The Illinois Supreme Court has appointed Robert G. Gibson as Circuit Judge in DuPage County. Gibson replaces the Hon. Perry R. Thompson, who is retiring. The appointment is effective Aug. 2 and terminates on Dec. 3, 2012.
Practice News
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July 1, 2010 |
Practice News
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July 1, 2010 |
Practice News
By Peter LaSorsa It is probably easier to find an attorney who still uses a typewriter than one who doesn’t own a Smartphone — although they are probably one in the same. Here are a few tips that may help you become more productive or just get more out of your current phone. For Blackberry owners, make sure you are always updating the device software. Desktop Software 5.0.01 is the latest and greatest. There will be an application on your phone that says Wireless updates — click to update the latest software. You can also go to the Research in Motion website to download the latest version. When you finish downloading, launch the Blackberry Desktop Manager and click Backup And Restore from the Main Menu. Click on the Options button under Backup and you can enable or disable the device memory backup and file encryption. You can also automatically backup the device with these settings. For iPhone users, one tip when viewing long documents or web pages, instead of scrolling back and forth, tap the top edge of the visible screen (where you see the time, battery meter and network provider). The page will rapidly scroll to the top of the document or page. Another tip for iPhone users is to not spend time typing .com or www. Simply highlight the URL field in Safari, tap the X to clear it and type the name of the domain you wish to go to — for example ISBA and you will automatically be taken to ISBA.org. The browser will not only take you to the website adding the .org prefix but also will check to see is there is a mobile version of the website.
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June 30, 2010 |
Practice News
Asked and Answered By John W. Olmstead, MBA, Ph.D, CMC Q. I am the managing partner in a three attorney firm and am having problems with office staff members getting along. Office conflict is rampant. Any suggestions? A. You must begin by identifying some of the causes. Poor communications often can be the root cause of such problems. Interview each of your staff members individually and probe. What do they think? Is communications a problem? Are roles, duties, and responsibilities clarified? Lack of clarity can in these areas can lead to turf wars. You may want to design job descriptions for each employee and clarify roles, duties, and responsibilities for each employee. Conduct short weekly staff meetings to enhance communications. Use agendas. Take minutes of the meetings. Advise everyone of your expectations including all members working together as team members. Let them know that working together as a team is a performance factor that will be considered in performance evaluations and reviews. Conduct periodic performance reviews. Counsel and take action against problem employees. John W. Olmstead, MBA, Ph.D, CMC, is a past chair and member of the ISBA Standing Committee on Law Office Management and Economics. For more information on law office management please direct questions to the ISBA listserver, which John and other committee members review, or view archived copies of The Bottom Line Newsletters. Contact John at jolmstead@olmsteadassoc.com.
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June 29, 2010 |
Practice News
The Informant! What a movie. Illinois Lawyer Now gives it two thumbs up. After all, how can we resist a Hollywood flick that's based in Illinois and features a lawyer among its heroes? Especially a lawyer who happens to be former CLE program chair for the ISBA Antitrust & Unfair Competition Law Section, fer cryin' out loud? ISBA's Antitrust Law newsletter couldn't resist, either. In the latest issue, Jennifer Dixton and Kalina Tulley of the DOJ's antitrust division interview Jim Mutchnik, a former division lawyer now with Kirkland and Ellis who was portrayed in The Informant! by Jayden Lund. (Jayden doesn't look a thing like Jim.) Also read an earlier interview with Jim and FBI agent Bob Herndon in the WSJ Law Blog.
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June 26, 2010 |
Practice News
By Lisa Colpoys
Looking for Pro bono case pairing and mentor matching system? If so, the brand new Pro Bono Case Pairing and Mentor Matching System found at www.IllinoisProBono.org is here to help you! This system connects pro bono volunteers with one another as mentors and mentees or as case partners. Ultimately, the system is designed to make pro bono work more accessible, efficient and effective for pro bono attorneys and the clients they serve.
