ISBA members and employees can come in with the Holiday Invitation to Shop (but all nonmember purchases are subject to a 10% service charge). Employees can avoid the service charge and receive a $25 Sam's Club gift card if they sign up or renew an existing Sam's PLUS membership for $100, or receive a $10 Sam's Club gift card if they sign up or renew an existing Sam's Savings or Sam's Business membership for $45.

As Illinois implements the Compassionate Use of Medical Cannabis Pilot Program Act (410 ILCS 130/5 et seq.), attorneys face an ethical dilemma. Illinois Rule of Professional Conduct 1.2(d) prohibits a lawyer from assisting clients in conduct he or she knows is criminal. And even though state law allows the cultivation, sale, and use of marijuana for limited medical purposes, marijuana is still classified as a Schedule I controlled substance under federal law.The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ)has said it does not intend to interfere with the medical use of marijuana if it is tightly regulated and controlled by state law. But possession, sale, and production of marijuana remain illegal under federal law. How can an attorney reconcile this contradiction?The ISBA's Standing Committee on Professional Conduct addresses the issue in new Advisory Opinion No. 14-07. The opinion offers guidance on two specific questions: 1) May a lawyer provide legal advice and render other legal services to a client engaged in the medical marijuana business? 2) May a lawyer counsel a municipal government about zoning regulations for cultivation centers and dispensaries? The answer to the second question is simple: "yes," the opinion says in so many words. The answer to the first question is more lengthy and nuanced - but also "yes." Read Matthew Hector's article in the December Illinois Bar Journal and find out more.

ISBA members can choose from a range of programs including life, major medical, dental, vision, catastrophe major medical, long term care, and disability insurance programs administered by Mercer Health & Benefits Administration LLC.ISBA Health Insurance options are available for individuals and small groups, including PPO's and HSA Qualified Medical Plans from well-respected carriers such as Blue Cross / Blue Shield, Humana, Unicare, Celtic and others. For more information, contact Mercer at (800)-321-1998 or for online quotes visit http://isba.healthinsurance.comFor information on a plan other than medical insurance, contact Mercer at (800)-503-9230 or on the web at http://www.personal-plans.com/isbaNEW! Members can enroll for health insurance under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) through GetInsured, powered by Mercer Marketplace*. Explore ACA-compliant plans in your area with the company that administers public health insurance exchanges. Compare available plans confidently and conveniently in minutes to secure a solution that strikes the best balance between coverage and affordability. ISBA members pay no additional cost to take advantage of this service.Specify what you need in health care coverage and receive a list of all plans that are scored for: overall suitability, monthly cost, estimated out-of-pocket expense (deductibles/copays), which services are covered, and which doctors participate.

Asked and AnsweredBy John W. Olmstead, MBA, Ph.D, CMCQ. I am the managing partner of a nine-attorney firm in Cincinnati. We have four equity partners and five associates. Partners are compensated on the basis of their ownership shares which are currently 25% each. In the past the system worked well - but now we are having problems. The two senior partners are working and contributing less and are taking out half of the compensation which is causing dissatisfaction and division within the firm. We have been discussing alternative approaches. Should we consider a system total focused on individual partner performance and production - an eat-what-you kill if you will?A. I agree that personal production and performance should have a relationship and a tie to compensation. However, a move to a total eat-what-you-kill system might be a drastic first-step move. Eat-what-you-kill approaches can often destroy teamwork in firms that desire to be team-based firms. For firms that want to be lone ranger firms eat-what-you-kill is fine.