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The Illinois Supreme Court has announced the appointment of Chicago attorney Joan M. Eagle and Belleville attorney James R. Mendillo to serve as chair and vice-chair of the Illinois Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission (ARDC).
Asked and Answered
By John W. Olmstead, MBA, Ph.D, CMC
Q. I am a non-equity partner in a large law firm in LA. I have been practicing for 15 years and with the recent economic turmoil we have experienced in our firm, downsizing, and overall uncertainty I have recently been considering starting my own firm. What are initial steps in starting up a law firm?
A. While there is an entire list of start-up steps that need to be taken when launching a law firm here are a few to get you started and the order to be taken:
Our panel of leading appellate attorneys review Thursday's Illinois Supreme Court opinions in the civil cases Marshal v. City of Chicago, Wilson v. Edward Hospital and Hernandez v. Pritkin.
By Karen Kies DeGrand, Donohue Brown Mathewson & Smyth LLC
Asked and Answered
By John W. Olmstead, MBA, Ph.D, CMC
Q. Our 16 attorney firm is having our first planning retreat next week to plan for 2013. I have been charged with putting together the agenda and program. Do you have any suggestions that we as a firm might consider or think about adopting?
A. Here are a few ideas that you might want to consider.
Circuit Court of Cook County Chief Judge Timothy C. Evans today announced beginning January 14, 2013, the public will not be permitted to bring cell phones and other electronic devices into any Circuit Court of Cook County courthouse facility except for the Richard J. Daley Center Courthouse. The ban will affect only those courthouse facilities in which criminal matters are heard.*
ISBA Director of Legislative Affairs Jim Covington reviews bills in Springfield of interest to ISBA members. In this episode he covers Senate Bill 3626 (New therapy in family law cases), Senate Bill 957 (Temporary driver's licenses), House Bill 30 (Medical cannabis), Senate Bill 16 (Fast-track mortgage foreclosures) and House Bill 3636 (Mechanics' Lien Act). More information on the bill is available below the video.
The current term of office of the Honorable Byron G. Cudmore, incumbent United States Magistrate Judge for the Central District of Illinois at Springfield, is due to expire August 31, 2013. The United States District Court is required by law to establish a panel of citizens to consider the reappointment of the magistrate judge to a new eight-year term.
Asked and Answered
By John W. Olmstead, MBA, Ph.D, CMC
Q. Our firm is an 18 lawyer general practice firm in the western Chicago suburbs. Recently, we are beginning to take on more personal injury cases on a contingency fee work which is creating some cash flow strain. Do you have suggestions regarding firms doing contingency fee work?
Concisely, Collaborative Law is a "no court" limited-scope representation model of dispute resolution. Although, like the mediation model of dispute resolution, Collaborative Law (a/k/a Collaborative Practice) had its origins in the area of family law, it now has application in areas as diverse as probate, business partnership dissolution, medical errors, labor and employment disputes. No matter the nature of the legal dispute the model is being used to resolve, the core component of the model does not vary.
Effective January 8, 2013, and until further order of the Court, the Hon. Michael B. Hyman, Judge of the Circuit Court of Cook County, is assigned to duty in the Appellate Court, First District, to the position formerly held by the Hon. Nathaniel J. Howse, Jr., who was elected to the Appellate Court. Judge Hyman shall occupy the rotation position in the Third Division formerly held by the Hon. Marcus R. Salone.