Illinois Supreme Court Justice Thomas L. Kilbride has announced an application process for appointment to a second Circuit Court vacancy in the Ninth Judicial Circuit.The vacancy will be created by Chief Judge James B. Stewart's retirement, which takes effect on October 1, 2015. Chief Judge Stewart has been a judge since 1986 and served as chief judge of the six-county circuit since 2012.Justice Kilbride's announcement comes about two weeks after he gave notice of an application process for an upcoming vacancy that will be created by the August 20, 2015 retirement of Circuit Judge Steven R. Bordner.Under the Illinois Constitution, judicial vacancies are filled by Supreme Court appointment. Justice Kilbride will make a recommendation to the Court after applicants undergo an evaluation and screening process.Notice of both vacancies has been posted at courthouses within the Ninth Judicial Circuit, which includes Fulton, Hancock, Henderson, Knox, McDonough and Warren counties. The application form and instructions may be obtained by visiting the Supreme Court’s website at www.illinoiscourts.gov and following the instructions on the “Latest News” scroller announcing the Ninth Judicial Circuit vacancy.Applicants must submit one original and the requisite number of copies of the application and other documents as instructed in the application packet. To be considered for the vacancy created by Chief Judge Stewart's retirement, all documents must be received in Justice Kilbride’s office no later than 11:30 a.m. on Monday, August 20, 2015.
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July 22, 2015 |
Practice News
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July 22, 2015 |
Practice News
ISBA Director of Legislative Affairs Jim Covington reviews legislation in Springfield of interest to ISBA members. This week he covers The Parentage Act of 2015 (Public Act 99-85), IMDMA Rewrite (Public Act 99-90), Uniform Interstate Depositions and Discovery Act (Public Act 99-79), Citation to discover assets (Public Act 99-93), Property fraud alert system (Public Act 99-75), Juvenile sentencing (Public Act 99-69) and Temporary guardians (Public Act 99-70). More information on each bill is available below the video.The Parentage Act of 2015. Public Act 99-85 (Kelly Burke, D-Oak Lawn; Mulroe, D-Chicago) is a rewrite of the Illinois Parentage Act modeled after the uniform act from the Uniform Law Commission. It regulates establishment of a parent-child relationship, authorizes genetic testing, establishes procedures regarding parentage of a child of assisted reproduction, and provides for establishment of child-support obligations. A summary of this Act by Matthew Hector in the July 2015 Illinois Bar Journal may be found at this link. Effective January 1, 2016.
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July 22, 2015 |
Practice News
Asked and AnsweredBy John W. Olmstead, MBA, Ph.D, CMCLast week a firm advised that their law firm was splitting up via a dissolution and forming two new law firms. I outlined some of the steps that would need to be taken to dissolve the firm.This week I will discuss some of the typical steps that will need to be taken to start the new law firms. Some of these steps include:ESTABLISH NEW LEGAL ENTITY File articles or other documents for entity formation. (LLC, LLP, PC, etc.) Obtain FEIN NumberOpen new bank accountsEstablish line of credit with bankDraft operating agreement/partnership/shareholder agreementAgree on approach to partner compensationDraft a business and marketing plan for the firm.Obtain any required business permits.Obtain office space, if moving, and negotiate lease - or negotiate new lease with landlord of present space.
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July 22, 2015 |
Member Services
Are you in the directory? With over 5,500 activated profiles, the directory is a great way to send and receive referrals.With the member directory, you can find fellow ISBA members by name, place, section, practice area – and they can find you! Make and receive referrals, stay in touch with colleagues around the state, and so much more. Sign up at www.isba.org/membership/directory/helpTipsAdd an iconYou can add this icon to the home screen of your mobile device to quickly pull up the directory. Find out how.Save your contactsClick or tap on the star next to someone's profile or on their card in the search results and they will appear whenever you go to this page.
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July 21, 2015 |
Practice News
Chief Justice Rita B. Garman and the Illinois Supreme Court have announced the appointment of Appellate Court Justice Mary K. Rochford as the new Chair of the Commission on Access to Justice.Justice Rochford's appointment took effect July 6 and will terminate on June 15, 2017. She replaces Bloomington attorney Timothy W. Kelly, who resigned as Chair on July 6. Mr. Kelly will continue to serve on the Commission as a member.
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July 17, 2015
ISBA President Umberto S. Davi met with a delegation of attorneys from the former Soviet Republic of Kyrgyzstan. The lawyers are part of the a newly formed association of Criminal Defense Attorneys and are visiting the U.S. as part of the ABA's Rule of Law Initiative. -
July 16, 2015 |
Practice News
Q. I have recently discovered some unidentified funds in my IOLTA account. What do I do with those?
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July 16, 2015 |
Practice News
ISBA Director of Legislative Affairs Jim Covington reviews legislation in Springfield of interest to ISBA members. This week he covers Condominium Property Act (House Bill 2640), Amends the Common Interest Community Association Act (House Bill 2640), Mortgage Foreclosure (Public Act 99-24), Common-Interest Community Association Act (Public Act 99-41) and Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities Confidentiality Act (Public Act 99-28). More information on each bill is available below the video.
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July 15, 2015 |
Events
The Illinois State Bar Association, Illinois Bar Foundation, Illinois Judges Association, Women’s Bar Association of Illinois, Alliance of Illinois Judges, Illinois Judicial Council and the Jewish Judges Association of Illinois are teaming up for Chicago Volunteer Legal Services (CVLS) 21st annual Race Judicata Sprint for Justice 5K Run/Walk. This fundraising event takes place on Sept. 10 in Chicago’s Grant Park.T-shirts will be provided for team members. All proceeds from Race Judicata go to the general operating costs of CVLS, which works to provide legal services to the poor and working poor of Chicago. The four organizations will host a tent that will serve as the main gathering point for team members. Food and water will be available at the tent. The entry fee is $34 through August 22nd. Register under the team name The "I's" Have It at www.cvls.org/judicata.Any further questions can be directed to Jessie Austin with the IBF at (312) 726-6072.
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July 15, 2015 |
Practice News
A Cook County judge held recently that categorically denying supervision to someone convicted of driving 40 or more miles per hour over the speed limit violates the proportionate penalties clause of the Illinois Constitution. Tom Speedie wrote about the case, People v. Rizzo (Cook County Case No. 37997158), in the May Traffic Laws & Courts newsletter.Judge Deborah J. Gubin ruled that "the prohibition on court supervision for aggravated speeding [is] an unconstitutional violation of the proportionate penalties clause because it is cruel and degrading," Speedie wrote. "She lists the charges for which court supervision is unavailable, noting that many of them involve bodily injury. She goes on to observe that offenses for which court supervision is available include driving while suspended or revoked, driving under the influence, and theft."Judge Gubin concludes that mandating a misdemeanor conviction on a first offense, and not allowing a judge to consider mitigating factors, resulting in a non-expungable, permanent (barring a pardon) criminal conviction, with ongoing ramifications in many areas of a person's life, is cruel and degrading, thus unconstitutional," Speedie wrote. Find out more in the July Illinois Bar Journal.