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  • April 26, 2015 | ISBA News
    Nominations sought for ISBA Legal Education Award — Deadline is April 30

    The Committee on Legal Education, Admissions and Competence has established "The Excellence on Legal Education Award" designed to annually honor a law school program that emphasizes real world skill for students.

    Criteria

    • Must be a program, class, clinic or other initiative focused on teaching practical skills as an ABA accredited law school affiliated with the ISBA;
    • Must provide students with an opportunity to practice identifiable, practical legal skills, including but not limited to skills related to advocacy, transactional representation, law office management or ethics.
  • April 23, 2015 | ISBA News
    Last day to vote is April 30

    Voting in the ISBA election ends at 4:30 p.m. CT on Thursday, April 30th. Paper ballots must be received at VR Election Services in Texas by 4:30 p.m. CT on Thursday, April 30 in order to be counted.

    Have you received your ISBA ballot?  

    If not, please contact VRES at (800) 218-4026 or custserv@vres.us.

    ISBA's election provider VR Election Services (VRES) emailed e-ballots to members with valid email addresses and mailed paper ballots to members without valid email addresses on Thursday, March 26, 2015. Candidate biographies can be found in the March Illinois Bar Journal.

  • April 22, 2015 | ISBA News
    2016 Lincoln Award Legal Writing Contest

    The Illinois State Bar Association invites YLD members to share their hard-won knowledge, and maybe win $2,000 in prize money by entering the Annual Lincoln Award Legal Writing Contest.

    We're looking for useful, practical articles on topics important to practicing lawyers. The highest scores will go to manuscripts that Illinois lawyers can use in their practices, written in a no-nonsense, plain-English style.

    If you're an ISBA lawyer member under age 36 as of July 1, 2015 or admitted to the bar fewer than five years as of that date, you're eligible to compete for a share of the $3,500 in Lincoln Award prize money and a handsome plaque for your office. And even if you don't win, yours may be among the many Lincoln Award entries to appear in the Illinois Bar Journal.

    The deadline for filing a notice to enter the contest is July 15, 2015; use our online form. A brief outline of the article must be submitted on or before August 15, 2015; email the outline to Jean Fenski at jfenski@isba.org. The final deadline for manuscripts is noon Thursday, October 1, 2015; manuscripts should be emailed by noon to Jean Fenski at jfenski@isba.org.

    The contest is sponsored by and for members of the Young Lawyers Division. A distinguished panel of judges will evaluate the entries. Please read the contest rules at http://www.isba.org/ibj/lincolnwritingaward

  • April 9, 2015 | ISBA News | Events
    YLD Professional Development Series: Legal Malpractice Pitfalls for Young Lawyers

    The ISBA Young Lawyers Division will host "Legal Malpractice Pitfalls for Young Lawyers" on Monday, April 20 from noon-1 p.m. at the ISBA Chicago Office, 20 S. Clark, Ste. 900.

    Studies show that approximately 1 in 10 lawyers will be sued for malpractice during their career. Even meritless claims can burden you and your firm with both financial and emotional costs. By law, attorneys are not required to obtain legal malpractice insurance. Moreover, some types of legal malpractice insurance only provide coverage for certain conditions. This presentation will highlight common mistakes young lawyers make that often result in malpractice claims, provide steps to take to avoid these pitfalls, discuss an overview of important features of malpractice insurance policies, and evaluate the risk of young attorneys who find themselves in hot water.

    YLD Professional Development Luncheons are aimed at teaching law students and young attorneys practical steps in developing their legal careers.

    Presenters:

  • April 7, 2015 | Member Services | ISBA News
    Illinois Lawyer Finder makes over 900 referrals in March

    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 March 2015, ISBA helped people in need of legal services find lawyers in the following areas:

    Here are the results for March 2015:

    • 904 phone referrals made by Lawyer Finder staff
    • Most requested areas of law: Family (151), Civil Disputes (82), Real Estate (68), Criminal Law (67), Personal Injury (55), Employment Law (51) and Civil Rights (32).
    • 20,920 visits to IllinoisLawyerFinder.com (18,831 unique visitors)

    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.

