​MCBA NEWSLETTER

Updated - september 7, 2026

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MCBA Events 2026
September
9/8 (Tues.)
Board of Governors [BOG] Meeting

9/11 (Fri.)
Breakfast with the Bar

9/15 (Tues.)
CLE 

9/18 (Fri.)
CIPA CLE
Breakfast with the Bar

9/22 (Tues.)
CLE Committee Meeting

9/25 (Fri.)
Breakfast with the Bar
GAL Certification Planning Committee Meeting

9/30 (Wed.)
DEIA Committee Meeting

October
10/2 (Fri.)
Breakfast with the Bar

10/9 (Fri.)
Breakfast with the Bar

10/1 (Mon.)
Law & Justice Center Closed

10/16 (Fri.)
Breakfast with the Bar

10/23 (Fri.)
Breakfast with the Bar

10/27 (Tues.)
CLE Committee Meeting

10/30 (Fri.)
Breakfast with the Bar

November
11/3 (Tues.)
Law & Justice Center Closed 

11/19 (Tues.)
CLE - Underwood & DEIA PR CLE Luncheon

December
12/2 (Wed.)
CLE Luncheon & Family Law Bar Meeting

12/9 (Wed.)
Holiday Luncheon

2027 Events
June 27 (Thurs.)
Annual Meeting

Sept 29 & 30 (Wed. & Thurs.)
Biennial GAL Seminar

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​Complete 2026 List of Court Holidays & Closures

2026 Jury Calendar

​Complete 2027 List of Court Holidays & Closures

2027 Petit Jury Calendar format 1

2027 Petit Jury Calendar format 2

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social - save the date

Hockey! Saturday, February 20th - Family & Friends Welcome!

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ywca trivia night

YWCA McLean County’s annual Trivia Night will be held on October 23, 2026. MCBA is looking for team members. There is a $200 donation per team and teams can be up to 6 people. Team Registration is currently open at ywcamclean.org/trivia. There are also sponsorship opportunities and silent auction basket donation opportunities. Contact Rachel Brandt ([email protected]) with any questions.
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Sponsorships

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MCBA SCHOLARSHIP

If you know of any L2 or L3 law students, please inform them about the 2026 MCBA Community Service Scholarship. The $2,500 scholarship is open to second or third year law students with strong ties to McLean County, Bloomington-Normal, or its surrounding communities. Prime candidates will express and demonstrate a commitment to legal aid work, pro bono activities, or community service. The application deadline is October 31, 2026. Please see the link to the scholarship application below.

Click on the image above to submit an application.

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the immigration project 
​fund raising luncheon

The Immigration Project is hosting its Annual Fundraising Luncheon at Illinois State University's Bone Student Center in Normal on October 9th, 2026 where we will honor our 2026 Immigrant Hero awardee, be stirred by a compelling speaker and hear about how The Immigration Project will be serving the immigrant community. 

Charlotte Alvarez, the Executive Director of The Immigration Project, will discuss how the organization supports immigrants through legal and social services. Edwin Yohnka, Director of Communications and Public Policy, for ACLU Illinois, will serve as the keynote speaker. At the end of the luncheon, you will have the opportunity to give a donation. Please contact Jeff Crabill for any questions, [email protected] .
​
Doors open at 11:15AM and the program will be held from 12:00PM - 1:00PM. The luncheon is free to attend, though we ask for guests to donate to support our work. 

You are welcome to visit the facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/theimmigrationproject/

For your reservation, please see this LINK: ​Reservation

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current & upcoming cle opportunities

Save the Date!
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   * 5 hours CLE including 1 PR Diversity & Inclusion - Friday, September 18 - CIPA Central Illinois Legal Summit - Registration
   * 1 hour CLE - Tuesday, October 6 - Sponsored by PILI - Registration
   * 1 hour CLE PR - Tuesday, November 17 - Sponsored by the Underwood Committee on Professionalism & the DEIA Committees [Date recently updated.]
   * 1.5 hours CLE - Wednesday, December 2 - Collateral Consequences of Criminal Convictions by Hon. David Butler [Retired]

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Piña Coladas Forever

A Play written by MCBA member Thomas McClure

The Nomad Theatre Company presents a play written by MCBA member Thomas McClure. This 10-minute play will be performed at The Smash House Tavern in September during the dates listed below. 

September 11-13 & 18-19
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Performance Times
Friday & Saturday - 7:30 pm
Sunday - 2:00 pm

More Information & Tickets

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cle

Tuesday, September 15, 2026

Back to Basics: civil pleadings

[Up to 1 hour general CLE - Pending Approval]
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New and experienced lawyers benefit from refreshers of foundational civil procedure, ensuring effective representation of their clients and efficient resolution of their case. This Back to Basics class will review Illinois law regarding pleading various civil causes of action, anywhere from negligence to fraud, contract breaches and more. Oftentimes, the delays caused by battling over the sufficiency of complaints are preventable. We’ll discuss being strategic in allegations, distinguishing between facts, conclusions and evidence, overcoming the imbalance of information before discovery, as well as addressing when Defendants should attack the pleadings to avoid waiving defects.

​This one-hour CLE will be presented by Paige Thielen and Joe Foley of Thielen, Foley & Mirdo.
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Registration

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cle

Friday, September 18, 2026

The 36th Annual
Central Illinois Legal Summit
Stronger Teams for a Changing World

Up to 5 hours CLE including 1 hour of Professional Responsibility 
1 hour Diversity & Inclusion PR CLE 
[Approved]
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The Central Illinois Paralegal Association is proud to present the 36th Annual Central Illinois Legal Summit – Stronger Teams for a Changing World. This year’s event features an exciting lineup of speakers, interactive opportunities, and valuable insights designed to support and strengthen our legal community.

