There are few things litigators and judges dread more than a protracted discovery dispute. Given the angst discovery misconduct provokes, siccing the Illinois Supreme Court Rules on a culprit is understandable. But a measured response may be more prudent. Penalizing bad behavior with a default judgment is rarely necessary, even as a response to perjury or defiance of court orders.  In September’s Illinois Bar Journal, appellate litigator Christopher Keleher examines discovery sanctions available for plaintiffs and defendants under Illinois Supreme Court Rule 219(c). There are good reasons the courts use default judgments against defendants and dismissals with prejudice against plaintiffs sparingly.

Join us Oct. 3 for an online seminar that teaches you the basic principles of the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and Illinois’ Biometric Information Privacy Act (BIPA), including what you should ask your client’s IT departments to ensure compliance from a technology perspective.

Asked and Answered  By John W. Olmstead, MBA, Ph.D, CMC Q. I am a partner with a 16-attorney firm in downstate Illinois and a member on our three-person management committee. My responsibility on the committee is overseeing the firm’s finances and supervising the firm administrator’s accounting and finance. In reviewing our financial reports, I have noted that our effective billing rates (realization rates) are not what they should be. We are reluctant to raise client rates. What other steps can we take to improve our effective rates?

Editor’s note: This is part of an Illinois Lawyer Now series focused on resources available to ISBA members on Practice HQ, our "one-stop microsite" for practice management and technology information. This wealth of resources was designed to help you practice smarter by housing high-quality information in one place. By Jeff Schoenberger, Esq. Affinity Consulting Group Two things often in short supply for lawyers are time and money. Harried schedules chase away things lacking immediacy. One thing I sacrificed was pleasure reading. Between family, work, and other commitments, sitting down to read a book was a lost joy. Thankfully, within the last several years, books have become more accessible for people with chaotic lives. Here are some ways that you can find time to read and learn while still moving at a frenetic pace.