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  • August 13, 2012 | ISBA News | Events
    Solo and Small Firm Conference returns to Chicagoland - early bird deadline is Aug. 20

    The Illinois State Bar Association's 8th Annual Solo & Small Firm Conference returns to Chicagoland Sept. 13-15 at the Westin Northwest Chicago in Itasca. Register by Aug. 20 for the Early Bird discount -- a savings of $75. Earn up to 15 hours of MCLE credit, including all 6 hours of PMCLE credit.

    Top 10 Reasons To Attend This Year’s Conference

    1. Networking with like-minded peers from across the state!
    2. Crowd favorite program Gizmos & Gadgets returns
    3. Basic and advanced Fastcase legal research training
    4. New location in Itasca, just northwest of Chicago
    5. Individual counseling on how to market your firm
    6. Mobile Device App to put Conference info you need at your fingertips
    7. Comedians-at-Law at Friday night social event
    8. Plenary speaker Todd Winegar's Trials of the Century Overview program
    9. New 4th track of programming – Practice Fundamentals
    10. 15 HRS MCLE/ 6 HRS PMCLE credit available

    Learn more and register today at www.isba.org/soloconference

  • August 10, 2012 | ISBA News
    John Locallo appointed to Executive Council of the National Conference of Bar Presidents

    ISBA Immediate Past President John G. Locallo has been named to the Executive Council of the National Conference of Bar Presidents (NCBP).

    The NCBP was founded in 1950 to provide information and training to state and local bar association leaders. Included among its many distinguished past presidents are former ABA Presidents Chesterfield Smith, Leonard Janofsky, George Bushnell, Bill Paul and Steven Zak, as well as current ABA President, Laurel G. Bellows.

    The current organizational members of NCBP include state and local bars from 53 states and territories. The Executive Council consists of recent bar presidents who want to share their experiences and perspectives with current bar leaders.

    The NCBP provides high-quality programming to current bar leaders at two meetings held each year contemporaneously with the annual and midyear meetings of the ABA.

    For more information, click on: http://www.ncbp.org/index.cfm

     

  • August 8, 2012 | ISBA News | Practice News
    ISBA raises issue of nonlawyer ownership of law firms before ABA House of Delegates

    President John E. Thies presented ISBA’s position against changing ABA ethics guidelines to permit nonlawyer ownership of law firms and sharing of law firm fees with nonlawyers in debate before the ABA House of Delegates on Monday. The ISBA Board of Governors passed a resolution in support of retaining a previously-adopted ABA policy that disallows such arrangements. ISBA and the ABA Senior Lawyers Division were the lead sponsors of Resolution 10A in the House of Delegates.

    Resolution 10A seeks to reaffirm existing ABA policy that dates from 2000 – the MacCrate Resolution. That followed from an effort by accounting firms to provide legal services to their clients.

    These accounting firms were dismissive of our ethical rules and persuaded an ABA commission that we should abolish the Rule 5.4 prohibition against the sharing of legal fees with non-lawyers and non-lawyer ownership.

    This was Multi-Disciplinary Practice, or “MDP”, and permitting it was described as a critical part of providing better service to clients – it was supposed to be “consumer” friendly.

    In actuality, it was an attempt to pad the bottom line at the expense of client service and protection.

    Read the full text of President Thies’ remarks here

  • August 6, 2012 | Practice News | Member Services | ISBA News
    Illinois Lawyer Finder makes 659 referrals in July

    The Illinois State Bar Association’s Lawyer Finder Service provides referrals to local lawyers Mondays through Fridays. The Service makes referrals in a number of areas of law. For the month of July 2012 ISBA helped people in need of legal services find lawyers in the following areas:

    • Administrative Law - 13
    • Animal Law - 3
    • Bankruptcy - 1
    • Business Law - 7                     
    • Civil Disputes - 54                  
    • Civil Rights - 17          
    • Collection - 34
    • Consumer Protection - 10
    • Contracts – 12
    • Criminal Law - 74
    • Education Law - 11
    • Elder law - 4
    • Employment Law - 88
    • Estate/Probate Law - 34
    • Family - 101
    • Government Benefits - 15
    • Health Law - 11
    • Immigration - 3
    • Insurance Disputes - 7
    • Intellectual Property - 4
    • Miscellaneous - 3
    • Municipal Law - 7
    • Personal Injury - 69
    • Real Estate - 55
    • Social Security - 16
    • Tax - 1
    • Workers Compensation - 5

    These numbers do not include additional referrals made through the online Lawyer Finder service.

    Want to be part of the ISBA Lawyer Finder Service?  Call (800) 252-8908 and ask for the Legal Department, or visit www.illinoislawyerfinder.com

    Clients should call (800) 922-8757.

  • August 3, 2012 | ISBA News | Practice News
    ABA Young Lawyers Division backs ISBA position on nonlawyer ownership of law firms

    Illinois State Bar Association President John E. Thies debated the merits of an ethics proposal that would allow nonlawyers to be owners of and share fees of law firms before the American Bar Association's Young Lawyers Division Assembly on Friday afternoon in Chicago. The ISBA Board of Governors passed a resolution in support of retaining a previously-adopted ABA policy that disallows such arrangements.

