As a benefit to ISBA members, Dell has a special offer on computer products in July. A $75 off coupon is attached. As a reminder, the member purchase program allows your members to: Save up to 30% on personal purchases. 10% off Dell Mobility purchases Dell financing available to qualified customers. Always reach a live person Monday–Sunday, 8 a.m.–9 p.m. at (877) 587-3355.

[caption id="attachment_20808" align="alignright" width="140" caption="Chief Justice Thomas L. Kilbride"][/caption] You may be a Solo or Small Firm lawyer, but you are NOT alone. The Illinois State Bar Association will present the 7th Annual Solo & Small Firm Conference from Oct. 27-29 at the Springfield Hilton. Last chance to catch the Conference in Springfield before it moves to a new location! Illinois Supreme Court Chief Justice Thomas L. Kilbride will be the featured plenary speaker. Register by August 25 for the Early Bird discount! Earn up to 12 hours of MCLE credit, including all 6 hours of PMCLE credit. “Get Connected” to your peers, the latest in technology, and current practice updates at this year’s Conference. Learn how to:Avoid the biggest business mistakes lawyers makeMarket your practice on a tight budgetProperly manage non-lawyer assistantsUse social networking and understand the related ethical issuesPrepare for technology backup and disaster recovery

Do you use three words when one would do in legal drafting? Do you draft ordered, adjudged, and decreed instead of just ordered? When you order black coffee, do you order it  black, utterly black, without cream, without sugar? (This is Garry Trudeau's cartoon parody of author David Halberstam's writing style.) You may consider deleting what Professor Joseph Kimble refers to as doublets and triplets. Do the extra words add anything? If not, use the most accurate term and delete the rest.

[caption id="attachment_20787" align="alignright" width="113" caption="Kevin W. Lyons"][/caption] The Illinois Supreme Court announced Tuesday that Kevin W. Lyons, longtime state’s attorney for Peoria County, has been appointed a Circuit Court judge to fill a judicial vacancy in the 10th Judicial Circuit. Chief Justice Thomas L. Kilbride recommended Mr. Lyons to the Supreme Court after an extensive application and evaluation process. The Peoria resident Circuit Court vacancy was created by the 2010 retirement of Judge Richard Grawey and is temporarily being filled by Judge Glenn Collier who left retirement to fill the position.