Chicago area immigration attorneys have reportedly seen an uptick in both demand for their services and immigration scams (http://bit.ly/2pw699g). Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan issued a press release warning immigrant communities about potential fraud (http://bit.ly/2qzEDev). Her office recently sued southwest suburb-based Norma Bonilla, who is accused of immigration fraud (http://cbsloc.al/2r18JYe). Bonilla has allegedly defrauded at least four people who were seeking immigration law services. Bonilla is not an attorney.

How do people fall prey to these scams? In some cases, their misunderstanding based on the legal conventions of their native cultures may lead them to fall victim to the unauthorized practice of law.

In some countries, for example, notaries ("notarios") are authorized to provide some basic legal services, while in the U.S. they are merely authorized to witness signatures. As such, it is understandable that some immigrants may assume that a notary can assist them with legal services, including immigration services. According to an FAQ published by the ISBA Task Force on Unauthorized Practice of Law, in addition to licensed attorneys, not-for-profit entities registered with the Board of Immigration Appeals can provide immigration law services (http://bit.ly/2ps85mA).

Find out more in the June Illinois Bar Journal.

The Illinois Supreme Court Clerk's Office will join the eFileIL community on Thursday, June 15. Filers for the state's highest court will need to access the eFileIL filing platform at efile.illinoiscourts.gov and become a registered user through one of the authorized service providers. Supreme Court filers will no longer be able to use the i2File platform as of 11:59 p.m. on Wednesday, June 14.

On January 22, 2016, the Illinois Supreme Court entered Order M.R. 18368 announcing mandatory e-filing for civil cases in the Illinois Supreme, Appellate and Circuit Courts. Consistent with the amendment to this order, entered on May 30, 2017, permissive e-filing may continue in people cases on the Supreme Court's general docket and all cases on the Court's miscellaneous record ("MR") docket. The Supreme Court Order requires e-filing through a single, centralized electronic filing manager (EFM), which will be integrated with each court's case management system. The supreme and appellate courts have a July 1, 2017, deadline to join eFileIL. The Second Appellate District became the first reviewing court to join on May 18.

The Supreme Court Clerk's Office has been e-filing since 2012 on a pilot basis that was expanded to all cases in 2013. In 2016, approximately 48 percent of pleadings filed on the Court's general docket were e-filed and approximately 75 percent of the pleadings on the MR dockets were e-filed.

The ISBA will soon fill three vacant Assembly seats, two in Cook County and one in the 18th Circuit (DuPage County). One Cook County seat has a one-year term and the other has a two-year term. Both terms begin immediately – the two-year vacancy will be filled first. The 18th Circuit vacancy is for a two-year term and begins immediately. Assembly members must reside in their circuit or district.

Interested in being a candidate? Under a policy change adopted at the 2016 Annual meeting, Assembly vacancies are no longer filled in the first instance by the Board of Governors. Instead, those seeking election must submit a nominating petition with at least 10 member signatures to the Executive Director at kweaver@isba.org. Within seven days of receiving the first petition, the ISBA will send notice via email to the membership in the affected area calling for any other nominations. If none are received within 14 days of the notice, the member submitting the nominating petition is declared elected. If more nominating petitions than vacancies are submitted, the Board will fill the vacancy from those submitting the petitions.

The new policy is at paragraph 3.8(a) of the ISBA Policy and Procedures on Association Elections. Please consult the full document for details about Assembly vacancies, nominating petitions, and other election-related processes.  If you have questions, contact Kim Weaver, Assistant to the Executive Director, at 800.252.8908 or kweaver@isba.org.

Splash into super savings at a water park near you!

Looking for a way to cool off this summer? Check out our wide selection of water parks all across the country and save over 45% on admission.

These offers are provided to you through the Illinois State Bar Association’s Member Marketplace.

Want to sign up? It's free and easy: 
1. Visit www.ticketsatwork.com
2. Use your company code: ISBA
3. Read and follow the easy steps on our site, and once registered you can access all tickets, events, hotels and more online for free.

Join us for this live webcast on June 27, 2017 to learn how non-competition agreements are being overused for low-level employees who are not exposed to the employer’s trade secrets and confidential information, as well as what the local and national conversation has to say about these unfair practices. Employment attorneys, litigators, attorneys representing corporate employers, and others interested in the labor practices who are at a basic or intermediate level of experience and who attend this seminar will better understand: current statutory and regulatory initiatives; the legal framework that currently exists in the law regarding non-competition agreements; employer best practices regarding the use of non-competition agreements; and much more!  

The seminar is presented by the ISBA Standing Committee on Racial & Ethnic Minorities and the Law and Co-sponsored by the ISBA Labor & Employment Section, ISBA Corporate Law Departments Section, and ISBA Business and Securities Law Section. It qualifies for 1.0 hour MCLE credit.