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June 24, 2010 |
Practice News
CRIMINAL
People v. Boeckmann
By Kerry J. Bryson, Office of the State Appellate Defender These consolidated cases involved a constitutional challenge to Section 6-206(a)(43) of the Illinois Vehicle Code, the statutory provision which requires suspension of driving privileges for 90 days for any person receiving court supervision for unlawful consumption of alcohol under 21 years of age. The circuit court held that the statute, as applied, violated due process because a vehicle was not involved in the commission of the offense. The Supreme Court disagreed. The purpose of 6-206(a)(43) is to "promote the safe and legal operation and ownership of motor vehicles." Suspension of driving privileges bears a rational relationship to that purpose because "young people who have a driver's license and consume alcohol illegally may also drive after consuming alcohol regardless of whether a motor vehicle is involved." And, the suspension of driving privileges is a reasonable method of furthering the public interest in safe and legal operation of motor vehicles, despite the absence of a vehicle or any plan to drive. So, for persons under 21, it doesn't matter if a vehicle is involved in the commission of the offense of unlawful consumption of alcohol. It doesn't even matter if a person under 21 who commits the offense of unlawful consumption of alcohol contemplates driving or not. -
June 23, 2010 |
Practice News
Asked and Answered By John W. Olmstead, MBA, Ph.D, CMC Q. We are a 24 attorney firm in Northwestern Wisconsin. We have recently been discussing the feasibility of hiring our first legal administrator. How large should a firm be when it is time to hire an administrator? A. There is no magic size. We just completed an engagement recruiting an administrator for a 14 attorney firm. A couple of months ago we recruited one for a seven attorney firm. We also have law firm clients with over 40 attorneys that don’t have an administrator. I believe that an administrator, or office manager, is appropriate in firms of all sizes. It is a matter of attitude and commitment on the part of the partners and whether they are willing to delegate responsibility and authority to an administrator to run the day-to-day operations of the firm. The firm should start with a job description and then decide whether the firm is willing to delegate responsibility and authority. If not, the firm should not hire an administrator. John W. Olmstead, MBA, Ph.D, CMC, is a past chair and member of the ISBA Standing Committee on Law Office Management and Economics. For more information on law office management please direct questions to the ISBA listserver, which John and other committee members review, or view archived copies of The Bottom Line Newsletters. Contact John at jolmstead@olmsteadassoc.com.
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June 22, 2010 |
Practice News
The ISBA YLDNews has a great now-and-again feature by Anna P. Krolikowska of Northbrook. Called "What can I be with a J.D.?," it's devoted to law-related but nonlawyering jobs. The latest installment spotlights Laurel Hajek, who talks about her role as assistant dean for career services at John Marshall Laurel describes her job (she loves working with law students, whose “enthusiasm and energy is contagious") and offers pointers to people who think they might like to do what she does (for starters, "maintain strong ties with [your] law school"). Read the interview.
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June 22, 2010 |
Practice News
The Illinois Supreme Court has appointed Brendan A. Maher as Circuit Judge of the 17th Judicial Circuit, Third Subcircuit, Judgeship A. This appointment is effective Aug. 2, 2010 and terminates on Dec. 3, 2012.
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June 17, 2010 |
Practice News
By Shamla Naidoo Some of you may have read an article published in the June 2010 issue of the ABA Journal, “A Scam by Any Name.” In it, the author discusses the growing number of online scam artists targeting law firms and legal professionals, including a single scam that cost six firms in Hawaii over half a million dollars. This type of scam is an unfortunate fact of life in our increasingly interconnected world. Advice from the FBI that “most attorneys are smart enough to just delete these emails, or regard them with suspicion” is like saying don’t open email with viruses – if we knew about the virus, we wouldn’t open the email. In the physical world, we pay attention to clues that help alert us to dangerous situations. We know better than to walk down dark alleys at night or flash cash in cities known for high crime. However, not all of us apply the same “street savvy” while online; even if we do, malicious emails look like normal emails to a casual viewer. A website set up by criminals may look exactly the same as that of a legitimate organization and sometimes is even a copy of a real website with a few technical differences invisible to the naked eye. Rather than telling them not to become victims, it is more helpful to educate lawyers on “red flags” that often characterize suspicious electronic correspondence.