cook Chicago Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Anthony F. Fata Kirby McInerney LLP Clifford Gately Quarles & Brady Meredith A. Geller Northwestern Pritzker School of Law Judge Jasmine Villaflor Hernandez Circuit Court of Cook County Kaitlin King Hart David Carson LLP Theodore Kontopoulos Internal Revenue Service Kathryn C. Liss DePaul University College of Law Marissa Longoria Circuit Court of Cook County’s Clerk’s Office Clare McMahon Reed, Centracchio & Associates, LLC Pamela Sakowicz Menaker

symposium geared toward training legal professionals at all levels on the fundamen tals of AI and its ethical use to streamline and innovate legal practice. It is clear that our association has emerged as a leader on the AI front and will continue to be a key resource on this subject moving forward. On the publication front, the Record undertook a major change when I became its Editor-in-Chief. I admit I was nervous stepping into this role at first—I fully recognized I had some big shoes to fill after Justice Michael B. Hyman’s 40-year tenure at the helm came to an end. But those nerves have long faded, and I feel nothing but immense pride and endless gratitude for all our Editorial Board and staff have accomplished this year considering that transition. Our pro bono issue, “Justice Can’t Wait,” became a fearless rallying cry to our legal community, encouraging our readers to find ways to step up and make real, lasting change at a time where political forces seek to dismantle nonprofit organizations that serve marginalized and disadvantaged communities. Part one of our AI-themed undertaking, “AI & the Law,” was the first of its kind, fea turing thoughtful articles about the dangers unchecked use of AI can pose to the legal profession, clients, and the environment. In conjunction with Judge Patton’s bar year theme, AI 2035: The Legal Profession and the Judiciary in the Age of Artificial Intelligence , that issue also featured articles advocating for necessary guardrails, evolving ethical considerations, and best practices in using AI for legal writing and research. This year’s YLS issue, “Fundamentals,” was one of the best and most unique yet, exploring atypical lessons in and legal battles related to some lesser-known fundamental rights. It was truly a fresh, innovative analysis that challenged our readers to expand their thinking on how fundamental rights do and should function. It did this by addressing important topics such as the need for equal access to the justice system and counsel, the case for access to economic education and support systems across generations, and the right for certain public sector workers to strike or even quit without fear of penalty. This leads us to our final issue of the bar year: part two of our AI theme. In this issue,

Clifford Law Offices Kathleen Dillon Narko Northwestern Pritzker School of Law Alexander Passo Latimer LeVay Fyock LLC Trisha M. Rich Holland & Knight LLP Adam J. Sheppard Sheppard Law Firm, PC Richard Lee Stavins Buchalter Kevin A. Thompson Levin Ginsburg Rosemary Simota Thompson

Judge E. Kenneth Wright, Jr. Circuit Court of Cook County

THE CHICAGO BAR ASSOCIATION Sharon Nolan Director of Marketing

4 May/June 2026