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  • January 8, 2018 | Practice News | People
    USAO Central District of Illinois Seeks Assistant U.S. Attorney
    The U.S. Attorneys Office Central District of Illinois seeks a criminal assistant U.S. attorney (AUSA) in Urbana to prosecute federal criminal cases in the district. Criminal AUSAs advise federal law enforcement agents on criminal investigations, present criminal cases to the grand jury, try criminal cases before the United States District Court, and may represent the United States in criminal appeals before the Circuit Court of Appeals.
  • January 4, 2018 | Practice News
    Quick Takes for Your Practice: Evaluating Damages in a Personal Injury Claim
    Pamela L. Pierro, partner at Spyratos Davis, LLC, discusses how to evaluate damages in a personal injury claim.
  • January 4, 2018 | Practice News
    Best Practice Tips: Law Firm 2018 Initiatives and Goals
    Asked and Answered By John W. Olmstead, MBA, Ph.D, CMC Q. Our firm is an 18-attorney insurance defense firm located in Los Angeles. We have six partners and 12 associates. We represent insurance companies in personal injury and property claims. Over the last five years, our growth and profitability have been flat. We feel that we have enough work to reach our goals, but we don’t think our people are energized. We have a billing requirement of 2,000 billable hours but few of our attorneys are hitting them. The partners met a few weeks ago to set goals for 2018. The firm does not have a business or strategic plan. Do you have any thoughts on 2018 goals and how best we can implement?
  • January 4, 2018 | ISBA News | Member Services
    Lawyer Referral Service Makes Over 575 Referrals in December
    The Illinois State Bar Association’s Lawyer Finder Service provides referrals to local lawyers Mondays through Fridays. The Service makes referrals in a number of areas of law. For the month of December 2017 there were over 575 referrals given. Here are the results for December 2017:
  • January 3, 2018 | Practice News
    Justice Never Sleeps - But What if the Judge Does?
    Practicing law can be an exhausting profession. Long workdays make it difficult to maintain a good work-life balance. The daily stress of practicing can be tiring, too. Sometimes it's almost impossible to keep your eyes open in court. When an attorney dozes off, it can be a problem. But what about the rare occasions when a judge falls asleep on the bench? The third district recently handled an appeal brought by convicted spree-killer Nicholas Sheley, centering on a judge who nodded off during the trial. People v. Sheley, 2017 IL App (3d) 140659. The Sheley court held that a judge falling asleep during the proceedings does not constitute per se reversible error. The court reasoned that a judge falling asleep does not rise to the level of structural error - i.e., one that "renders a criminal trial fundamentally unfair or an unreliable means of determining guilt or innocence." Id. at ¶ 16. Sheley was based on a criminal trial - the focus was on the defendant's rights first and the judge's conduct only as it relates to whether the defendant got a fair trial. But what should a lawyer or other observer do when a judge falls asleep on the bench? Find out in the January Illinois Bar Journal.
  • January 2, 2018 | CLE
    CLE: Starting Your Law Practice
    Many attorneys dream of opening their own practice, but don’t necessarily know where to begin. This full-day seminar gives you the guidance you need on where to start – from choosing a professional entity to practice under and finding the right type of location, to hiring good office staff and making sure your technology is secure. Any attorney attending this seminar in Chicago on January 25, 2018 who has been thinking about starting their own law practice will gain a better understanding of: the pros and cons of each professional entity option, including P.C., LLC, and partnerships; the unexpected charges to be aware of when signing a rental or lease agreement for your new office; terminating or firing an employee (and the problems that can arise); your ethical obligation to maintain competence with technology; what should be included in your engagement letters and fee agreements; the issues to be aware of when advising or soliciting clients; the basics of traffic law and criminal law; how to handle basic estate planning cases; what to expect in employment law litigation; and much more! The program is presented by the ISBA General Practice, Solo & Small Firm Section. It qualifies for 6.25 hours MCLE credit, including 3.75 hours Professional Responsibility MCLE credit (subject to approval). For more information and to register, visit the ISBA CLE page.
