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16 stories

ILL.People moves

Simpson Thacher adds four Chicago partners from White & Case and Kirkland

Simpson Thacher & Bartlett has hired four partners for its Chicago office, which opened in August. M&A partners Shiva Sandill and Trevor Currie have joined from White & Case, and Kirkland & Ellis restructuring partner David Gremling and executive compensation and benefits partner Lauren Cates will follow. The hires bring the new office to nearly a dozen partners, The American Lawyer reported.

Announcement (The Global Legal Post) → · The American Lawyer
ILL.Research

Illinois study finds one in five lawyers rate their mental health fair or poor; 3% screen for problem gambling

The Illinois Lawyers' Assistance Program released a statewide survey of more than 6,700 lawyers on October 13, 2026 finding high rates of stress, substance use and mental health strain, with one in five respondents rating their mental health fair or poor. The report's authors said it is the first study of problem gambling prevalence in the U.S. legal profession.

Paper (WBBM Newsradio) → · ABA Journal, Law.com
ILL.People moves

Skadden adds five-lawyer mass torts team from DLA Piper in Chicago

Skadden added Lyn Pruitt, Adria Conklin, Mary Catherine Way and David Koehler as partners in its mass torts and product liability group, affiliated with the Chicago office, with Lauren Grinder joining as counsel, Law.com and Bloomberg Law reported October 13, 2026. The five came from DLA Piper and follow Brian O'Donoghue, who joined Skadden as a mass torts partner in July.

Announcement (Law.com) → · Bloomberg Law
CAL.Roundup

State and local law roundup, week ending October 9, 2026: 3 developments

Illinois and Iowa suspended state dyed-diesel penalties for farm hauling this week. Illinois Executive Order 2026-08, filed October 6, bars penalties for farm use of dyed diesel on highways through December 31, 2026; Iowa's October 7 disaster proclamation extends its suspension to livestock and feed loads through February 4, 2027. California's SB 799 (Chapter 980) lets the South Bay Regional Housing Trust fund moderate-income housing from January 1, 2027.

Entries (California Legislative Information) → · Office of the Governor of Iowa, State of Illinois, Office of the Governor
ILL.Regulation

Illinois suspends dyed-diesel road penalties for farm use through December 31

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker signed Executive Order 2026-08 on October 6, 2026, directing the Department of Revenue and State Police not to impose state penalties for the sale or on-road use of dyed diesel for farming and agricultural purposes through December 31. Users must keep records of plates, gallons, fill-up dates and agricultural use for four years. Pritzker also declared all 102 counties disaster areas for 30 days.

Text (Illinois Department of Revenue) → · Office of Governor JB Pritzker, NPR Illinois
ILL.People moves

Sidley hires Kirkland investment funds partner Ryan McNish in Chicago

Sidley Austin said on October 5, 2026, that Ryan McNish has joined its investment funds practice as a partner in Chicago from Kirkland & Ellis. McNish structures and forms private investment funds and related general partner and management company vehicles for private equity sponsors, and Sidley said expanding its private equity fund formation capabilities is a key strategic priority.

Announcement (Law.com) → · Sidley Austin, Bloomberg Law
N.D. ILL.Litigation

McDermott and former associate stipulate to dismissal of discrimination lawsuit

McDermott Will & Schulte and a former associate stipulated to dismiss with prejudice a lawsuit alleging racial discrimination and retaliation, according to a September 30 filing in Chicago federal court. Reuters reported that the parties had resolved the dispute; neither the filing nor the report disclosed financial terms.

Filing (U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois) → · Reuters
N.Y.People moves

Pierson Ferdinand surpasses 300 partners in AI-enabled partner-only model

Pierson Ferdinand said on September 29, 2026, that it has passed 300 partners globally less than three years after its January 2024 launch, a milestone Artificial Lawyer also reported. The distributed firm has no associates and said it embeds AI tools including Harvey in place of junior leverage; it named five partners who joined in September in Columbus, London, Chicago and Atlanta.

Announcement (Pierson Ferdinand) → · Artificial Lawyer

Rulings this week

All court orders

ILL.People moves

Reed Smith hires Neal Gerber emerging tech partner Kate Campbell in Chicago

Kate Campbell joined Reed Smith as a partner in its global corporate group and emerging technologies group in Chicago, Bloomberg Law reported on September 29, 2026. Campbell advises on AI governance, data privacy, cybersecurity, technology transactions, and digital product launches for startups through multinational companies. She joins from Neal Gerber Eisenberg.

Announcement (Bloomberg Law) → · Reed Smith
ILL.People moves

Mayer Brown hires Sidley insurance deals partner John Grothaus in Chicago

John Grothaus joined Mayer Brown as a partner in its corporate & securities and global insurance practices in Chicago, Bloomberg Law reported on September 25, 2026. He advises insurers, financial services and private equity clients on M&A, capital raises, reinsurance and insurance financings, with a focus on life insurance and Asia-Pacific outbound reinsurance. He joins from Sidley Austin.

Announcement (Bloomberg Law) → · Mayer Brown
N.D. ILL.Litigation

Seyfarth faces proposed class action over August employee-account incident

A proposed class action filed in Illinois federal court on September 24 accused Seyfarth Shaw of failing to safeguard personal information exposed in an August incident, Reuters reported. The plaintiff, a former employee of a Seyfarth client, says the breach affected more than 56,000 people. Seyfarth said in a statement that its network and systems were not breached and that someone impersonating its IT help desk targeted a single employee.

Filing (U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois) → · Reuters
ILL.Regulation

Illinois governor creates AI Cabinet by executive order to assess AI risks and regulatory options

Governor JB Pritzker signed Executive Order 2026-07 on September 22, 2026, effective on filing that day, creating the Illinois Artificial Intelligence Cabinet. The Governor must appoint academic and expert members within 30 days; senior leaders of DoIT, IEMA-OHS, IDFPR, ICC, ISP, IDPH and IEPA sit on it. Members develop AI incident-response and infrastructure-protection policies and evaluate conditioning data-center incentives on safety standards, AI-safety procurement requirements, and whether existing legal remedies suffice for AI-caused harm. It sunsets by December 31, 2027.

Text (Office of the Governor of Illinois) → · Office of the Illinois Governor (newsroom)
ILL.Regulation

Illinois creates AI Cabinet to advise on incident response and safety policy

Gov. JB Pritzker signed Executive Order 2026-07 on September 22, creating the Illinois Artificial Intelligence Cabinet, a cross-sector group that advises state government on AI incident preparedness, safeguards for public assets and infrastructure, and further AI safety and accountability policy. The unpaid cabinet studies data-center effects on the grid and ratepayers, procurement standards, and strict-liability options; members will be named in coming weeks.

Text (Gov. Pritzker Newsroom) → · Capitol City Now