We are pleased to welcome the McLean County Sheriff's Department K-9 Unit, who will greet attendees as they arrive.
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Our featured speakers include:
• Dr. Kathleen Yoder, McLean County Coroner – Discussing the coroner’s role in legal investigations, collaboration across disciplines, and emerging technologies.

• Thomas McClure, JD (MCBA Member) – Presenting “2025 Supreme Court Term: One Team, Nine Players,” offering perspective on the Court’s upcoming term.

• Manoj Khandekar, JD – Focusing on data protection and best practices for safeguarding sensitive information.

• Hon. Sarah Duffy – Exploring artificial intelligence in the courtroom and the ethical considerations shaping this rapidly evolving area.

• Julia Livingston – Leading an engaging session on diversity and inclusion in legal leadership.

We look forward to an inspiring and educational event that brings together professionals from across Central Illinois to learn, collaborate, and build stronger teams for the future.

Thank you, and we hope to see you there!
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Brochure with Speaker Details

Registration

Printable Registration Form

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​bar committee activities

BOG Meeting - September 8 noon
​CLE Committee Meeting - September 22 noon
​​​​GAL Certification Planning Committee Meeting - September 25 12:15
​​DEIA Committee Meeting - September 30 noon
Quarterly Family Law Bench/Bar Listening Session - December 2

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If your office has new attorneys and staff, then we would like to update membership on your additions! Maybe you have an attorney making moves within your office. Please click on the link below to submit a little about the new addition and feel free to add a photo as well. 

New to My Office? or Retiring? or Moving? Any Update!

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mcba cle recorded opportunities

cle​

Originally Recorded
Wednesday, April 1, 2026
​Ends, March 1, 2028
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Sentencing Credit in Illinois Criminal Cases
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[Up to 1.5 hours general CLE - Approved]
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Please join the McLean County Bar Association in welcoming Jackie Mathias-Jail R.E.S.E.T. (Recovery, Education, Support and reEntry Team) Director McLean County Jail and Hon. David Butler [Ret.]-Special Assistant Public Defender for McLean County.
 
This program will provide a guide of the credits that may be applied to reduce a criminal sentence.  The amount of time served on a criminal sentence may be significantly reduced by various forms of sentence credit available under Illinois law.  Attorneys should be familiar with the credits that may be applied to a sentence when negotiating a plea agreement or deciding on whether to go to trial.  Both defense attorneys and prosecutors will gain an awareness of the sentence credits that are possible for particular sentences.
 
Specific Topics Include:
Statutory Good Time Credit
Illinois Truth in Sentencing Act
Minimum Sentences
Periodic Imprisonment
County Jail Programs Credit
DOC Earned Discretionary Sentence
DOC Programs Credit
Sentencing Credit on Concurrent & Consecutive Sentences
Misdemeanor Good Time Act
Time Served in Custody Prior to Sentencing
Strangulation & Great Bodily Harm Cases
Revocation of Good Time Credit

Registration for Recording & CLE Credit Instructions

cle

Originally Recorded
Tuesday, December 3, 2025
​Ends, December 1, 2027
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​A Guide To Problem Solving Courts: 
​Drug Court, Recovery Court, and Veteran’s Court

​[Up to 1.5 hours general CLE - Approved] 
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Presenters:
Hon. Dave Butler [Ret.]-Moderator
Ron Lewis
Hon. Scott Drazewski [Ret.]
Emilio Fischer
Craig Queen

This program will provide an overview of the sentencing alternatives known as Problem Solving Courts. These sentencing alternatives include Drug Court, Recovery Court and Veteran’s Court. Each of these specialized sentences are remedial and are alternatives to a prison sentence. Both defense attorneys and prosecutors will gain an understanding of these specialized sentences including eligibility requirements, terms and conditions, the process of evaluating referrals and the sentencing process.
 
Specific Topics Include:
 
What Are Problem Solving Courts?
Drug Court, Recovery Court, and Veteran’s Court Distinguished
PSC Referrals
PSC Court Process
PSC Teams
Steps In Processing PSC Referrals
Adult Risk Assessments & Drug Evaluations
State’s Attorney’s Screening of PSC Referrals
Attorney’s Role When Client is Sentenced To a PSC
PSC Violations

Registration for Recording & CLE Credit Instructions

CLE
Originally Recorded
Tuesday, March 18, 2025
​Ends, March 1, 2027

Small Law Office Efficiency - AI

Presented by: Drew Vaughn

​[Up to 1 hour general CLE - Approved] 

Please join the McLean County Bar Association in welcoming Mr. Drew Vaughn. He will be teaching about how Artificial Intelligence works, the ethical implications of its use, and practical applications of Artificial Intelligence that you can implement today.  

Learning Objectives:
1. Foundations of Artificial Intelligence [A.I.]
2. Ethical Implications of the use of AI
3. Practical AI Application
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Registration for Recording & CLE Credit Instructions

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friday breakfast with the bar
join us this friday
8:00 am-9:00 am

Ivy Lane Bakery - Downtown Bloomington
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career opportunities 
&
law student opportunities

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state farm insurance​

Information

posted 9-7

in-house life regulatory counsel

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johnson law group llc

Information

posted 8-31

criminal defense lawyer​

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bruno law offices​

Information

posted 8-24

criminal defense atty​

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woodford co. state's atty office​

Information

posted 8-24

assistant state's atty

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office space available

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301 s. center st, bloomington
currently offices of skelton & wong, pc

Information

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108 w. monroe, BLOOMINGTON

Information

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