Attorney Fees and Trust Funds: Understanding the New Amendments to Rule 1.5 and Rule 1.15

ISBA Members: Use your 15 hours of Free CLE credits to order this program –
just use the green button next to the “Add to Cart” button below!

Presented by the Illinois State Bar Association


1.0 hour MCLE credit, including 1.0 hour Professional Responsibility MCLE credit in the following category: Professionalism, Civility, or Legal Ethics credit


Original Program Date: Friday, June 9, 2023
Accreditation Expiration Date: ­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­August 28, 2025 (You must certify completion and save your certificate before this date to get MCLE credit)


On March 1, 2023, the Illinois Supreme Court adopted some significant amendments to the fees rule (Rule 1.5) and the rule governing funds or property held in trust (Rule 1.15). The amendments to these rules made several notable additions and revisions, including adding a new provision barring nonrefundable fees and retainers, and codifying how common fee retainers must be handled. Lawyers should review the new rules and take action to ensure that their fee agreements and handling of clients’ funds meets the new requirements when they take effect on July 1, 2023.


Program Speaker:
Mary F. Andreoni, Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission, Chicago



*Originally presented as part of the ISBA Annual Meeting 2023. Find more sessions in this series in the ISBA On-Demand CLE catalog.


Pricing Information
  • Please Note: You must attend the entire program in order to earn MCLE credit for this seminar.
  • ISBA sponsoring section members get a $10 registration discount (which is automatically calculated in your cart when you log in to register).
  • Fees:
    • ISBA Member Price of $30 is displayed below when you login and program is eligible for Free CLE member benefit
    • Non-Member Price $50
    • New Attorney Member (within the first five years of practice) - $25
    • Law Students - Free

Creating and Operating a Successful Law Practice

ISBA Members: Use your 15 hours of Free CLE credits to order this program –
just use the green button next to the “Add to Cart” button below!
Presented by the ISBA Standing Committee on Law Office Management and Economics


1.0 hour MCLE credit, including 1.0 hour Professional Responsibility MCLE credit in the following category: Professionalism, Civility, or Legal Ethics credit


Original Program Date: Friday, June 9, 2023
Accreditation Expiration Date: August 28, 2025 (You must certify completion and save your certificate before this date to get MCLE credit)


Don’t miss this opportunity to hear from Antwan Williams as he examines the various ways lawyers have created and operated a successful law practice. Attorneys interested in finding out more about how to start and operate a law practice who attend this seminar will better understand:
  • The globalization of the legal practice;
  • Email and the Internet;
  • The unique opportunities created by an aging population;
  • How to get started;
  • How to locate the ideal place to open an office;
  • Goals and timelines;
  • How much money it takes to get started;
  • How to find candidates and opportunities;
  • The law office management software you need to know about;
  • Client development and management; and
  • The ethical issues you need to consider, including Rule 1.17


Program Coordinator:
John W. Olmstead, Olmstead & Associates, Legal Management Consultants, St. Louis

Program Moderator:
Kevin J. Stine, First Co Bancorp Inc and FCB Banks, Collinsville

Program Speaker:
Antwan M. Williams, Law Office of Antwan M. Williams, Chicago


About the Speaker
Antwan M. Williams, Esq., LLM, MBA received his L.L.M. in Intellectual Property Law from The John Marshall Law School. Mr. Williams received his J.D., with a Certificate in Trial Advocacy, from Loyola University Chicago School of Law where he was on the Dean’s List. He received a Master of Business Administration with a concentration in Strategic Management and Leadership from The George Washington University and a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering with a concentration in Digital Signal Processing & Communication Theory from Morgan State University, where he was a member of the Alpha Sigma Lambda National Honor Society. Prior to attending law school, Mr. Williams worked for 16 years at Motorola Solutions and Nokia as a senior manager of engineering and operations. During that time, Mr. Williams relied on his engineering and business expertise to deliver highly technical projects such as the Iridium Satellite System, Motorola iDEN, and 3G CDMA. He also participated in the IEEE interoperability standards development for 4G WiMAX and LTE systems for both U.S. and International telecommunications carriers.


*Originally presented as part of the ISBA Annual Meeting 2023. Find more sessions in this series in the ISBA On-Demand CLE catalog.


