Judging by the traffic on ISBA's criminal-law listserver, few topics are more important to day-to-day criminal defense practice than expungements. And on that topic, Coles County lawyer Jeremy J. Richey has some advice for his peers -- don't put them off. In a recent post to his excellent East Central Illinois Criminal Law & DUI Weblog, he says this: "Since expungement is a slow process, a person should seek expungement the first day he is eligible for it and not when he needs it later down the road." Read the whole thing.
And if you're an ISBA member, sign up for the criminal-DUI-traffic listserver and other e-mail discussion groups here.
Chicago Area
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July 15, 2009 |
Member Services | Practice News
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July 15, 2009
Nation
- Sotomayor declines to give abortion views, Chicago Tribune
- Day 3 of Sotomayor hearings, ABA Journal
- Prisoner attempts suicide in St. Louis courtroom, Post-Dispatch
- N.J. Attorney General seeks unemployed lawyers willing to work for free, ABA Journal
- Court sides with preacher jailed for predicted God would smite judge, ABA Journal
- Ask questions to avoid killer clients, shrink recommends, ABA Journal
State
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July 14, 2009 |
Practice News
Watch for Helen Gunnarsson's LawPulse item in the not-yet-published August Illinois Bar Journal about a scam e-mail solicitation that's making the rounds. Helen will have details, but in the meantime you can read a year-old California Bar Journal article describing this "request for Legal assistance," purportedly from a Chinese textile company. Thanks to Springfield paralegal Caren Mansfield, who alerted ISBA to the scam and the CBJ article.
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July 14, 2009
State
- Court revives Illinois abortion notification law, Chicago Sun-Times
Nation
- Senators question Sotomayor on Day 2 of hearings, ABA Journal
- Live video from Sotomayor hearing, Chicago Tribune
Central Illinois
- Lawyer's sexual assault conviction again overturned, Peoria Journal Star
- Testimony from commission on U. of I.
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July 14, 2009 |
ISBA News
[caption id="attachment_2169" align="alignright" width="300" caption="IBF Grants Committee Member Judge Nancy Katz of Chicago presents a $10,000 grant to Kendra Reinshagen, Executive Director of Legal Aid Bureau of Metropolitan Family Services in Chicago. "][/caption] The Illinois Bar Foundation Board of Directors is pleased to announce a $10,000 grant to Legal Aid Bureau of Metropolitan Family Services in Chicago, one of 32 grants awarded in 2009 totaling $304,995. Founded in 1886, the Legal Aid Bureau (LAB) of Metropolitan Family Services (MFS) is the oldest provider of legal services to low-income people in Chicago and the second oldest in the country. LAB provides free legal assistance to the impoverished, domestic violence victims, children and the elderly. This grant specifically supports LAB’s Poverty Law Project located at Metropolitan Family Services’ Midway and Calumet Community Centers, providing community-based consumer and housing law advice, representation and education to underserved residents of Chicago’s south side. As the charitable affiliate of the Illinois State Bar Association, the Illinois Bar Foundation’s mission is to ensure meaningful access to the justice system, especially for those with limited means, and to assist lawyers who can no longer support themselves due to incapacity.
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July 14, 2009 |
People
[caption id="attachment_2154" align="alignright" width="150" caption="Amy Richards"][/caption] Amy E. Richards is pleased to announce the opening of the Family Law Office of Amy E. Richards, with offices in Chicago and Buffalo Grove. She will be handling family law matters (divorce, paternity, custody, child support, post-decree) in Cook, DuPage, Lake, and McHenry counties and can be reached at (312) 523-2155 or at AER@AmyRichardsFamilyLaw.com. Click here to visit the Richards Family Law website
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July 13, 2009 |
People
Belongia, Shapiro & Hynes, LLP has moved to new law offices at 20 South Clark Street, Suite 300, Chicago. Belongia, Shapiro & Hynes, LLP expanded its offices due to its ever expanding client base and the addition of several new attorneys in 2009, doubling its size.
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July 13, 2009 |
Practice News
In a recent column for the Law Technology News, veteran lawyer and legal-tech writer Bob Ambrogi compared the two leading bar-sponsored legal research services, Fastcase and Casemaker. As he notes, Casemaker partners with 28 bars representing 475,000 lawyers, while Fastcase is offered by 17 state and other bars -- including the Illinois State Bar Association -- representing 380,000 lawyers. His conclusion? "[B]oth are worthwhile services with many similarities. In the coverage of federal and state libraries and the relative strengths of their search tools, neither stands out as significantly superior to the other. But in their intuitiveness and ease of use, Fastcase has the clear edge." Read his review.
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July 13, 2009
State
- Quinn OKs legalized video gambling to pay for construction program, Chicago Tribune
- Clout list's "magnitude" stunning, witnesses say, Champaign News-Gazette
- Illinois construction plan renews separation of church and state debate, Bloomington Pantagraph
Chicago area
- Cook County sues suburban schools office, Chicago Tribune
- FBI: It'll be tough identifying Burr Oak remains, Chicago Tribune
- Cubs may file bankruptcy, Chicago Tribune
Nation
- Sotomayor makes her case, Chicago Tribune
- Fresh fears for judges, Chicago Sun-Times
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July 13, 2009 |
Practice News
The rumor mill is spinning that effective July 1, 2009, Medicare Set-Aside (MSA) trusts are required for liability litigation as is already required in worker’s compensation. (Reimbursement by a plaintiff for previously paid benefits to Medicare is unchanged by the new law.) Although federal research is not my strong suit, I can’t find any support for this proposition. My best guess is that this rumor started because of the new § 111 reporting requirements included in the Medicare, Medicaid & SCHIP Act of 2007. (Public Law 111-173). Section 111 provisions are reporting requirements and do not mention any need for MSAs in liability cases. This new law simply requires those paying for judgments to report to Medicare payments of settlements, awards, judgments, or other payments. An argument is being posited that the previous law still in effect already requires MSAs in personal-injury cases for future medical expenses. (Medicare Secondary Payer Act). I cannot find any clear authority supporting that proposition.