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ALFN WILLed | What's Your Passion - Life Changed My Passion

From ages three to twenty-one, an essential part of my self-image was that I was a dancer. I started as a toddler, donned in a black leotard with pink hearts as I learned how to point my toes. This progressed to lessons for ballet, tap, jazz, and eventually, to a weekly repertoire of lessons for nine styles of dance.

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The Illinois Appellate Court Weighs in on the Intersection of Claims Under the Illinois Probate Act and the Illinois Mortgage Foreclosure Law

The Fourth District of the Illinois Appellate Court recently decided In Re Estate of Thomas F. Topal, 2022 IL App (4th) 210613, which is an important win for mortgagees attempting to foreclose on properties with deceased borrowers in Illinois. In the ruling, the appellate court clarified that mortgagees do not need to file a claim in probate proceedings for a deceased mortgagor in order to protect their secured interest unless they wish to pursue a deficiency judgment against the deceased mortgagor's estate.

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Illinois Supreme Court M.R. 31228

With little announcement, on March 25, 2022, the Illinois Supreme Court entered Order M.R. 31228, setting time standards for case closures (i.e., the time to fully resolve a case) in all cases in the Illinois trial courts. See attached Order. The time standards represent the time during which the court exercises control over and is accountable for the progress and timely closure of a case. "Implementing time standards establishes a statewide expectation for judges, litigants, and attorneys. These time standards require each court to evaluate its actual performance compared to a statewide expectation." Order M.R. 31228. These guidelines became effective July 1, 2022, and the Illinois Supreme Court established these guidelines for all cases and all judges across Illinois with minimal guidance, giving each individual judge the freedom to craft their own plan, which we have seen at least one foreclosure judge in Cook County implement.

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