Click here for more information and to register.

Congratulations to Joseph Fisher, John Castaneda, Bradley Wilson, R. Samuel Postlewait, Marquita Trotter, Lori Levin, John O'Halloran, Melanie Fairman, John Cesario, Donald Nathan, James Hoey, Donna Henderson, Edward Burt, Janice Boback, Michael Schiffman, Kim Chanbonpin, Jacob Mihm, William Stanton, Michael Saken, Stephanie Lieberman, Cary Stein, Kenneth Michaels, Angela Riccio, William Gebis, and Michael Lucas for winning the 25 ISBA Mutual brief bags.

To show its appreciation in honor of Member Appreciation Month, ISBA Mutual gave away 25 goody bags, which includes a brief bag with supplies for when you are on the road. Members were invited to enter the drawing to win the following items:

• Power Bank to Charge Your Phone
• USB Drive to Save Files
• The Fundamentals of Loss Prevention Handbook
• Supplies: Notepad, Pen & Post-It Cube

Let Lenovo do the heavy lifting! Take advantage of summer savings up to 32 percent on select business systems, accessories, and more.

Deals are only valid while supplies last! Shop now:

• Up to 30 percent off Lenovo Phab 2 Smartphones
• Up to 28 percent off Lenovo Convertible Laptops
• Up to 28 percent off Lenovo Accessories
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Visit: http://www3.lenovo.com/us/en/statebar
Call: 1-800-426-7235, ext. 3577 (M-F: 9am-9pm ET, Sat: 9am-6pm ET)
Be sure to check the website often – special offers change frequently.

Remember, these special monthly offers are tailored specifically for you and include: FREE shipping on all web orders, access to energy-efficient green technologies and award-winning service.

ISBA Director of Legislative Affairs Jim Covington reviews legislation of interest to ISBA members. This week, he summarizes some of the more important bills that have been sent to the governor, or will be sent this summer. Once he receives it from the General Assembly, he has 60 days to sign, veto, or amendatorily veto it. If he takes no action, it becomes law as a “pocket signature.”

For context, please note that the House introduced 4,063 bills, and the Senate introduced 2,212 bills. The number of bills passing both chambers was 296 House Bills and 194 Senate bills.

More information on each bill is available below the video.

The deadline for pre-registration for the 141st ISBA Annual Meeting is Friday, June 9. Join us June 15-17 at the Abbey Resort in Fontana, Wisconsin, to celebrate our accomplishments over the past bar year and prepare for the year ahead of us. The Annual Meeting is a great place build lasting relationships, create positive changes in the profession, earn CLE hours, and be a part of our community. 

This year, we're offering a program on e-filing in Illinois. Join us for this session on Friday morning to learn how to use eFileIL, a statewide electronic filing system that will soon be mandatory, and get answers to the questions you have about it. A successful transition will allow you to continue to serve your clients efficiently. 

You can also learn how to use data to better understand your firm. In "Moneyball for Lawyers: Using Data to Build a Major League Practice," also on Friday, you will learn how to read the traditional and non-traditional numbers that are telling your business’s story, where to find these numbers, and how to make sense of them. 

There will also be plenty of opportunities to network with your peers at the Networking Luncheon and Annual Dinner on Friday, and Networking Breakfast on Saturday.

View the schedule and register today! 

People love their pets. However, sometimes things go wrong. In particular, dogs bite people, causing significant injuries.

In Illinois, and nationwide, dog-bite claims are on the rise. According to the Insurance Information Institute, dog bites and dog-related injuries accounted for more than one third of homeowner insurance liability claim dollars paid out in 2015 (http://bit.ly/21OVQJQ). In Illinois, this is due, in part, to the Animal Control Act (510 ILCS 5/1, et seq.).

In some jurisdictions, there is the "one free bite rule" - a dog owner may not be liable for damages caused by a dog bite if the dog has never bitten a person before. Not so in Illinois. The Act creates heightened liability for dog owners. It provides that if a dog or other animal attacks, attempts to attack, or injures a person without provocation, then the owner is liable for the full amount of any injuries sustained (510 ILCS 5/16.5). This heightened liability is designed to "encourage tight control of animals in order to protect the public from harm." Hayes v. Adams, 2013 IL App (2d) 120681, ¶ 12.

This heightened liability naturally leads to more dog-bite claims. According to State Farm, it paid out $14 million across 323 dog-related claims in Illinois in 2016 (http://bit.ly/2qweL3l). Illinois ranked second only to California on the company's Top 10 list for dog-bite claims.

Find out more, including what the "reasonable dog" standard is, in the June Illinois Bar Journal.