Engagement Letters, Timesheets, and Billing Tips

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: February 7, 2023
Accreditation Expiration Date: ­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­April 19, 2025 (You must certify completion and save your certificate before this date to get MCLE credit)


Don’t miss this opportunity to hear from Kevin Stine as he teaches you the importance of engagement letters, how to keep track of your time, how to prepare informative bills for clients, and the ethical pitfalls to avoid. Topics include:
  • Why you should use engagement letters – and how to draft them;
  • Understanding how you get paid and your monthly communication with the client;
  • Terms of representation;
  • Knowing who owns files and records;
  • Proofreading your timesheets for accuracy and offering descriptions of tasks performed on the timesheet;
  • The ethical issues to avoid; and
  • Much more!

Program Coordinator/Moderator:
John W. Olmstead, Olmstead & Associates, Legal Management Consultants, St. Louis
About the Speaker:
Kevin Stine was in private practice for almost 30 years before his engagement as General Counsel at First Co Bancorp, Inc., which gives him a valuable perspective on billing from the aspect of the billing attorney and client. Kevin has been a professor at Saint Louis University School of Law, where he taught Secured Transactions and Advanced Secured Transactions, and at McKendree University’s MBA program, where he taught Legal Issues for Managers. He was appointed by Justice Lloyd Karmeier to serve on the Illinois Supreme Court’s special committee formed to study and improve the judicial process in mortgage foreclosures throughout Illinois. Kevin earned his B.S. in Business at Southern Illinois University in 1983 and his J.D. at Washington University in St. Louis in 1986.


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

7 Things Lawyers Never Do (But Should)

ISBA’s Practice Toolbox Series
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: January 24, 2023
Accreditation Expiration Date: April 19, 2025 (You must certify completion and save your certificate before this date to get MCLE credit)

How many times have you sat there in your office at the end of a very busy day and wondered what you actually accomplished? Do you set out with plans for an extremely productive day only to find that the things you’ve completed are on someone else’s list? What are you spending the most time on, and are they the right things? This seminar lays out a game plan for increasing your personal productivity and the seven things that lawyers and legal professionals never do to be more efficient — but maybe you should.

Program Speaker:
Paul Unger, Affinity Consulting Group
About the Speaker: Paul is a nationally recognized speaker, author, and thought leader in the legal technology industry. He is an attorney and founding principal of Affinity Consulting Group, a nationwide consulting company providing legal technology consulting, continuing legal education, and training. He is the author of dozens of legal technology manuals and publications, including recent published books, Tame the Digital Choas – A Lawyer’s Guide to Distraction, Time, Task & Email Management (2020), Fight the Paper (2019), and PowerPoint in an Hour for Lawyers (2014).

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
    • New Attorney Member (within the first five years of practice) - $25
    • Law Students - Free


The Hidden (and Not So Hidden) Risks of Data Scraping on the Internet

Presented by the ISBA Intellectual Property Section
Co-sponsored by the ISBA Privacy and Information Security Law Section


1.50 hours MCLE credit, including 1.50 hours Professional Responsibility MCLE credit in the following category: Professionalism, Civility, or Legal Ethics credit


Original Program Date: January 18, 2023
Accreditation Expiration Date: ­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­April 23, 2025 (You must certify completion and save your certificate before this date to get MCLE credit)


The amount of data amassed on the internet is astronomically large and growing each day. Search engines and archives regularly scrape data on the internet to provide useful indexing and search capabilities to users, while other businesses scrape data from websites, sometimes for the repackaging and resale of information. Don’t miss this comprehensive look at the types of scraping on the internet, the legal perils associated with scraping data from websites, and the risks associated with using scraped data. Civil practice attorneys, federal civil practitioners, intellectual property lawyers, and privacy/security law counsel with intermediate practice experience who attend this online seminar will learn:
  • What constitutes data scraping – both automated and manual;
  • When data scraping is legal and illegal;
  • The legal risks associated with data scraping;
  • The status of claims under the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, specifically after HiQ v. LinkedIn;
  • Other issues facing data scrapers, including breach of contract, copyright infringement, and trespass concerns; and
  • How the right of publicity is implicated when using scraped personal data.

Program Coordinator/Moderator:
Steven L. Baron, Baron Harris Healey, Chicago

Program Speakers:
Steven L. Baron, Baron Harris Healey, Chicago
Aaron W. Brooks, Brooks Law and Consulting LLC, Naperville
Michael J. Weil, McAndrews, Held & Malloy, Ltd., Chicago


*Professional Responsibility MCLE credit 

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 $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

Anatomy of an Audit Trail

Posted on March 30, 2023 by Celeste Antoinette Niemann

Audit trails can be complex and overwhelming, but they are an invaluable source of information that can help your client! Have you ever thought changes were made to a medical record or chart? Are there different versions of the same note? Don’t miss this opportunity to hear from a plaintiff’s attorney, judge, and audit trail expert as they walk you through the anatomy of an audit trail.

