Practice News

The strain of deployment isn't just felt by Servicemembers. Military families live with the pressures of war thousands of miles away. Lengthy separations, the realities of single parenting, financial stress, constant worry for loved one's safety and difficult communications takes a toll that is sometimes irreparable.

Military Families need local legal assistance.

What should be a joyful reunion can turn painful when family life becomes an unexpected casualty of war. The life they thought they were getting back, in some cases, has ceased to exist. Military families often need local legal help or mediation to face failing marriages, custody and child support issues, and the division of assets.

Sometimes they need help moving forward.

An attorney from their community who understands the intricacies of the state and federal laws affecting military personnel and family law is the kind of advocate military families need most.

Learn how you can help. 

To sign up please go to – http://militarylegalsupport.com

Circuit Court of Cook County Chief Judge Timothy C. Evans was elected to a fifth term as chief judge Tuesday by an overwhelming majority of circuit judges voting. His new three year term will begin December 2, 2013.

The results were announced by Judge Raymond L. Jagielski , chair of the Judicial Election Committee, who said Chief Judge Evans ran for re-election unopposed. Other committee members included: Judge Mary Ellen Coghlan, Judge Lynn M. Egan, Judge Marya Nega, Judge Leida J. Gonzalez Santiago, Judge Jane Louise Stuart, Judge Shelley Sutker-Dermer, and Judge E. Kenneth Wright, Jr.

According to Jagielski, the election was held today, September 10, 2013, in the Richard J. Daley Center’s Jury Assembly Room. Jagielski said 239 votes were cast; of those, seven were spoiled and the remaining 232 were cast for Chief Judge Evans.

Governor Quinn has signed a bill that requires defendants in most civil actions to provide plaintiffs with an executed release within 14 days of a written settlement agreement.

The law requires such a defendant to pay all sums due under the settlement agreement to the plaintiff within 30 days of when the defendant tendered its release to the opposing party. If a defendant fails to timely pay the money damages, the plaintiff may obtain a judgment against the defendant in the amount set forth in the executed release, plus costs and interest. Find out more in the September IBJ.

Asked and Answered

By John W. Olmstead, MBA, Ph.D, CMC

Q. We are a 12 attorney firm in Dallas. Our practice areas are business transaction and litigation. We also have an active energy practice. The past two years have been difficult for us financially. What are some of the successful firms doing right?

A. In spite of the recent economic woes many small firms have still done well. Many of these firms were those that:

• Were focused
• Had a sense of where they were and where they were heading
• Had a vision and a strategy
• Had business and financial plans
• Had goals and measured attainment
• Fostered accountability from self and others
• Were proactive
• Worked the books and managed the RULES (Rate, Utilization, Leverage, Expense Control, Collection Speed)

I believe that law firms that fail to focus their practices, set goals, measure accomplishments, and foster accountability will fall short and not meet their financial objectives. Law firms that fail to plan are planning to fail.

Law firms as well as solo practices need to begin focusing their firms and practices, setting firm and individual production goals, measure accomplishment and implementing systems to instill accountability from all members of the team - attorneys and staff alike.

What gets measured is what gets done.

Click here for our blog on law firm strategy