As part of its continuing effort to promote public confidence in the administration of justice, the Illinois Supreme Court has announced that a client whose case is not completed due to the death or disability of his or her attorney, and who has made reasonable efforts to pursue civil remedies, is now eligible to apply for reimbursement of unearned fees paid to the attorney.When adopted in 1994, Supreme Court Rule 780 created a Client Protection Program (CPP) Trust Fund to reimburse certain losses incurred by clients of Illinois lawyers. The rule was created to provide a mechanism for a client to obtain reimbursement if the attorney engaged in dishonest conduct causing the client financial loss. The fund is administered by the Illinois Attorney and Registration Commission (ARDC).According to Supreme Court Chief Justice Rita B. Garman, “The Court recognizes that a client may also incur such a loss when the attorney dies or becomes disabled during the representation. By amending this rule, we signal to the public that we are equally concerned about the client who suffers a financial loss due to events outside the attorney’s control, such as death or disability.”The amendment is effective immediately. Claimants may apply for reimbursement through the CPP. More information on submitting a claim is available at: https://www.iardc.org/clientprotection.html.

The Illinois State Bar Association’s Lawyer Finder Service provides referrals to local lawyers Mondays through Fridays. The Service makes referrals in a number of areas of law. For the month of January 2015, ISBA helped people in need of legal services find lawyers in the following areas:Here are the results for January 2015:933 phone referrals made by Lawyer Finder staffMost requested areas of law: Family (181), Civil Disputes (108), Real Estate (116), Employment Law (104), Government Benefits (63), Criminal Law (51), Personal Injury (46), Estate/Probate Law (46) and Civil Rights (35).18,953 visits to IllinoisLawyerFinder.com (16,943 unique visitors)Want to be part of the ISBA Lawyer Finder Service? Call (800) 252-8908 and ask for the Legal Department, or visit www.illinoislawyerfinder.comClients should call (800) 922-8757.

A review of Thursday's Illinois Supreme Court criminal opinion in the case People v. Smith.

ISBA Director of Legislative Affairs Jim Covington reviews legislation in Springfield of interest to ISBA members. This week he covers Trades and proof of insurance (House Bill 201), Open Meetings Act (House Bill 1323), Mortgage Foreclosure (Senate Bill 735), The Probate Act of 1975 (House Bill 1332) and Governor Rauner’s State of the State Address. More information on each bill is available below the video.