  • January 2, 2018 | Practice News
    Quick Takes on Illinois Supreme Court Opinions Issued Friday, Dec. 29
    Leading appellate attorneys review Illinois Supreme Court opinions handed down on Friday, Dec. 29. The cases are Cohen v. Chicago Park District and Yarbrough v. Northwestern Memorial Hospital. Cohen v. Chicago Park District By Joanne R. Driscoll, Forde Law Offices LLP For a second time within a month, the Illinois Supreme Court was called upon to interpret the meaning of section 3-107 of the Local Governmental and Governmental Employees Tort Immunity Act (the Act) (745 ILCS 10/3-107 (West 2012)), in the context of bicycling accidents along shared-use paths or trails. In Corbett v. The County of Lake, 2012 IL 121536, decided in November, the court construed subsection (b), whereas here the court construed subsection (a). In both cases, the court found section 3-107 inapplicable, although this case drew a dissent, but for a different reason.
  • January 2, 2018 | Practice News
    Mandatory E-Filing Deadline Extension Granted for Cook and Winnebago Counties
    The Supreme Court of Illinois has extended the Jan. 1, 2018, deadline to implement mandatory e-filing for all civil cases for Cook and Winnebago Counties. The request for an extension by Greene County was denied.  The Circuit Court of Cook County will have six more months to prepare for mandatory electronic filing, according to an Illinois Supreme Court order issued Friday, Dec. 22, 2017.  Through June 30, the county is allowed to continue permissive e-filing with a commitment to complete the full case management system integration by April 1. By May 1, Cook County must permit filings for all civil case types to be made on eFileIL. Read the order on the Illinois Courts website to see the full list of conditions. This extension comes after a request early last month from Cook County Circuit Court Clerk Dorothy Brown to push back the start date a full year, stating that the county's vendor, Tyler Technologies, could not fully meet the deadline. The Circuit Clerk's office will work with Tyler to meet the extended deadline, including the testing of essential functionality.
  • January 2, 2018 | Practice News
    Spotlight on Pro Bono: Tick Tock. New Year’s Resolution? Find Time.
    By Teri Ross, Program Director, Illinois Legal Aid Online Like many Illinois attorneys, I recently completed my ARDC registration. Like some of you, I had to answer “Mandatory Pro Bono Information” questions. In particular, this one stood out: "Did you within the past twelve months, provide any pro bono legal services? Yes or No" Well, honestly (as my mother used to say), who wants to answer ‘No’ to that? There must have been something I’d done that I could report on. Think, think, think. I reflect on my extracurricular activities in 2017 — scout mom, active church member, elementary school volunteer, letter writer, and other social justice advocacy. Can I report on any of that? Now, it’s not like I don’t know what pro bono is. I work for a non-profit legal aid organization that offers great, online information about pro bono, not to mention a whole directory of Illinois pro bono opportunities. My problem is that I really haven’t done any pro bono work. I am a lawyer, so of course, I could try to justify some of my activities listed above to wedge (awkwardly) into the pro bono categories. But the truth is, I have not done anything outside of my paid employment that equates to “legal services to a person/persons of limited means.”
  • January 2, 2018 | ISBA News
    Nominating Petitions Now Being Accepted for Upcoming ISBA Election
    In the spring, members of the ISBA will elect a third vice president, six seats on the Board of Governors, and 22 seats on the Cook County Assembly. One board seat is open in each of the following Areas: Cook County, Board Area 1 (circuit 18), Board Area 3 (Circuits 12, 13, 16, 21 and 23), Board Area 4 (circuits 10, 14, and 15), Board Area 6 (circuits 7, 8 and 9), and Board Area 8 (circuits 3 and 20).   Nominating petitions are now being accepted and must be filed by 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 31 at either the Illinois Bar Center, 424 South 2nd Street, in Springfield, or the ISBA Office at 20 S. Clark Street, 9th Floor, Chicago. Petitions must be physically submitted with original signatures. Petitions submitted via email or fax will not be accepted. Candidates should submit their biography and photo online. Questions regarding the filing of petitions should be directed to Kim Weaver, assistant to the executive director. Find out more on the ISBA Elections page.