Don’t miss this full-day seminar in Chicago on April 14, 2016 that offers you a basic understanding of the different types of bankruptcy, the steps to take when your debtor files bankruptcy, how to modify an automatic stay, and how to file a proof of claim. Commercial litigation lawyers, collection attorneys, bankruptcy practitioners, and attorneys working in the banking industry who attend this seminar will better understand: the practical and statutory issues to consider during the initial client interview; what happens during a Section 341 meeting; the process leading up to the confirmation hearing; the best practices for working with a Chapter 7 trustee; the trustee’s perspective of a Chapter 13 bankruptcy; how to handle pending collection and mechanics lien actions; the statutory deadlines and requirements under Section 523 and 727; how to best advocate your client’s position; and much more!

It's no secret that criminal suspects in Illinois and elsewhere confess to crimes they didn't commit, often after aggressive police interrogation. But how widespread is involuntary confession in the post-Jon Burge era, and what's being done to address it? The Center on Wrongful Convictions of Youth ("Center") focuses on juveniles who in some cases say they have falsely confessed to crimes, although the same principles and situations apply to adults, particularly those with cognitive deficiencies, says Megan Crane, Center co-director. "Youth and intellectually disabled people, and otherwise vulnerable populations, are at greater risk" of falsely confessing, she says. "But it's inherently likely that anyone is vulnerable to falsely confessing, given the techniques that are commonly used on a day-to-day basis. Our position…is that the interrogation techniques that the criminal justice system has adopted, and that courts sign off on, are psychologically coercive. Their whole goal is to break down the person in that room until they accept that the only way to get out of that room is to plead guilty." Prosecutors believe that the techniques Crane references are not used as often as defense attorneys say, and that their use has declined significantly in the past two or three decades - although that's not necessarily reflected in the cases reopened at the behest of organizations like Northwestern's Center, many of which date back that far, says Kris Hamann, executive director of the New York-based Prosecutors Center for Excellence. Find out more in the April Illinois Bar Journal.

Asked and Answered By John W. Olmstead, MBA, Ph.D, CMC Q. We are a 14 lawyer firm in the Boston suburbs with four founding partners and 10 associates. Two of the partners are in their 50s and two are in their 60s. Several years ago we adopted a retirement buyout plan for the founding partners where each partner upon retirement is paid the balance of his cash-based capital account and a multiple of one times an average of his last three years earnings paid out over a five year period. I am concerned that when partners begin to retire the retirement payouts will place undue stress on operating funds and the firm's ability to be successful. I would appreciate your thoughts.

The Supreme Court of Illinois announced the filing of lawyer disciplinary orders on March 22, 2016, during the March Term of Court. Sanctions were imposed because the lawyers engaged in professional misconduct by violating state ethics law.