Pricing Information
  • Please Note: You must attend the entire program in order to earn MCLE credit for this seminar.
  • ISBA sponsoring section members get a $10 registration discount (which is automatically calculated in your cart when you log in to register).
  • Fees:
    • ISBA Member Price of $30 is displayed below when you login and program is eligible for Free CLE member benefit
    • Non-Member Price $50
    • New Attorney Member (within the first five years of practice) - $25
    • Law Students - Free

The Insurer-Insured Privilege

Posted on August 14, 2023 by Celeste Antoinette Niemann

 In his August Illinois Bar Journal article, “The Insurer-Insured Privilege,” Scott O. Reed observes that Illinois is one of the few U.S. jurisdictions to recognize what is known as the “insurer-insured privilege,” which protects from discovery statements made by an insured to its insurer, even though no attorney is involved in those communications. This description of the doctrine is straight-forward, but Reed notes Illinois cases have recognized several limitations, exceptions, and qualifications to this privilege.

Legal Writing - Tools and Diagnostics for Clarity

ISBA Members: Use your 15 hours of Free CLE credits to order this program –
just use the green button next to the “Add to Cart” button below!

Presented by the Illinois State Bar Association


1.0 hours MCLE credit, including 1.0 hours Professional Responsibility MCLE credit


Original Program Date: August 5, 2021
MCLE Accreditation Extension Period: ­­­­­­­August 29, 2023 - August 28, 2025 (You must certify completion and save your certificate before this date to get MCLE credit)


Communicating with others is a key component of being an attorney. Clarity is everything-a confused mind always says "no." Before you can persuade, you must be understood. Clear, concise legal writing is an important part of this communication process. This short seminar goes beyond the usual advice that you hear on this subject. It is designed to give you the tools to help you develop strong writing skills.

Topics include drafting a meaningful synopsis, organizing your documents for better reader comprehension, understanding the power of active voice, spotting typical problems in legal writing, rethinking the editing process, and more. The seminar is taught by Jim Covington, who has been the Director of Legislative Affairs for the Illinois State Bar Association since 1995. He was in private practice in Mattoon, Illinois from 1979-1988 and staffed the Illinois Senate Judiciary Committee in Springfield, Illinois from 1988-1995. He is a 1979 graduate of the University of Oklahoma College of Law and a 1976 graduate of Eastern Illinois University



Pricing Information
  • Please Note: You must attend the entire program in order to earn MCLE credit for this seminar.
  • ISBA sponsoring section members get a $10 registration discount (which is automatically calculated in your cart when you log in to register).
  • Fees:
    • ISBA Member Price of $30 is displayed below when you login and program is eligible for Free CLE member benefit
    • Non-Member Price $50
    • New Attorney Member (within the first five years of practice) - $25
    • Law Students - Free

Representing Clients During The Union Elections

ISBA Members: Use your 15 hours of Free CLE credits to order this program –
just use the green button next to the “Add to Cart” button below!

Presented by the ISBA Labor & Employment Law Section


1.50 hours MCLE credit


Original Program Date: Thursday, September 9, 2021
MCLE Accreditation Extension Period: ­­­­­­­August 16, 2023 - August 15, 2025 (You must certify completion and save your certificate before this date to get MCLE credit)


Don’t miss this introductory look at the National Labor Relations Board’s rules and procedures regarding elections, what the Labor Board’s investigators and officials expect, how to represent unions filing petitions for elections, and how to represent employers who respond to petitions filed by unions. General practitioners, labor and employment lawyers, corporate attorneys, and new lawyers with basic practice experience who attend this online program will better understand:
  • The National Labor Relations Board’s Representation Election procedures;
  • How to represent unions and employers during the election process; and
  • The role of “persuaders” who act as consultants for the employers before, during, and after the election proceedings.

Program Moderator:
Alan M. Kaplan, Masuda, Funai, Eifert & Mitchell, Ltd., Schaumburg

Program Speakers:
Alan M. Kaplan, Masuda, Funai, Eifert & Mitchell, Ltd., Schaumburg
Daniel Nelson, National Labor Relations Board, Region 13, Chicago
Edgardo Villaneuva, EMSI Consulting LLC, Chicago


Pricing Information

  • Please Note: You must attend the entire program in order to earn MCLE credit for this seminar.
  • Fees:
    • ISBA Member Price of $45 is displayed below when you login and program is eligible for Free CLE member benefit
    • Non-Member Price $75
    • New Attorney Member (within the first five years of practice) - $25
    • Law Students - Free

Spotlight on Pro Bono: The Importance of Virtual Pro Bono Through Illinois Free Legal Answers

Posted on August 14, 2023 by Celeste Antoinette Niemann

By Abigail Causer, Managing Attorney at the Public Interest Law Initiative (PILI)

