A recent and groundbreaking Illinois Appellate Court case, Fifield and Enterprise Finance Group, Inc. v. Premier Dealer Services, Inc., 2013 IL App (1st) 120327, holds that "a noncompetition agreement is not valid and enforceable if an employee is fired or resigns within two years,” Ayla N. Ellison writes in the September issue of ISBA’s Labor & Employment Law newsletter.
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October 3, 2013 |
Practice News
2 comments (Most recent October 5, 2013)
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October 3, 2013 |
CLE
Available at No Cost to Attorneys Who Agree to Take a Pro Bono Case in The Next Year**Thousands of low-income litigants in Illinois cannot afford an attorney and free legal services organizations alone cannot meet this need. You can be the difference! We are proud to offer you this opportunity to develop your expertise and put your knowledge to work for people in need. Join us in Rockford on October 25th for this free program that’s designed to train practitioners in the basics of handling family law and consumer/debt collection cases. Topics include: assisting clients who need to establish or challenge parentage of a minor; establishing the initial child custody or visitation order; modifying, enforcing or establishing a child support order in Illinois; assisting clients with debt collection problems; the citation process for discovery of assets in Illinois; and ethical issues that can arise during the negotiation process on behalf of individuals. In exchange for the commitment to handle just one pro bono case, attendees receive free training and MCLE credit!The seminar is presented by the ISBA Standing Committee on the Delivery of Legal Services and qualifies for 6.5 hours MCLE credit, including 1.0 hour Professional Responsibility MCLE credit (subject to approval).Click here for more information and to register.
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The 9th Annual Solo & Small Firm Conference kicked off Thursday at the Westin Northwest Chicago in Itasca. The conference continues through Saturday and onsite registration is available.
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October 2, 2013 |
ISBA News
Looking for a chance to lead? To grow? To make a difference in the Illinois State Bar Association and the legal profession? Then consider nominating yourself for one of our many section councils and committees for 2014-15.As president-elect, it’s my privilege to make appointments to councils and committees for the coming fiscal year. These small but influential groups are the lifeblood of the ISBA. They produce newsletters and CLE programs, propose legislation, and help ISBA serve its members in countless ways.More than 1,000 ISBA members serve on committees and section councils. It’s a great way to make new friendships and advance your career. While not everyone can be appointed, all who seek appointment will be considered. I encourage each of you – especially young lawyers and others whose participation makes the ISBA more diverse – to complete the online form at isba.org/membergroups/nominations.
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October 2, 2013 |
Practice News
Asked and AnsweredBy John W. Olmstead, MBA, Ph.D, CMCQ. We are an 8-attorney firm in Fort Worth, Texas. We have two partners - myself and my partner. Our approach to compensation has been based upon our ownership interest percentages which have been adjusted over time based upon working attorney (personal) collections. We have been discussing implementing a formula using working attorney collections and also bringing client origination credit into the equation as well - weighing each equally. Our ownership percentages would be adjusted based upon the fee credit ratio between the two of us. I would appreciate your thoughts on the matter.A. My first thought is whether you are trying to build a firm-first firm or a group of separate practitioners. How will you incorporate other factors such as firm management, business development, mentoring and training associates, etc? If both of you are making roughly equal contributions in these areas your approach might have merit but be careful that you do not head down the path of separate practices - and become a lone ranger firm. My other concern is with client origination - this often gets tricky. With only two partners you don't have anyone to serve in the capacity of attribution police when and if there are disagreements as to origination credit. (attribution committee) So you will have to be able to discuss this subject openly and hopefully upfront. Share origination credit when appropriate, allocate to firm when it appears that a client came to the firm based upon firm brand or name recognition, and consider a 5-year sunset provision whereby the credit reverts to firm or responsible attorneys.
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October 1, 2013 |
Events
This ISBA Standing Committee on Women and the Law will co-sponsor "Closing the Gap: Achieving Gender Pay Equity in Law Firm Compensation" on Thursday, Oct. 24 at Seyfarth Shaw LLP, 131 S. Dearborn, Chicago. The program runs from 3-5:45 p.m. with a reception following.There is no cost to attend, but registration is required. Register online at www.tinyurl.com/payissuesSCHEDULE3:00 p.m. - 3:05 p.m.IntroductionSpeaker: Roberta Liebenberg, Chair, Commission on Women in the Profession and Senior Partner, Fine, Kaplan and Black, R.P.C.3:05 p.m. - 3:55 p.m.Panel Discussion: Do We Understand the Pay Gap and How to Fix It?Moderator: Laurel G. Bellows, Chair, ABA Task Force on Gender Equity and Principal, Bellows Law Group PC4:00 p.m. - 4:45 p.m.Breakout Sessions: Realistic Approaches to Close the Pay Gap4:45 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.Recommendations from Breakout Groups5:30 p.m. - 5:45 p.m.Summary of Next Steps: How Will These Recommendations Be Used?5:45 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.Cocktail Reception
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October 1, 2013 |
Practice News
Michael J. Tardy, Director of the Administrative Office of the Illinois Courts, announced today that the 10th Judicial Circuit judges voted to select Kirk D. Schoenbein as an associate judge of the 10th Judicial Circuit.Mr. Schoenbein received his undergraduate degree in 1984 from Western Illinois University in Macomb and his Juris Doctor in 1987 from the University of Illinois College of Law. Mr. Schoenbein is currently affiliated with the U.S. Attorney's Office in Peoria.
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October 1, 2013 |
Practice News
Michael J. Tardy, Director of the Administrative Office of the Illinois Courts, announced today that the Second Judicial Circuit judges voted to select Jerry E. Crisel as an associate judge of the Second Judicial Circuit.Mr. Crisel received his undergraduate degree in 1970 from the University of Illinois and his Juris Doctor in 1973 from the University of Illinois College of Law. Mr. Crisel is currently engaged in solo practice in Albion, Illinois.
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September 30, 2013 |
Practice News
By Grant Nyhammer, ISBA Delivery of Legal Services Committee Most of us look forward to retirement as we envision ourselves having unlimited time and resources to do what we love most. Most of us, however, do not anticipate that we all become more vulnerable with the inevitable physical and mental decline in our abilities as we age. We also may not realize that retirement presents a bevy of new legal issues such as:
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September 30, 2013 |
CLE
Master the basics of administering a decedent’s probate estate with this full-day seminar in Bloomington on October 23rd! Follow along as respected estate planning practitioners guide you through the estate administration process – from the initial meeting with clients to closing the estate. Trusts and estate professionals with basic to intermediate practice experience who attend this seminar will better understand: What needs to be discussed during the initial client meeting; how to determine if probate is necessary or appropriate; the appropriate procedures for locating heirs and legatees; how to prepare an Affidavit of Heirship; how to handle claims against the estate; the tax consequences of distributions from the estate; when to use disclaimers and Powers of Appointment; how to create a plan for distribution; how to avoid conflicts of interest; and much more!The program is presented by the ISBA Trusts & Estates Section and qualifies for 6.0 hours MCLE credit, including 0.75 hour Professional Responsibility MCLE credit (subject to approval).Click here for more information and to register.