The Circuit Judges of the 18th Judicial Circuit, DuPage County, unanimously elected Judge John T. Elsner to the position of Chief Judge. Judge Elsner's term as Chief Judge will commence on Dec. 5, 2011. He succeeds Chief Judge Stephen J. Culliton.John T. Elsner is a graduate of Lewis University College of Law. He was appointed as an associate judge in 1991 and was elected a Circuit Judge in 2000. Prior to his selection as Chief Judge, he had served in teh Law, Domestic Relations and Criminal divisions of the 18th Judicial Circuit Court.

Asked and AnsweredBy John W. Olmstead, MBA, Ph.D, CMCQ. I am a solo practitioner located in the Chicago suburbs. I have one staff member. I am 53 and have been practicing law for over 25 years. I try to limit my practice to estate planning and estate administration. However, I do have to take on other general practice type matters to stay busy. Practicing law by myself is beginning to take its toll on me - it gets lonely practicing alone, coverage and backup for clients is difficult, and I have the full burden of the worry 24/7. What do I do with the practice when I get older and reach retirement age? I have not taken a vacation in years. I have been thinking about the pros and cons of joining another firm? What are your thoughts?A. One option would be to grow your practice internally. You could add a younger associate attorney. However, it sounds like you currently don't have the business that would support the position. Then you would have to train the mentor the assoicate and pray that once they become productive - two or three years down the road that they stay with you and don't leave for greener pastures.Another option would be to bring in a more senior lateral attorney with experience and a book of business.A third option would be to look around for another solo or small firm that is looking for someone to carry the firm into the next generation as a part of their succession strategy.

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 August 2011 ISBA helped people in need of legal services find lawyers in the following areas:Administrative Law - 16Animal Law - 1Bankruptcy - 15Business Law - 14Civil Disputes - 74Civil Rights - 31Collection - 23Consumer Protection - 18Contracts – 11Criminal Law - 64Education Law - 16Elder law - 5Employment Law - 85Estate/Probate Law - 38Family - 154Government Benefits - 14Health Law - 13Immigration - 3Insurance Disputes - 12Intellectual Property - 7Miscellaneous - 1Municipal Law - 16                Personal Injury - 98Real Estate - 55Social Security - 17Tax - 3Workers Compensation - 5These numbers do not include additional referrals made through the online Lawyer Finder service.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.

The Illinois State Bar Association's Young Lawyers Division will host a Day at the Races on Saturday, Sept. 24. Admission is only $6 and includes admission to the park, a daily racing guide and a fabulous day of thoroughbred racing.Saturday, Sept. 24, noon-5 p.m.Arlington Park Racecourse, Arlington Heights (The ISBA group will be at picnic tables located by the Rail)Deadline to register is Monday, Sept. 19Register at https://www.isba.org/sections/yld/dayattheraces2011reg