Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan will announce that she will seek re-election -- and not run for governor or the U.S. Senate, the State Journal-Register is attributing to a report from the Washington Post.
Madigan has called a 2 p.m. press conference.
More from the Sun-Times' Lynn Sweet
Hinsdale lawyer and lawmaker Kirk Dillard will announce his candidacy for Illinois governor later today, according to an AP story.
Chicago Area
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July 8, 2009
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July 8, 2009 |
ISBA News
President O'Brien discusses diversity and the need for Illinois to do a better job of providing legal help for low-income families. The new president of the Illinois State Bar Association describes himself as "the suburban white Irish guy," but John O'Brien thinks the profession and the association need more diversity. Click here for the full story
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July 7, 2009 |
Practice News
As Helen Gunnarsson reports in the July Ilinois Bar Journal, "lawyers with file drawers or boxes of original wills for long-lost clients may rejoice: there’s finally a way to get them out of the office. Assuming a new bill is signed into law, the Illinois Secretary of State will take them off lawyers’ hands – for a small fee, of course." The law was drafted by ISBA Trusts and Estates Section Council member Ray Koenig.
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July 7, 2009
Central Illinois
- Woman gets 6 years for cutting brother-in-law during sex, Bloomington Pantagraph
Chicago area
- Barnes & Thornburg adds 5 BigLaw laterals in Chicago, ABA Journal
- Charges dropped in 20-year-old murder case, Chicago Sun-Times
Northern Illinois
- Quad-City Die Casting union files charges with NLRB, Quad-City Times
- Rockford design firm sued for piracy, fraud, Rockford Register Star
Southern Illinois
- Foreclosure rates double in Madison County, triple in St. Clair, Belleville News-Democrat
Nation
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July 7, 2009
The Legal Assistance Foundation of Metropolitan Chicago has two opening for staff attorneys. The first position is for its Immigration Project at the downtown office (111 W. Jackson). This staff attorney will handle cases for immigrant victims of crime and trafficking and help them apply for U and T visas. The second position if for a bilingual staff attorney at the Northwest Service Office (1279 N. Milwaukee). LAF is looking to fill this position with an attorney who is a member of the Illinois Bar and is committed to working with low-income clients and is fluent in speaking and writing Spanish or Polish. The deadline for applications is July 20, 2009. Click here for more information or to e-mail a resume.
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July 6, 2009 |
People
[caption id="attachment_1813" align="alignright" width="150" caption="Sandra Crawford"][/caption] Sandra Crawford of the Chicago firm of Law Crawford, P.C., was installed as the 2009-2010 President of the Collaborative Law Institute of Illinois on June 1. Currently, Crawford concentrates her practice in the areas of Family Law, Real Estate Law, Collaborative Practice and Mediation. Crawford obtained her Bachelors of Arts degree from DePaul University, Chicago, in 1984, and her Juris Doctorate from The John Marshall Law School in 1989. Collaborative Practice is an emerging model of dispute resolution which is actively practiced in 17 countries around the globe. The education in and growth of this newest dispute resolution model in Illinois is the primary mission of The Collaborative Law Institute of Illinois (CLII), a not-for-profit volunteer organization established in 2002. Crawford has been an active member of CLII since its inception. Crawford is a Fellow in the Collaborative Law Institute of Illinois and a member of the International Academy of Collaborative Professionals. She is also a member of the Illinois State Bar Association (a member of the ISBA Assembly and Vice-Chair of the Women and the Law Committee), the Chicago Bar Association and the Illinois Real Estate Lawyers Association.
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July 6, 2009
State
- U. of I. chancellor: Clout system must be fixed, Chicago Tribune
Central Illinois
- Former Clinton cop pleads guilty to stealing evidence, Bloomington Pantagraph
Chicago Area
- Former Cook County State's Attorney Dick Devine joins Resolute Systems, Illinois Lawyer Now
- Jenner & Block ranked top pro bono law firm, ABA Journal
Southern Illinois
- Judge delays ruling in lawsuit over Coleman murders, St. Louis Post-Dispatch
- DUIs kept in check at roadside stops over holiday weekend, Belleville News-Democrat
Nation
- In two states, a lower bar for conviction, New York Times
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July 6, 2009 |
People
[caption id="attachment_1792" align="alignright" width="170" caption="Dick Devine"][/caption] Former Cook County State's Attorney Richard A. Devine has joined Resolute Systems, LLC's Chicago office to provide mediation, arbitration, and Alternative Dispute Resolution services, the company announced. Mr. Devine, a partner at Meckler Bulger Tilson Marick & Pearson LLP, will concentrate his mediation practice on the resolution of complex commercial, public entity, employment and products liability disputes. "Mediation is an important alternative to litigation. It gives adversaries a vehicle for resolving disputes short of going to court and helps unclog our judicial system," said Dick Devine. "I am proud to be part of a team that seeks to settle conflicts fairly and economically and look forward to my work at Resolute Systems." Resolute vice-president of consulting Michael E. Weinzierl said that Mr. Devine will help fill the growing demand for mediators with the knowledge, skill and expertise to help Chicago lawyers and their clients settle complex litigation. Resolute Systems was founded in Milwaukee in 1988, Resolute Systems has offices throughout the country and mediates thousands of cases across the U.S. each year. Resolute established its Chicago office in 1992. Illinois Lawyer Now is happy to announce transitions for ISBA members. Please include name, position, law firm, practice areas, education information and former employer.
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July 6, 2009 |
Practice News
Last week the Supreme Court of Illinois issued new Illinois Rules of Professional Conduct to take effect Jan. 1, 2010. New Rule 3.9 has created quite a buzz among the lawyer-lobbyists as to what it means. It may have broader applicability than those of us who lobby in Springfield to include appearances before other governmental bodies. The Rule states that “A lawyer representing a client before a legislative body or administrative agency in a nonadjudicative proceeding shall disclose that the appearance is in a representative capacity and shall conform to the provisions of Rules 3.3(a) through (c), 3.4(a) through (c), and 3.5.” The incorporation of Rule 3.5 creates the buzz. Rule 3.5 prohibits ex parte communication with an official during the proceeding. Can this be construed to prohibit all lobbying by a lawyer-lobbyist unless it is part of a scheduled public hearing? In other words, is all I can do to lobby is testify in committee? No position papers to elected members of the General Assembly? No one-on-one individual lobbying? I can’t imagine that was the intent. Rule 3.5’s title is “Impartiality and Decorum of the Tribunal.” Key word is “tribunal.” It is defined in Rule 1.0(m) as follows: “Tribunal” denotes a court, an arbitrator in a binding arbitration proceeding or a legislative body, administrative agency or other body acting in an adjudicative capacity.
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July 6, 2009 |
ISBA News
Chicago Sun-Times Advertising Critic Lew Lazare discussed the Illinois State Bar Association's Lincoln mosaic poster in today's column: The organization's latest marketing initiative from & Wojdyla is a poster that features a prominent image of Abraham Lincoln, perhaps Illinois' most famous -- and readily recognizable -- attorney. But recently a few other attorneys with strong connections to Illinois also have become almost as famous as Lincoln, and they are included in the dense collage of tiny headshots of past or present ISBA members that are superimposed over the poster's dominant Lincoln image. ISBA members can also submit their photo to danderson@isba.org to be seen in the next edition of the poster. Click here to read the full story (3rd item) Click here to order the poster