    Thies debated former ABA President Tommy Wells on the issue. ISBA members Christopher Niro and ABA YLD Chair Michael G. Bergmann also spoke on behalf of the measure. The YLD Assembly voted 89-65 in support of ISBA's resolution. The issue is scheduled for consideration by the ABA House of Delegates on Monday, Aug. 6.

    The resolution reaffirms the ABA policy – adopted in 2000 – that law firms shall not be owned by non-lawyers and legal fees shall not be shared with non-lawyers. Proposals that would change this policy have been circulated in connection with the work of the ABA’s Commission on Ethics 20/20.

    1 comment (Most recent August 7, 2012)
  • July 25, 2012 | ISBA News | Practice News
    ISBA Board supports Fairness in Disclosure of Evidence Act

    The Illinois State Bar Association's Board of Governors approved a resolution  at its July meeting in support of the federal Fairness in Disclosure of Evidence Act of 2012, S. 2197 (Murkowski, R-Alaska). This act, which is pending before the Senate Judiciary Committee, codifies Brady v. Maryland to require the attorney for the U.S. government to disclose favorable information to the defendant in criminal prosecutions. Instances of the withholding of exculpatory evidence favorable to the accused have been cited in several cases, including the conviction of U.S. Senator Ted Stevens. Illinois Senator Richard Durbin sits as a member of the Judiciary Committee.

    The ISBA Criminal Justice Section voted unanimously to support S. 2197. Read the resolution adopted by the Board of Governors at Fairness in Disclosure of Evidence Act.pdf.

  • July 25, 2012 | ISBA News
    Business buying programs to air on Illinois Law

    “The Business Buying Process” and “How to Find a Business to Buy,” half-hour programs presented by Illinois Law, will air on Chicago Access Network Television, Channel 21 in Chicago at 10 p.m. on Tuesdays in July and August.

    “How to Find a Business to Buy” will air on Tuesday, July 31. Appearing on the show will be Todd C. Cushing, principal, EBIT Associates, Ltd., in Barrington; program moderator John T. Theis, a Chicago lawyer; William A. Price, of Growth Law, in Warrenville; and Markus May, an associate at Eckhart Kolak, LLC, in Chicago.

    “The Business Buying Process” will air on Tuesday, August 7. Appearing on the show will be Jeffrey A. Gonyo, managing director, Geneva Glen Capital, LLC, in Chicago; program moderator John T. Theis, a Chicago lawyer; William A. Price, of Growth Law, in Warrenville; and Markus May, an associate at Eckhart Kolak, LLC, in Chicago.

    Illinois Law is a cable production of the Illinois State Bar Association can also be viewed online at http://iln.isba.org/blog/illinois-law-video.

  • July 24, 2012 | ISBA News | Events
    Midyear Meeting to be held Dec. 13-15

    The 2012 Midyear Meeting will be held at the Sheraton Hotel & Towers in Chicago from Dec. 13–15. Take advantage of this opportunity to make your reservations for lodging early by visiting www.starwoodmeeting.com/book/isba1212. Rates are $139 for single or double occupancy, plus applicable state and local tax. A deposit of first night’s lodging is required. Check-in after 4 p.m. and check-out before noon.

    The deadline for making reservations for lodging is on or before Nov. 19, 2012. Reservations received after this date will be subject to availability. The deposit will be forfeited for all no-shows, early departures and cancellations less than 24 hours prior to arrival.

    Watch for additional details, schedule of events and registration information on our website www.isba.org and Illinois Lawyer Now.

  • July 19, 2012 | ISBA News
    Holderman, Edwards, Grayson, Mascherin, Sharp named to 100 Women Making a Difference

    Illinois State Bar Association President-elect Paula Hudson Holderman has been named as one of the "100 Women Making a Difference” by Today's Chicago Woman. She will be featured in the July 2012 issue.

    Holderman, who will become ISBA President-elect at the Annual Meeting in June, is the chief attorney development officer for Winston & Strawn LLP. In 2011, she took the lead to establish the ISBA's Law and Leadership Institute to expose diverse young women and men to the profession of law.

    Other ISBA members named to the list included Winston & Strawn Capital Partner Christine Edwards, Jenner & Block Partners E. Lynn Grayson and Terri Mascherin and Elizabeth Sharp, founding partner of the Law Offices of Elizabeth D. Sharp.

  • July 13, 2012 | ISBA News
    New ISBA secretary, treasurer elected at Board meeting

    The Illinois State Bar Association's Board of Governors elected a new secretary and treasurer at its meeting Friday in Chicago.

    John Nisivaco (left) will serve as secretary. Nisivaco is a partner with the Chicago firm of Boudreau Nisivaco LLC. In 2011, he was elected to the Board has been elected to the Assembly three times. He has also served as chair of the ISBA Tort Law Section Council. Russell K. Scott of Belleville served as secretary for 2011-2012.

    Judge Stephen Pacey (right) of Paxton was named treasurer. He is serving his sixth year on the Board and has been a Ford County circuit judge since 1996. He has served on the Assembly and a multitude of committees and sections during his 38 years as an ISBA member. He was preceded as treasurer by Karen A. Enright of Chicago.

    The Board welcomed new members Charles Y. Davis of Springfield, Jean A. Kenol of Joliet and Sonni Choi Williams of Peoria. Chicago attorney Mark Karno was appointed to the Board seat vacated when Umberto S. Davi was elected 3rd Vice President.