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 teamed up for Chicago Volunteer Legal Services (CVLS) 20th annual Race Judicata Sprint for Justice 5K Run/Walk.

In Shelby County v. Holder, the U.S. Supreme Court found that the pre-clearance requirements and the coverage formula of the Voting Rights Act of 1964 are no longer applicable to the States. As a result, numerous state legislatures and Governors passed (or are seeking to pass) voter restrictions that will effectively prevent persons from minority groups, including the poor, elderly, and disabled, from exercising their constitutional right to vote. In response, the ACLU, the League of Women Voters, and other civil rights organizations have created voting rights projects to monitor government restrictions, educate voters on how to protect their rights, develop strategies to challenge restrictive laws, and lobby Congress to reauthorize the set of pre-clearance requirements and the coverage formula it has approved in previous years. Don't miss this informative seminar on Wednesday, September 24th that offers an in-depth look at how Shelby County v. Holder has impacted citizen’s voting rights.The program takes place in Chicago; however, it is also available as a live webcast for those unable to attend the onsite program. It qualifies for 1.25 hours MCLE credit and is presented by the ISBA Standing Committee on Racial and Ethnic Minorities and the Law.Click here for more information and to register.

Asked and AnsweredBy John W. Olmstead, MBA, Ph.D, CMCLast week I was asked by the managing partner of a 16 attorney insurance defense firm about staffing and growth models for an insurance defense firm and I listed the following models and discussed the first model - grow your own associate staffing.Attorney staffing/growth models include:

Hinshaw & Culbertson LLP, a national law firm with 460 lawyers in 22 offices around the country and Barger & Wolen LLP, a California-based law firm with 45 attorneys in six offices, announced today they will join forces. The merger creates one of the largest insurance law practices in the United States with 120 full-time attorneys dedicated to providing legal counsel to companies that shape the insurance and financial services industries.The partner votes took place on August 28, 2014, and the merger will become effective on October 1, 2014. The combined firm will keep the name Hinshaw & Culbertson and have over 500 attorneys in 11 states as well as London.