The strain of deployment isn't just felt by Servicemembers. Military families live with the pressures of war thousands of miles away. Lengthy separations, the realities of single parenting, financial stress, constant worry for loved one's safety and difficult communications takes a toll that is sometimes irreparable.Military Families need local legal assistance.What should be a joyful reunion can turn painful when family life becomes an unexpected casualty of war. The life they thought they were getting back, in some cases, has ceased to exist. Military families often need local legal help or mediation to face failing marriages, custody and child support issues, and the division of assets.Sometimes they need help moving forward.An attorney from their community who understands the intricacies of the state and federal laws affecting military personnel and family law is the kind of advocate military families need most.Learn how you can help. To sign up please go to – http://militarylegalsupport.com

Asked and AnsweredBy John W. Olmstead, MBA, Ph.D, CMCQ. I am the managing partner in an eight attorney firm in Chicago. We are having problems with office staff members getting along. Office conflict is rampant. Any suggestions?A. You should begin by identifying some of the causes. Poor communications often can be the root cause of such problems. Interview each of your staff members individually and probe. What do they think? Is communications a problem? Are roles, duties, and responsibilities clarified? Lack of clarity can in these areas can lead to turf wars. You may want to design job descriptions for each employee and clarify roles, duties, and responsibilities for each employee. Conduct short weekly staff meetings to enhance communications. Use agendas. Take and publish notes of the meetings. Advise every one of your expectations including all members working together as team members. Let them know that working together as a team is a performance factor that will be considered in performance evaluations and reviews. Conduct periodic performance reviews. Counsel and take action against problem employees.Maybe it is time to hire a firm administrator or business manager and let them deal with it.Click here for our blog on career managementClick here for articles on other topics

The ISBA Young Lawyers Division hosted at Day at the races on Sept. 7 at Arlington Park Racecourse.

Other initiatives for non-English speaking persons include website now available in 71 foreign languages; bi-lingual signageIn an effort to bridge the gap between language barriers, the Circuit Court of Cook County is installing an over-the-phone interpretation service for persons who speak little or no English as part of its new Court Access Initiative (CAI). The service will help people navigate through the Circuit Court in a variety of ways: helping people without lawyers find courtrooms or linking them with a court-based legal self-help desk are just two examples. In conjunction with the Access to Justice Commission of the Illinois Supreme Court, the Circuit Court’s goal of the CAI is to improve the overall experience for non-English speaking people attending court.Circuit Court of Cook County Chief Judge Timothy C. Evans announced starting today, the CAI will begin at the Richard J. Daley Center information desks and then will ultimately be installed in all courthouses in the coming months. Illinois JusticeCorps volunteers already are stationed at the Daely Center information desks and over-the-phone interpretation services will be provided by LanguageLine Solutions which was selected through a Request for Proposal (RFP) process.