An ISBA proposal would allow qualified students to practice under the supervision of an attorney in the private sector, not just in legal aid or other governmental settings. Law students and recent, unlicensed graduates can gain practical experience as attorneys before they graduate and pass the bar exam. Illinois Supreme Court Rule 711 currently allows senior law students and recent grads to counsel clients, appear in court, and otherwise engage in legal practice under attorney supervision in public interest or service areas such as legal aid clinics, the public defender's office, or a law office of the state of Illinois or its subdivisions. An ISBA-championed amendment to Rule 711 would expand its scope to allow senior students and recent graduates to practice in the private sector as well. The ISBA Assembly approved the proposal in December for submission to the Illinois Supreme Court. The ISBA Special Committee on Rule 711 was created by ISBA President Umberto S. Davi and chaired by Judge Michael Chmiel, who sits on the Circuit Court for the Twenty-Second Judicial Circuit in McHenry County. The committee consisted of Judge Chmiel, a law professor, two law students, and eight practicing attorneys. Find out more in the March Illinois Bar Journal.

Asked and Answered By John W. Olmstead, MBA, Ph.D, CMC Q. Our firm is an 18 attorney firm in Chicago that was formed by the existing four equity partners 10 years ago. We have four equity partners (founders), eight income (non-equity partners), and six associates. The income partners are not required to contribute capital. We are considering admitting a couple of the income partners as equity partners and also approaching possible laterals. What should we require in the form of buy-in or capital contribution?

The Black Bar Association of Will County hosted its Barrister's Ball "Night of Stars" on Feb. 20 at the Clarion Hotel in Joliet. ISBA President Umberto S. Davi and ISBA President-Elect Vincent F. Cornelius attended the event.

Chief Justice Rita B. Garman announced on Monday that the Illinois Supreme Court has concluded its four-year pilot project permitting news cameras in Illinois courtrooms and has adopted a permanent Policy for Extended Media Coverage (EMC) in the Circuit Courts of Illinois. The pilot project, which was launched by the Supreme Court on January 24, 2012, allowed the use of media cameras in certain courtrooms on an experimental basis. Since then, 15 judicial circuits have been approved to implement EMC, and more than 450 media requests have been made under the Policy. Based on the success of the pilot project and the Court's continued goal of promoting greater transparency, accountability, and accessibility to the court system, the justices have amended the Policy to terminate its status as a pilot project and to allow each circuit court to decide whether it wishes to implement EMC. “At every level of the judicial system, we do the people’s work, and the people have an interest in observing how the judicial process functions,” Chief Justice Garman said. "We are pleased with the success of the pilot project and with the great cooperation we have received from the media. It is time to make EMC more widely available."