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  • March 27, 2013 | Practice News
    Best Practice: Proper timing for the sale of your law practice
    Asked and AnsweredBy John W. Olmstead, MBA, Ph.D, CMCQ. I am a sole owner of a 4 attorney law firm located in Washington, D.C. Our practice concentrates on estate planning and administration. We have 6 support staff members. I just turned 60 the first of the month and am beginning to think about what I will eventually do with the practice. None of the associate attorneys are interested in partnership or in purchasing the practice - they just want jobs - they are not interested in owning a law practice. When is the best time for me to sell my practice?A. You really have to give some thought to your timeline - how long do you want to work? Do you plan on pursuing another career? Have you put enough money away so you can simply retire without concern about the need to generate additional income?If you need revenue for an additional 10 years and if you enjoy what you are doing - then it will not be in your interest to sell the practice too early. Let's say you could sell your practice for one million dollars - this might equate to two years of earnings. If you worked another 10 years - you could have earned five million dollars.To a large extent owning a law firm is in essence a job where you work for a living where you have provided employment for yourself. It might be hard to find a job that pays as well as your firm. So if you need revenue for another 10 years and your enjoy your work - you should probably plan on working another 10 years. Build you timetable to sell your practice around your future work timeline. Things change - you may find that your associates change their mind or down the road you may end up with new hires that will have an interest in partnership.
  • March 26, 2013 | Events
    Illinois Judges Foundation to host Justice for All reception on April 3
    The Illinois Judges Foundation and its Lawyers Auxiliary Committee are hosting the Justice for All Spring Reception on Wednesday, April 3 from 5:30 to 7:30 at the CBA building, 321 S Plymouth Court, Philip Corboy Hall. There will be an open bar and hors d'oeuvres.Chief Judge Timothy Evans will present its annual Harold Sullivan Scholarship to our 2012-13 law student recipient, Chief Justice Thomas Kilbride will be presented with the Justice for All award, and Chief Judge James Holderman will present an original poem.  The proceeds from the reception, after expenses, will be allocated toward the Access to Justice externships. IJF also awards grants to the IJA for the 7 Reasons to Leave the Party program and Bringing the Courtroom to the Classroom. Tickets are $100 and sponsorships are available.Reservations may me made online at http://www.ijafoundation.org/civicrm/event/info?id=64&reset=1.
  • March 25, 2013 | Practice News
    2 finalists announced for DuPage associate judge vacancy
    Chief Circuit Judge John T. Elsner is pleased to announce two finalists have been slected for the Office of Associate Judge of the 18th Circuit Court. The finalists are seeking to fill the vacancy created by the elevation of Robert G. Kleeman to Circuit Judge. From these names, the Circuit Judges will select two appointees by secret ballot.Sean M. McCumber, J.D., University of Illinois, College of Law, 1998; admitted to the practice of law in Illinois, 1998. Mr. McCumber currently serves as a partner with the law firm of Sullivan, Taylor & Gumina (2005-present).Jeffrey S. McKay, J.D.-Kent College of Law, Chicago, 1992; admitted to the practice of law in Illinois, 1993. Mr. McKay currently is an Associate with the law firm of Ekl, Williams and Provenzale (2001-present).
  • March 22, 2013 | CLE
    CLE: Managing E-Discovery When Resources are Limited – Live Webcast!
    Litigation occasionally involves parties of very disparate sizes, which can result in a difference between the amount of electronically-stored data in each of their possessions – and an even great difference in their resources to obtain e-discovery. The costs and logistics of e-discovery can present special problems in cases where the parties are operating on a more limited budget. Join us from the comfort of your home or office on April 15th for this live webcast that offers tips and advice for these types of situations, as well as a discussion on how to find, preserve, and produce electronically-stored data.
  • March 21, 2013 | Practice News
    Quick takes on Thursday's Illinois Supreme Court opinions
    Our panel of leading appellate attorneys review Friday's Illinois Supreme Court opinions in the civil cases Ferguson v. Patton, Julie Q. v. the Department of Children and Family Services and DeHart v. DeHart and the criminal cases People v. Cruz and People v. Donelson.CIVILDeHart v. DeHartBy Michael T. Reagan, Law Offices of Michael T. Reagan, Ottawa For more than 50 years plaintiff believed his decedent father’s representation that the decedent was plaintiff’s biological father. Plaintiff found to the contrary when he obtained a certified copy of his birth certificate to obtain a passport, which revealed who his biological father was. That man had abandoned the plaintiff when he was two, and had no further contact. Decedent married plaintiff’s mother, and for more than 60 years held plaintiff out to everyone as his biological son. Plaintiff’s mother died in April 2001. In 2005, decedent, then 83, married defendant, 29 years his junior. Three hundred sixty-four days later, decedent executed a new will in which he stated “I have no children.” A prior will provided bequests for plaintiff and plaintiff’s children. Legal suspense builds throughout this Opinion as the court methodically works through the six counts of the complaint which had been dismissed by the circuit court, knowing that what lies at the end will be the court’s treatment of the theories for “contract for adoption” and “equitable adoption.” The appellate court, which had reversed the circuit court’s dismissal of all counts, was affirmed in the entirety. 
