Yesterday afternoon, the Illinois Supreme Court posted notice that it expects to issue opinions in three cases on Thursday morning at 10:00 a.m., including one civil case, In re Marriage of Earlywine. Earlywine presents an interesting issue at the intersection between the law of attorneys’ fees and domestic relations:

• In re Marriage of Earlywine, No. 114779: Is an advance payment retainer to a spouse’s retained attorney in divorce proceedings the attorney’s property at the moment of payment, and therefore not subject to disgorgement for an award of interim attorney’s fees pursuant to 750 ILCS 5/501(c-1), the Illinois Marriage and Dissolution of Marriage Act?

Our detailed summary of the facts and lower court opinions in Earlywine is here. Our report on the oral argument is here.