Entering the last day of the campaign, Lawyers Feeding Illinois has raised 913,000 meals and counting! Final figures will be available next week. Contributions can be made at www.lawyersfeedingil.org. Please watch the video below as ISBA President John E. Thies discusses how hunger impacts children in our state.

ISBA Director of Legislative Affairs Jim Covington reviews bills in Springfield of interest to ISBA members. In this episode he covers Filing fee increase (House Bill 2327), Recording of documents (Senate Bill 1728), Collaborative law for family law cases (Senate Bill 31), Forcible entry and detainer (House Bill 2360), Circuit court fees (House Bill 2505) and Litigation funding (House Bill 2301). More information on the bill is available below the video.

Asked and AnsweredBy John W. Olmstead, MBA, Ph.D, CMCQ. I am the chair of our three member executive committee. We are a 20 attorney firm in Atlanta. We have 5 partners and 15 associates. We have done a terrible job of mentoring our associates and we need to do better. Do you have any ideas?

The Illinois Supreme Court announced Wednesday the appointment of Morgan County State's Attorney Chris E. Reif as a resident circuit judge in the Seventh Judicial Circuit.Mr. Reif was appointed to fill the Circuit Court vacancy created by the retirement of Judge Richard T. Mitchell on January 2. The appointment is effective March 22, 2013 and will expire December 1, 2014, when the position will be filled by the 2014 General Election.Supreme Court Justice Rita B. Garman recommended the appointment to the Supreme Court after a review process by a special citizen screening committee."I am absolutely thrilled and honored with the appointment," Mr. Reif said. "I look forward to serving the citizens of Morgan County and will continue to put forth the same work effort as I have as state's attorney for 8+ years. I will uphold the standards expected of a circuit court judge."I thank the Supreme Court and Justice Garman for the opportunity."Mr. Reif graduated from Illinois State University in 1993 with a degree in criminal justice. He received his juris doctor degree from Southern Illinois University School of Law in 1998. After graduation, Mr. Reif was hired as an associate with the law firm then known as Grosboll, Becker, Tice & Smith and was engaged in the general practice of law. He became a named partner of the firm within a couple of years and worked there until 2004.