Asked and Answered
By John W. Olmstead, MBA, Ph.D, CMC
Q. I am the owner of a 14-attorney law firm in South Bend, Indiana. The firm is a health care firm that represents various medical facilities in the area. I am the managing attorney who makes all of the management decisions, and all of the other attorneys in the firm are associates. I also bring in the bulk of the firm's clients. I want to retire in the next five years and would like to sell my interests to three associates in the firm. However, I am unsure if they will be good partners with each other, whether they have the management and client development skills to lead the firm, or even if they would want to be partners. My other option would be to merge with another firm. I prefer to sell my interests to the three associates rather than merge if at all possible. What are your thoughts?
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December 13, 2017
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December 13, 2017 |
Practice News
Illinois has become a center of biometric privacy litigation. The Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act is the only one in the nation that allows private parties to sue and has a fee-shifting provision allowing plaintiffs to recover attorney fees. And biometric privacy lawsuits are in the news - there has been a spike in litigation against employers over fingerprints and other biometric data. Biometric data is a measurement or copy of a unique physical characteristic of an individual. It can be a fingerprint, retina or iris scan, voiceprints, hand scans, or facial geometry. In March 2016, Google faced a class-action lawsuit alleging violations of the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act (see "Class action suit alleges Google is violating Illinoisans' 'biometric' privacy," May 2016 LawPulse, at http://bit.ly/2zE4FRQ). As of November 11, 2017, the case is still in the discovery phase. Most new lawsuits in Illinois are based on employers and retail businesses that allegedly fail to obtain written authorization before collecting fingerprint scans ("Spike in IL lawsuits vs employers over fingerprints, other biometric data may be just the beginning," Cook County Record, at http://bit.ly/2jqsTc0). Find out more in the December Illinois Bar Journal.
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December 12, 2017 |
ISBA News
The 2017 Midyear Meeting was held last week, Dec. 7-9, 2017, at the Palmer House Hilton Hotel in Chicago. Attendees celebrated the profession, discussed issues of mutual interest to the bench and bar, attended business meetings, earned CLE credit, and expanded their social and professional networks at receptions and dinners. During section meetings and at the Assembly meeting, various members of the ISBA community were recognized with awards. The photo galleries containing highlights from this year's Midyear Meeting are now available and listed below: Opening Ceremony YLD 20th Annual Holiday Party ISBA/IJA Joint Meeting Luncheon Law School Alumni Receptions Diversity Leadership Council "Count Me In" Reception Illinois Supreme Court Cocktail Reception Illinois Supreme Court Dinner
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December 12, 2017 |
Member Services
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The ISBA Assembly met on Saturday, Dec. 10, at the Joint Midyear Meeting.
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The ISBA Diversity Leadership Council hosted, "Count Me In," a complimentary networking reception at the Joint Midyear Meeting to celebrate diversity in the profession.
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The Illinois State Bar Association and Illinois Judges Association hosted a Joint Meeting Luncheon at the 2017 Joint Midyear Meeting on Dec. 8. Photos by Ralph Greenslade
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DePaul University College of Law and SIU School of Law hosted alumni receptions on Dec. 9 at the Joint Midyear Meeting Photos by Ralph Greenslade
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ISBA hosted the Joint Meeting Opening Reception at the Midyear Meeting on Dec. 7 at the Palmer House Hotel in Chicago. Photos by Ralph Greenslade
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On Dec. 9, a cocktail reception was hosted in honor of the Supreme Court of Illinois at the Joint Midyear Meeting. Photos by Ralph Greenslade