The Illinois high court ruled recently that it isn't reversible error for a trial court to defer ruling on motions in limine to exclude prior convictions unless defendants testify -- and that's bad news for defendants who choose not to testify, as Helen Gunnarsson reports in the June Illinois Bar Journal.
Practice News
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June 3, 2010 |
Practice News
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June 3, 2010 |
Practice News
[caption id="attachment_11918" align="alignright" width="160" caption="scanR turns a camera-equipped smartphone into a scanner, fax and copier."][/caption] By Shamla Naidoo Have you ever needed a copier on the fly? Needed to fax a document while on the road? Needed a family record or other document, but your client is loath to let his only copy out the door? All of these have happened to me more times than I care to remember. Recently I found a handy service - scanR - that turns a camera-equipped smartphone into a scanner, fax and copier.* I installed the scanR application on my Blackberry, a process that took less than 10 minutes. Now, by simply running the scanR application, I can: 1. Take photos of a document with my phone, and convert it to a PDF 2. Email or fax the document to myself or anyone else. The software can run on your Blackberry, iPhone, Android, or Nokia S60. The quality of the scanned and faxed documents, while generally good, depends on the resolution of the camera on your phone. You can install the software for a free trial using only your Internet enabled phone. Since you can install and use the application on your phone without access to a computer, this is a great emergency tool. The production service costs about $5 for a combination of 50 scans or faxes. *Note: I have no affiliation with RIM or scanR, other than as a regular paying customer.
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June 2, 2010 |
Practice News
ISBA member Phillip H. Hamilton says his jury service changed -- forever -- his perspective on trial practice. Read his story.
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June 2, 2010 |
Practice News
Asked and Answered By John W. Olmstead, MBA, Ph.D, CMC Q. We are a 12 attorney firm located in Chicago. We are struggling with cash flow and having problems covering payroll and meeting our draws. Do you have any suggestions? A. Small firms that have weathered the storm and faired the best during this recession were those that:
- Were focused
- Had a sense of where they were & 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 aggressively managed the RULES
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June 2, 2010 |
Practice News
The Women's Bar Foundation (WBF), has announced the availability of applications for the 3rd Annual WBF Public Service Stipend Award. “The escalating cost of a law school education makes it difficult for many new women lawyers to accept employment in the public service arena,” said WBF President Bernadette Barron. “As a not-for-profit organization founded to support women lawyers, the WBF’s Public Service Stipend Award may be used to offset law school debt; thereby reducing the graduate’s overall financial strain. We believe that this is significant.” “The WBF’s 2010 Public Service Stipend Award of $15,000.00 will provide immediate financial support to a recent woman graduate of an Illinois law school who is pursuing a career in public service. One of our key strategic initiatives is to support legal service in the public interest areas,” said President Barron. Candidates are invited to complete and submit an application NO LATER THAN July 6, 2010 to the address below:
- Bates McIntyre Larson, Esq.
- Scholarship and Stipend Award Director
- Women’s Bar Foundation
- c/o Perkins Coie LLP
- 131 S. Dearborn Street, Suite 1700
- Chicago, Illinois 60603-5559.
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May 28, 2010 |
Practice News
The Administrative Office of the Illinois Courts announced Thursday that Allan F. Lolie received a majority of the votes cast by the circuit judges in the Fourth Judicial Circuit and is declared to be appointed to the office of associate judge. Mr. Lolie received his undergraduate degree in 1988 from Western Illinois University in Macomb and his Juris Doctor in 1991 from Southern Illinois University in Carbondale. Mr. Lolie is currently affiliated with the Shelby County State’s Attorney’s Office in Shelbyville.
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May 27, 2010 |
Practice News
By Peter LaSorsa I often have attorneys ask what type of printer they should purchase. Many seem to think they need a color printer. The first question I always ask is how many color prints will you actually print per month. Go back and look at the last three months and give an honest assessment. Color printers cost more and the ink costs more so if you really don’t need a color printer, why purchase one? As an alternative to a color printer I suggest purchasing a black and white and sending your color printing needs to Kinko’s. You can upload the file online and pick the printing up at your leisure. Even if you printed in color in the last three months, did you really have to? Very few items have to be printed in color. In fact, if you are printing pictures, Kinko’s does a better job than your printer will and the paper stock they utilize will be better. In the long run, purchasing a black and white four-in-one printer/copier/fax/scanner will save money and do a good job. I utilize a Brother DCP 7020 and it sells for around $100. The replacement cartridges are fairly cost effective and the machine is a workhorse. It has never let me down and for a solo does a great job. If you have multiple attorneys it may be less expensive to purchase each attorney their own four-in-one black and white printer.
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May 26, 2010 |
Practice News
As Peoria lawyer Mike Lied reminds us in the latest ISBA Federal Civil Practice newsletter, the Supreme Court in Bell Atlantic Corp. v. Twombly ruled "that a complaint which provides only 'fair notice' of a claim is insufficient. In addition to providing notice, the complaint must state a claim to relief that is plausible on its face." So, is notice pleading dead in federal court, as many have feared (or hoped, depending on their perspective)? Mike looks at three seventh circuit cases where the court was asked to dismiss the underlying claim under the new pleading standard. And it's clear that Twombly is having an impact. Read his article.
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May 26, 2010 |
Practice News
Once again, the issue of immigration reform has been thrust to the forefront of American politics. Currently, much of the news is focused on the controversial legislation recently enacted by the Arizona legislature requiring police to stop any person they deem “reasonably suspicious” and demand proof legal residence. There has been no shortage of news coverage (and news parodies) regarding the problems of determining who is “reasonably suspicious”, and the questionable constitutionality of the law.
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May 26, 2010 |
Practice News
Asked and Answered By John W. Olmstead, MBA, Ph.D, CMC Q. We are a 12 attorney firm located in the midwest. We are concerned about the impact that the economy is having on our practice and the current business environment. Our business is down and we are unsure what we should be doing financially to evaluate and improve performance - and survive. A. Management of cash flow is critical. Here are our suggestions of how to examine where you are based upon receipts and your pipeline of future collections: Monthly Billings Are you budgeting your fee billings? Are your billing and collections on track? Are your individual attorneys and other producers meeting their revenue goals? Why not? Collections and Receipts Are your collections in alignment with your cash requirements for firm expenses, client advances, loan repayments and attorney draws? Remember - the total expenses listed on the income statement does not represent all of your cash requirements. Balance sheet accounts such as partner draws, client advances, purchase of assets (equipment), and payments on loans also involve uses of cash and must be taken into consideration. Typically, there is a lag of three months between the time you incur expenses and do work for a client and receive payment. Be aware of potential cash deficits. Costs How are your actual expenses/costs tracking against your budget? Are you within your budget? If not - why? Investigate reasons. If over budget, should you cut costs or is there a way to increase revenue? Sometimes you have to spend money in order to make money. Which costs should be cut - and which should not? Be careful cutting marketing/client development investments. Accounts Receivable Are they increasing or decreasing? What percent are they of your annual billings? Fifteen percent is high - five percent is within the range of acceptability. Uncollected accounts can sink the firm - stay on top of them with an effective management system. Deal with collection problems early - formulate a client acceptance/credit policy - get retainers up front - reject problem clients from the onset.