  • March 27, 2015 | ISBA News | Events
    YLD Professional Development Series: Legal Malpractice Pitfalls for Young Lawyers

    The ISBA Young Lawyers Division will host "Legal Malpractice Pitfalls for Young Lawyers" on Monday, April 20 from noon-1 p.m. at the ISBA Chicago Office, 20 S. Clark, Ste. 900.

    Studies show that approximately 1 in 10 lawyers will be sued for malpractice during their career. Even meritless claims can burden you and your firm with both financial and emotional costs. By law, attorneys are not required to obtain legal malpractice insurance. Moreover, some types of legal malpractice insurance only provide coverage for certain conditions. This presentation will highlight common mistakes young lawyers make that often result in malpractice claims, provide steps to take to avoid these pitfalls, discuss an overview of important features of malpractice insurance policies, and evaluate the risk of young attorneys who find themselves in hot water.

    YLD Professional Development Luncheons are aimed at teaching law students and young attorneys practical steps in developing their legal careers.

    Presenters:

  • March 27, 2015 | ISBA News
    Voting Underway in ISBA Election

    Have you received your ISBA ballot?  

    If not, please contact VRES at (800) 218-4026 or custserv@vres.us.

    ISBA's election provider VR Election Services (VRES) emailed e-ballots to members with valid email addresses and mailed paper ballots to members without valid email addresses on Thursday, March 26, 2015. Candidate biographies can be found in the March Illinois Bar Journal.

  • March 26, 2015 | ISBA News | Events
    Ask A Lawyer Day set for April 25

    Join us at either of our two locations - Springfield volunteers especially needed!

    Saturday, April 25, 2015
    9 a.m. - 2 p.m.

    Please consider volunteering to help the public with their legal questions and, at the same time, enhance the image of the profession.

    Each year, to recognize and celebrate Law Day, the Illinois State Bar Association sponsors "Ask A Lawyer Day," a day during which volunteers respond to telephone calls from the public and answer general legal questions free of charge. This is a state-wide public relations effort that receives considerable attention from the public and the media.

    "Ask A Lawyer Day" volunteer lawyers in Springfield will answer calls at the Illinois Bar Center offices from 9 a.m. – 2 p.m. Volunteer lawyers in the Chicago area, will volunteer in the Chicago Office from 9 a.m. – 2 p.m.

    If you are interested in volunteering, please complete the online form at www.isba.org/askalawyervolunteer. 

    Please let us know by April 3 if you would like to participate.

  • March 24, 2015 | Events | ISBA News
    ISBA hosts DePaul law student reception

    On the Evening of March 19, 2015, five alumni of the University of DePaul College of Law engaged in honest and practical conversations with current law students on the realities of practicing law. The students left this event feeling better suited to enter the approaching summer job market.

    On hand for the event were (Back, from left): Mr. Stephan Blandin, Romanucci & Blandin, LLC; Mr. Johner T. Wilson III, Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard & Smith, LLP.  (Front, from left): Colleen Mulligan, ’17 ISBA Student Rep; Ms. Sarah Moravia, Avery Camerlingo Kill, LLC;  Ms. Kristy Lee, Plante Moran;  Ms. Erin M. Wilson, O’Connor Family Law, P.C.;  Sherry H. Joseph, ‘17 ISBA Student Rep;  and Steven Haamid, ‘17. Photo credit: Michael A. Coleman, Jr

  • March 23, 2015 | ISBA News
    Nominations sought for ISBA Legal Education Award

    The Committee on Legal Education, Admissions and Competence has established "The Excellence on Legal Education Award" designed to annually honor a law school program that emphasizes real world skill for students.

    Criteria

    • Must be a program, class, clinic or other initiative focused on teaching practical skills as an ABA accredited law school affiliated with the ISBA;
    • Must provide students with an opportunity to practice identifiable, practical legal skills, including but not limited to skills related to advocacy, transactional representation, law office management or ethics.