Health care attorneys in Illinois saw the need for a simpler, more user-friendly statutory form for clients to declare who would hold their health care power of attorney and how that person should proceed. Elder law attorneys objected to what they saw as "dumbed down," vague, or simplistic language that might leave the elderly vulnerable to the unscrupulous.The Illinois legislature unanimously passed a bill to change the statutory form. The bill was originally drafted by the Illinois State Medical Society (ISMS) with input from the ISBA and other groups. It became Pub. Act 98-1113 and took effect January 1, 2015. And now, estate planning attorneys have begun to put it into place, with some caveats and wrinkles that they are finding useful in honing the new language to ensure that it serves their clients well.Find out more about how lawyers are using the new form in the April Illinois Bar Journal.

The next ISBA Solo & Small Firm Practice Institute will be held in East Peoria on April 16. The focus of this seminar is Building Your Practice and Preparing for the Future. The program runs from 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and provides 6.50 MCLE hours, including 6.50 Professional Responsibility MCLE credit hours (PMCLE credit subject to approval).Get the best practice tips and practical tools you need to run your office efficiently and profitably with this full-day seminar! As an attendee, you will:

ISBA Past President Timothy Bertschy has been appointed as a member of the Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission. He fills the vacancy created by the resignation of Stuart R. Lefstein for a term expiring Dec. 31, 2015, and until a successor is appointed. Bertschy is the managing partner of Heyl Royster in Peoria.

The Supreme Court of Illinois announced the filing of lawyer disciplinary orders on March 12, 2015, during the March Term of Court. Sanctions were imposed because the lawyers engaged in professional misconduct by violating state ethics law.