Imagine being without legal guidance when you need it most. Now, imagine being the ray of hope that brightens that darkness- from the comfort of your home. Hosted by the ABA and Administered in Illinois by PILI through the incredible support of the Illinois Bar Foundation, the Illinois Access to Justice grant program, and the Illinois Equal Justice Foundation, Illinois Free Legal Answers is a secure website where lower income Illinois residents can ask a lawyer for help with a legal issue. Qualified users post questions about civil legal problems, then volunteer lawyers log onto the site - anytime and anywhere you can access the internet - and select questions to answer. It’s a virtual walk-in legal clinic and a great pro bono opportunity that you can engage with over your lunch or in your off hours in sweatpants.

Construction Dreams: On Time, On Budget and As Planned

ISBA Members: Use your 15 hours of Free CLE credits to order this program –
just use the green button next to the “Add to Cart” button below!

Presented by the ISBA Construction Law Section


1.0 hour MCLE credit


Original Program Date: Thursday, September 9, 2021
MCLE Accreditation Extension Period: ­­­­­­­August 16, 2023 - August 15, 2025 (You must certify completion and save your certificate before this date to get MCLE credit)


Get the information you need to effectively advise your clients on a number of construction law issues. Real estate lawyers, general practitioners, and construction law attorneys with basic practice experience who attend this online program will better understand:
  • Construction disbursing escrows;
  • What a construction escrow can and cannot do for you;
  • The monthly draw process;
  • How to determine sufficiency of funds;
  • Reliability of lien waivers;
  • Architect reviews;
  • Payment and performance bonds;
  • Compliance issues with plans and on-time schedules; and
  • Much more!

Program Coordinator/Moderator:
Paul Peterson, Attorney at Law, Mount Prospect

Program Speakers:
Brienne M. Berscheid, Chicago Title Insurance Company, Chicago
Paul Peterson, Attorney at Law, Mount Prospect


Pricing Information

  • Please Note: You must attend the entire program in order to earn CMLE credit for this seminar.  
  • ISBA sponsoring section members get a $10 registration discount (which is automatically calculated in your cart when you log in to register).
  • Fees:
    • ISBA Member Price of $30 is displayed below when you login and program is eligible for Free CLE member benefit
    • Non-Member Price $50
    • New Attorney Member (within the first five years of practice) - $25
    • Law Students - Free

SALT Basics - Wayfair Reprise: Three Years Later

ISBA Members: Use your 15 hours of Free CLE credits to order this program –
just use the green button next to the “Add to Cart” button below!

Presented by the ISBA State and Local Tax Section

0.5 hours MCLE credit


Original Program Date: Wednesday, September 8, 2021
MCLE Accreditation Extension Period: ­­­­­­­August 16, 2023 - August 15, 2025 (You must certify completion and save your certificate before this date to get MCLE credit)


Program Coordinators:
Gary H. Smith, Law Offices of Gary H. Smith, P.C., Chicago
David J. Kupiec, Kupiec & Martin LLC, Chicago

Program Moderator:
David J. Kupiec, Kupiec & Martin LLC, Chicago


Wayfair Reprise – Three Years Later
Join us for this lively discussion in which our speakers revisit the Wayfair case, and also discuss how the decision has impacted the future of online taxing.
Brian E. Fliflet, Illinois Department of Revenue, Chicago
Donna F. Hartl, Roetzel & Andress, Chicago
Stanley R. Kaminski, Duane Morris LLP, Chicago



Pricing Information
  • Please Note: You must attend the entire program in order to earn MCLE credit for this seminar.
  • ISBA sponsoring section members get a $10 registration discount (which is automatically calculated in your cart when you log in to register).
  • Fees:
    • ISBA Member Price of $15 is displayed below when you login and program is eligible for Free CLE member benefit
    • Non-Member Price $25
    • New Attorney Member (within the first five years of practice) - $25
    • Law Students - Free

Local officials discuss how things could look without cash bail

In a little more than a month, Illinois’ criminal justice system starts a new chapter when the Pretrial Fairness Act takes effect Sept. 18.

From: 
Daily Journal

A state program is supposed to cover funeral expenses for murdered children. Lawmakers forgot to fund it.

Serabi Medina’s family is currently raising money online to pay for her funeral. You’ve probably read or heard about how the 9-year-old girl was deliberately shot in the head and killed, allegedly by a neighbor in Chicago’s Portage Park neighborhood earlier this month. But the fundraising shouldn’t be necessary.

From: 
Chicago Sun-Times