State and Local Government Incentives for Rebuilding Mixed-Use Residential/Commercial Projects

Presented by the ISBA Real Estate Law Section
Co-Sponsored by the ISBA Civil Practice and Procedure Section, ISBA Criminal Justice Section, and the ISBA Standing Committee on Racial and Ethnic Minorities and the Law Committee


1.50 hours MCLE credit


Original Program Date: January 12, 2023
Accreditation Expiration Date: ­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­April 5, 2025 (You must certify completion and save your certificate before this date to get MCLE credit)

Don’t miss this comprehensive look at what the government is doing to rebuild mixed-use real estate projects in our pandemic and post-pandemic world. Real estate attorneys, civil practice lawyers, criminal justice practitioners, and construction law attorneys who attend this online program will better understand:
  • How the pandemic negatively impacted the financial stability of businesses and the abandonment of residential units;
  • The opportunities that exist in our communities for revival and redevelopment;
  • How state and local government entities can encourage revitalization in our struggling communities by offering financial support and other economic incentives;
  • How zoning and land restrictions vs. incentives can play a role in attracting new development and redevelopment activities;
  • The importance of addressing the wide spectrum of incomes within our communities when considering the affordability of new residential units within these varied neighborhoods;
  • How “gentrification” may result in some mixed income and minority communities from development projects that ignore the range of incomes in those areas;
  • How the pandemic and quarantines impacted changes in the economic status of communities – and whether new mixed-use residential/commercial projects can have the effect of gentrifying the community or revitalizing the community;
  • The types of incentives and funding being offered by the state, counties, cities, and villages that may encourage developers to consider new projects in particular communities;
  • How to balance construction projects that would revitalize a community with the uprooting of minorities living and working on those areas where mixed-use projects would be situated; and
  • Much more.

Program Coordinator:
Sharon L. Eiseman, Illinois Attorney General’s Office, Chicago

Program Moderator:
Hon. Marian E. Perkins, Circuit Court of Cook County, Chicago

Program Speakers:
Kymn Harp, Robbins DiMonte Ltd., Chicago
Geoff Smith, DePaul University Institute of Housing Studies, Chicago
Julie A. Tappendorf, Ancel Glink, 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 $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

The Crossroads: Where International Law and Military Divorce Intersect

Presented by the ISBA International and Immigration Law Section
Co-sponsored by the ISBA Family Law Section and the ISBA Standing Committee on Military Law

1.0 hour MCLE credit

Original Program Date: March 2, 2023
 Accreditation Expiration Date: April 10, 2025 (You must certify completion and save your certificate before this date to get MCLE credit)


 Gain a better understanding of the unique issues associated with international law and military divorce cases, including the Hague Convention and custody issues, the rules and statutes for serving a defendant overseas, and how to divide the military pension when the servicemember is out of the country. Family law attorneys, general practitioners, international and immigration lawyers, and military law counsel with intermediate to advanced practice experience who attend this online seminar will learn:
  • The role of the armed forces in serving those servicemembers stationed overseas;
  • The custody and visitation issues that may arise in military divorce cases;
  • The Uniform Deployed Parents Custody and Visitation Act;
  • Which courts have the authority to divide a military pension;
  • What happens when the servicemember retires overseas in an effort to avoid dividing the military pension;
  • How the Defense Department regulations can assist with the return of children from overseas;
  • How to obtain family support (child support and/or alimony) when one parent is in another country;
  • How to garnish against a servicemember or military retiree; and
  • Much more.

Program Coordinator/Moderator:
Angela E. Peters, Buffalo Grove Law Offices, Arlington Heights

Program Speaker:
Mark E. Sullivan, Law Offices of Mark E. Sullivan, Raleigh, North Carolina

Program 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 - $30
    • Non-Member - $50
    • New Attorney Member (within the first five years of practice) - $25
    • Law Students - Free

Excel Power Tips for Legal Users

ISBA’s Practice Toolbox Series
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: February 28, 2023
Accreditation Expiration Date: ­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­April 19, 2025 (You must certify completion and save your certificate before this date to get MCLE credit)

In this program, we start with the basics and work our way up from there. Learn fundamental Excel concepts with real-life examples, including fiduciary accountings, amortization schedules, real estate closing statements, disbursement schedules, and medical bill summaries.


Program Speaker:
Danielle DavisRoe, Affinity Consulting Group
About the Speaker: Danielle’s many responsibilities at Affinity include training, CLE/speaking, writing, and management consulting. Prior to joining the Affinity family, Danielle practiced family law. She discovered, however, that she enjoyed making efficient use of technology more than practicing law, making her a perfect fit for consulting. Danielle describes her superpower as “herding cats,” and her favorite parts of her job are making others’ jobs and lives easier.


*Professional Responsibility MCLE credit 

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
    • New Attorney Member (within the first five years of practice) - $25
    • Law Students - Free

Mineral Law Survey

Presented by the ISBA Agricultural Law Section
Co-sponsored by the ISBA Mineral Law Section


0.75 hours MCLE credit


Original Program Date: February 3, 2017
MCLE Accreditation Extension Period: ­­­­­­April 13, 2023 - April 12, 2025 (You must certify completion and save your certificate before this date to get MCLE credit)


Program Coordinators:
Laura A. Harmon , Illinois Agricultural Association, Bloomington
Barry O. Hines , Attorney at Law, Springfield
Andrew G. White , Bellatti Barton Cochran & White, Springfield

Program Moderator:
Barry O. Hines , Attorney at Law, Springfield


This comprehensive overview of mineral law surveys addresses the transfer of mineral rights in connection with estates, and discusses the updates involving the Severed Mineral Interest Act.
David M. Foreman , Foreman & Kessler Ltd, Salem

Originally presented as part of the “Hot Topics in Agricultural Law – 2017.”. 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 $22.50 is displayed below when you login and program is eligible for Free CLE member benefit
    • Non-Member Price $37.50
    • New Attorney Member (within the first five years of practice) - $25
    • Law Students - Free