Write for The Docket

Article Submission Guidelines

Interested in contributing to The Docket? We welcome article submissions from members and guest authors. Please review the following specifications before submitting your work.

Acceptable File Formats

We accept submissions created with Microsoft Windows-compatible programs:

• Microsoft Word or WordPerfect (text)
• High-resolution JPEG files only (images)

Please email your article, advertisement, or image to: info@lakebar.org

Formatting Guidelines

We ask that you keep formatting simple and clean:

• Use single spacing
• Do not include tabs, page numbers, or margin justification
• Feel free to use bold or underline to emphasize text

If you have any questions, contact us at (847) 244-3143.

New contributors should also include a headshot and a brief bio with their first submission. We like to acknowledge all authors appropriately.

Word Count Guidelines

Note: The Editorial Board selects feature articles at its discretion. Word count is only one of several factors considered.

If your article includes visual elements (such as graphs, tables, or photos), subtract approximately 400 words for every half-page of art included to calculate your adjusted word limit.

Submit your article to: info@lakebar.org

MCLE Credit for Writing for The Docket

Under Rule 795(d)(7) of the Illinois Supreme Court’s Minimum Continuing Legal Education (MCLE) Rules, attorneys may earn CLE credit for writing “law-related articles in responsible legal journals or other legal sources.”

An author should review Rule 795(d)(7) to determine if an article qualifies. Generally speaking:

1. Is the Docket a “responsible legal journals or other legal source”?

   — To our knowledge and belief, yes.

2. Does your article qualify as “law-related”?

• To ensure it qualifies under Rule 795(d)(7), your article must primarily focus on matters related to one or more of the following:

   - The practice of law

   - Professionalism

   - Diversity and inclusion

   - Mental illness and addiction issues

   - Civility

   - Ethical obligations of attorneys

Articles that are intended for a general or non-lawyer audience, purely social or news-oriented (e.g., event coverage or attorney announcements) generally do not qualify.

Key MCLE Requirements for Authors

• Keep detailed, contemporaneous records of time spent writing and researching.

• You may claim CLE credit for the actual hours spent on research and writing, up to a maximum of one-half of the total CLE requirement for the reporting period, for each published article.

• Credit can only be claimed during the reporting period in which the article was published, regardless of when it was written.

• Republishing an article does not qualify for additional CLE credit unless the author made substantial substantive revisions or additions.

• The attorney must report credit earned from authorship activity to the MCLE Board using the Board’s online submission process.

For further information, please refer to the MCLE Board’s website https://www.mcleboard.org/files/FAQs/Attorney_FAQs/Earning_CLE/What_general_requirements_and_limitations_apply_to_legal_scholarship_research_and_writing_credits.aspx