  • March 21, 2013
    Social media policies and the NLRB
    In the lastest issue of ISBA's Labor and Employment Law newsletter, Michael K. Chropowicz looks at recent NLRB rulings applying the National Labor Relations Act to employer social media policies. "What," he asks, "should management and their counsel know in light of the Board’s recent decisions?"First, policies which explicitly restrict Section 7 protected activity are categorically invalid," he writes. "Second, any social media policy should be narrowly tailored, avoiding overly broad or ambiguous language. Ambiguous rules will be construed against the employer."Read his article and find out more.
  • March 21, 2013 | ISBA News | Practice News
    Supreme Court adopts ISBA proposal on expedited appeals in delinquent minor cases
    The Illinois Supreme Court recently adopted an ISBA proposal to establish expedited appeals in delinquent minor cases (New Rule 660A.pdf). ISBA Past President Mark D. Hassakis presented the ISBA proposal at a Supreme Court hearing in December 2012. The proposal had its genesis with the Illinois Models for Change Initiative at Loyola University and was supported by the Juvenile Justice Initiative and the National Juvenile Defender Center.The proposal requires appeals in delinquent minor proceedings under the Juvenile Court Act to be decided within 150 days after filing a notice of appeal. The purposes of the expedited appeal procedure are to: achieve prompt appellate review; address the merits of convictions before an appeal becomes moot (thereby saddling the offender with a conviction that might have been reversed or remanded on appeal); and, establish a greater body of appellate case law in juvenile matters.  
  • March 21, 2013 | ISBA News
    ISBA Member Update: Over 1,100 members take advantage of Free CLE
    President John E. Thies is happy to announce that more than 1,100 members have taken advantage of the ISBA's Free CLE program. The top videos have been “Admitting Facebook Information into Evidence,” “Professionalism and Technology Update” and “Starting Your Own Law Firm: A Nuts and Bolts Primer.” Check out our Free CLE Channel – where you’ll find enough free webinars to meet your 30-hour MCLE requirement over a two-year period – at isba.org/freecle.
  • March 20, 2013 | Practice News
    Best Practice: What size book of business does a lateral partner need?
    Asked and AnsweredBy John W. Olmstead, MBA, Ph.D, CMCQ. I am a partner in a mid-size firm in Memphis. We have 250 attorneys in the firm and I am considering making a move to a smaller firm. While I have a client base, I am not sure how much business would go with me. I am currently making $600k in compensation. With my experience - 25 years plus -- how important is a book of business initially? How big of a book will firms be looking for?A. A portable book of business is critical - especially if you are looking to earn what you have been earning. A rule of thumb for many of the lateral moves that we have seen for compensation is 1/3 of book. You will need a book of $1.5 to $2.0 million to generate interest from major players.Click here for our blog on laterals and mergersClick here for articles on other topicsJohn W. Olmstead, MBA, Ph.D, CMC,(www.olmsteadassoc.com) is a past chair and member of the ISBA Standing Committee on Law Office Management and Economics. For more information on law office management please direct questions to the ISBA listserver, which John and other committee members review, or view archived copies of The Bottom Line Newsletters. Contact John at jolmstead@olmsteadassoc.com.
  • March 19, 2013
    IJA to present distinguished service award to Judge Carole Bellows
    Hon. Rita M. Novak, president of the Illinois Judges Association (IJA), will present the organization’s Distinguished Service Award to Judge Carole Kamin Bellows for her dedicated leadership to the bench, bar and local community on Thursday, March 28, at 3 p.m., at the Richard J. Daley Center, 50 W. Washington, Courtroom 1905, in Chicago.The Distinguished Service Award is intended to recognize judges who have demonstrated exemplary service to citizens, bench, and bar as shown by devotion to the law, efforts to improve the legal and judicial communities, reputation for honor, integrity, legal knowledge and diligent service, and otherwise distinguishing him or herself as an Illinois judicial officer.