The Illinois Supreme Court on Sept. 26 amended Rules 206, 212, 306, 308, 315, and 342. All changes go into effect Oct. 1. Amended Rule 206 makes it explicitly clear that a “party has the right to use the video recording of a deposition or any part thereof in lieu of reading from a stenographic transcript of the deposition.” Amended Rule 212 states that discovery depositions may be used “as a former statement, pursuant to Illinois Rule of Evidence 801(d)(2).”

ISBA members believe the greatest threat to the legal profession is competition from nonlawyer legal services. But when asked to identify the biggest threat to their own practice, members said the unwillingness or inability of clients to pay. The two assertions are arguably correlated: Clients who struggle to pay may look for cheaper alternatives next time. The findings are among many thought-provoking results from the 2019 Economic, Marketing, and Business Health Survey conducted this spring by Readex Research on behalf of the ISBA’s Standing Committee on the Future of Legal Services. The purpose of the survey is to “better understand the current economic climate [and] marketing and business practices among ISBA members … in private practice.” More than 800 private-practicing members completed the survey, which is summarized in October’s Illinois Bar Journal.

Join us Oct. 16-17 for a two-day program that is designed to help attorneys who are appointed to represent children. Under Illinois Supreme Court Rule 906(c), an attorney should receive 10 hours of education every two years in: child developments; roles of guardians ad litem and child representatives; ethics in child custody cases; relevant substantive state, federal, and case law in custody and visitation matters; and family dynamics, including substance abuse, domestic abuse, and mental health issues. Topics for this seminar include: how to become a guardian ad litem and what the work entails; understanding the differences between a guardian ad litem, child representative, and attorney for the child; guardian ad litem appointments; child development and issues in family law matters; Illinois Supreme Court rules, Illinois caselaw, and statutory update; the ethical dilemmas facing guardian ad litems and child representatives; domestic violence issues; and how DCFS procedures relate to family law cases.

On September 9, 2019, Illinois lawyer Charlene Marsh was found guilty of indirect criminal contempt for engaging in the unauthorized practice of law by holding herself out as a lawyer and preparing pleadings in federal court on behalf of a pro se litigant. Ms. Marsh charged the client approximately $23,000 for 68 hours of legal research and document preparation. Ms. Marsh was ordered to pay $23,000 in restitution, $500 in court costs, sentenced to two years’ probation, and permanently enjoined from engaging in any further acts of the unauthorized practice of law. The case is ARDC v. Charlene Marsh, No. 17 MC1-600052 (September 9, 2019)