The United States Attorney's Office (USAO), Central District of Illinois is seeking an experienced attorney to serve in the Civil Division. The USAO is responsible for representing the federal government in litigation involving the United States in the Central District of Illinois, which includes criminal prosecutions for violations of federal law, civil lawsuits by and against the federal government, and actions to collect judgments and restitution on behalf of victims and taxpayers. The Civil Division handles a variety of cases including affirmative litigation to recover public funds which have been wrongfully obtained by fraud, civil rights enforcement, defensive matters involving government agencies and employees, asset forfeiture, and collections.

This position is located in Springfield, Illinois.

Some federal protections are changing….are you ready to advise your LGBT clients? LGBT issues cross many legal practice areas, including family law, anti-discrimination, real estate, and estate planning – to name a few. Don’t miss this full-day seminar in Chicago or via live webcast on June 7, 2018 that explores the emerging issues in each of these areas and how you can best advise your LGBT client.

This May, we're celebrating you during Member Appreciation Month. Want some time alone with an expert to get their advice on what you could be doing to improve the management of your practice in the areas you most need help? 

Two Chicago-based law firms recently settled an unusual trademark dispute. The firms have a name in common — O'Keefe. O'Keefe Lyons & Hynes, LLC ("OLH") filed a complaint against O'Keefe Law Firm, LTD ("OLF") in the District Court for the Northern District of Illinois on July 21, 2017. The complaint alleged that OLF was violating OLH's federal and state trademark rights, in addition to violating federal and state unfair competition laws.

Asked and Answered

By John W. Olmstead, MBA, Ph.D, CMC

Q. I am an attorney in New Orleans who has been in practice for ten years. I practiced with a small firm for eight years as an associate and then opened my own firm two years ago. I primarily work from home supplemented with a virtual pay-as-you-go office. I do not have any staff employees. I have been approached by a 14-attorney firm that would like me to join their firm as a partner. Their offer includes a salary that I feel is low and a bonus based upon a percentage after covering my salary, other direct costs, and indirect firm overhead. The overhead allocations seem extremely high to me. In my practice, I am bringing in around $100,000 in gross fees and my overhead averages $10,000-$15,000 per year. My profit margin is around 90 percent. I feel like I am better off building up my practice rather than accepting their offer. What are typical overhead and profit margins for law firms?

This May, we're celebrating you during Member Appreciation Month. To help you meet your MCLE requirements, we're offering a free live CLE webcast for the first 700 member registrants next Thursday, May 10, from noon to 1:00 p.m. 

Get the tips you need to drive your practice down a path of success with this full-day seminar in Naperville on June 1, 2018. Topics include: risk management; using software you already have; automated document assembly; succession planning; Moneyball for lawyers; open source investigations; and much more!

NEW! ONE ON ONE CONSULTATIONS! Reserve your space for a consultation with an Affinity Consulting Representative. (Pre-registration is required and space is limited.) Appointments are available before the seminar (7:30 – 8:30 a.m.) and after the program (5:15 – 6:15 p.m.). You will get some dedicated time with an expert to get their advice on what you could be doing to improve the management of your practice in the areas you most need help! Only open to ISBA Members who are registered for this seminar. Please contact the CLE Department at 800-525-8908 to reserve your space.

Land of Lincoln Legal Assistance Foundation, a non-profit organization which provides free legal services to eligible individuals in central and southern Illinois, is looking to hire two staff attorneys at its Central Regional Office in East St. Louis.

Foreclosure Staff Attorney

Responsibilities for this opening include representation of clients in foreclosure. Responsible for giving presentations to members of our client population about their rights.   

The polls for the ISBA Election closed yesterday, Monday, April 30, at 4:30 p.m. Results will be made available on Monday, May 7.

The three contested seats in the 2018 election are: third vice president, Board of Governors, First Judicial District — Cook County, and Board of Governors, Area 8 — Judicial Circuits 3 and 20. All members were eligible vote for third vice president. Members were also able to vote for any office that falls in the geographical area of their ISBA address.