ISBA Director of Legislative Affairs Jim Covington reviews bills in Springfield of interest to ISBA members. In this episode he covers Cook County residential real estate transactions (House Bill 2269), Guardians and disabled adults (Senate Bill 1612), Civil procedure service of summons (House Bill 3275), FOIA and judicial entities (Senate Bill 2222), Additional Cook County filing fee (House Bill 2976) and Service of process for civil cases (Senate Bill 1724). More information on the bill is available below the video.
Practice News
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March 7, 2013 |
Practice News
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March 6, 2013 |
Practice News
Asked and Answered
By John W. Olmstead, MBA, Ph.D, CMC
Q. We are based in Kansas City, Missouri. We have two partners, two associates, five staff members, and have been together for 6 years. The firm is the result of a merger of each of the two partner's practices a few years ago. The integration has not gone well. We are quite polarized. Each partner operates as a separate island, does his own thing without regard for the other partner, and staff follow suit. Each partner has very different practice values, approaches to practice, and goals. Conflict has escalated to the point when productivity and profitability has suffered and everyone is miserable. Would you share your thoughts?
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February 28, 2013 |
Practice News
The Illinois Supreme Court has delayed the effective date of new rules aimed at mitigating uncertainty in the foreclosure process.The Supreme Court is delaying the effective date to give additional time to the Special Committee which drafted the rules to determine how the rules would be applied to cases currently pending, or if they would apply only to new cases.
New Supreme Court Rule 113 and new Supreme Court Rule 114 initially were to go into effect on Friday March 1. In an Order filed Thursday, the Supreme Court delayed the effective date to May 1.
5 comments (Most recent March 1, 2013) -
February 28, 2013 |
Practice News
ISBA Director of Legislative Affairs Jim Covington reviews bills in Springfield of interest to ISBA members. In this episode he covers Filing fee increase (House Bill 2327), Recording of documents (Senate Bill 1728), Collaborative law for family law cases (Senate Bill 31), Forcible entry and detainer (House Bill 2360), Circuit court fees (House Bill 2505) and Litigation funding (House Bill 2301). More information on the bill is available below the video.
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February 27, 2013 |
Practice News
Asked and Answered
By John W. Olmstead, MBA, Ph.D, CMC
Q. I am the chair of our three member executive committee. We are a 20 attorney firm in Atlanta. We have 5 partners and 15 associates. We have done a terrible job of mentoring our associates and we need to do better. Do you have any ideas?
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February 27, 2013 |
Practice News | ISBA News
"Affordable Housing Development and Management" and "Tenant Rights in Subsidized Housing" will air on Illinois Law on Tuesdays in March. Both half hour programs will air on Chicago Access Network Television, Channel 21 in Chicago, at 10 p.m.
"Affordable Housing Development and Management" will air on March 5 and 19. Appearing on it will be (top photo, from left) Dilia Camacho-Saeedi, vice president of property management, Hispanic Housing Development Corporation, in Chicago; program moderator Nancy K. McKenna, of Provena Health, in Chicago; and Britt Shawver, chief executive officer, Housing Opportunities for Women, in Chicago.
"Tenant Rights in Subsidized Housing" will air on on March 12 and 26. Appearing on it will be (bottom photo, from left) Jeremy P. Bergstrom, staff attorney/Housing Justice, Sargent Shriver National Center on Poverty Law, in Chicago; Beverly Yang, Land of Lincoln Legal Assistance Foundation, Inc., in Alton; program moderator Nancy K. McKenna, of Provena Health, in Chicago; and J. Damian Ortiz, a clinical professor for the Housing Clinic at The John Marshall Law School, in Chicago.
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February 27, 2013 |
Practice News
The Illinois Supreme Court announced Wednesday the appointment of Morgan County State's Attorney Chris E. Reif as a resident circuit judge in the Seventh Judicial Circuit.
Mr. Reif was appointed to fill the Circuit Court vacancy created by the retirement of Judge Richard T. Mitchell on January 2. The appointment is effective March 22, 2013 and will expire December 1, 2014, when the position will be filled by the 2014 General Election.
Supreme Court Justice Rita B. Garman recommended the appointment to the Supreme Court after a review process by a special citizen screening committee.
"I am absolutely thrilled and honored with the appointment," Mr. Reif said. "I look forward to serving the citizens of Morgan County and will continue to put forth the same work effort as I have as state's attorney for 8+ years. I will uphold the standards expected of a circuit court judge.
"I thank the Supreme Court and Justice Garman for the opportunity."
Mr. Reif graduated from Illinois State University in 1993 with a degree in criminal justice. He received his juris doctor degree from Southern Illinois University School of Law in 1998. After graduation, Mr. Reif was hired as an associate with the law firm then known as Grosboll, Becker, Tice & Smith and was engaged in the general practice of law. He became a named partner of the firm within a couple of years and worked there until 2004.
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February 25, 2013 |
Practice News
Our panel of leading appellate attorneys review Friday's Illinois Supreme Court opinions in the criminal cases People v. Rivera, People v. Evans, People v. Eppinger and People v. Somers.
CRIMINAL
People v. Rivera
By Kerry J. Bryson, Office of the State Appellate Defender
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February 25, 2013 |
Practice News
Chief Judge John T. Elsner announced Friday that applications for the Office of Associate Judge of the 18th Judicial Circuit have been received from those on the list below.
The vacancy is the result of the elevation of Associate Judge Robert G. Kleeman to Circuit Judge.
As part of the review process conducted by the Circuit Judges, Chief Judge Elsner invites public comment by letter before March 7, 2013 to:
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February 24, 2013 |
People | Practice News
Justice Mary Ann G. McMorrow was a pioneer in opening opportunities for women in the law. She was greatly admired for her elegance, grace and style over a legal career that spanned five decades.
Justice McMorrow, 83, passed away Saturday after a brief illness.
Justice McMorrow was the first woman to serve on the Illinois Supreme Court and—as its Chief Justice from September 2002 to September 2005—was the first woman to head a branch of Illinois government. Or, as she put it at her swearing in as Chief, "I am the 115th Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Illinois. You will notice after I take off my robe that I am the only one of the 114 chief justices who preceded me that wears a skirt."
Justice McMorrow had a remarkable legal career.
It began with graduation as the only woman in her class from the School of Law at Loyola University in 1953, continued as the first woman to try felony cases as an assistant Cook County state's attorney and culminated with her selection as Chief by her colleagues on the Supreme Court.
She served on the Supreme Court from 1992 until her retirement July 5, 2006. Her tenure as Chief Justice began September 5, 2002 and concluded September 4, 2005.
Throughout her career, indeed throughout her lifetime, Justice McMorrow assumed and maintained a strong mentor's role for women who wished to enter and serve in the law. She accomplished this always in graceful fashion, earning the respect, admiration and fondness of colleagues, legal adversaries and ordinary citizens crossing gender lines.
2 comments (Most recent February 25, 2013)