Last Thursday, May 18, 2017, The Future Is Now: Legal Services 2.017, hosted by the Illinois Supreme Court Commission on Professionalism and co-sponsored by the Illinois State Bar Association, among others, brought legal practitioners and industry experts together for presentations and open discussions on the future of the profession.

The delivery of legal services is changing rapidly in light of new technology that has transformed the way we communicate, collaborate, and organize our work. As a result, the traditional landscape of legal services is falling behind and failing to meet client needs. Innovation is key to adapt to change and become more efficient at the practice of law.

This industry conference featured talks by experts on topics including:

• Using online dispute resolution to open the virtual courthouse doors to the public
• Preventative lawyering practices and insurance mechanisms that meet the needs of today's lawyer and consumer
• A value-driven lawyer business model that rewards production rather than efficiency
• How to invest in employees and boost impact by diversifying the workplace
• Leveraging new technology to deliver legal services to clients where they are are, when they need them

Attendees were also given the opportunity to participate by asking questions and responding to the presentations during the town-hall discussions that followed each series of talks. 

Congratulations to Stephen Deckro, Stephanie Gilbert, and Mervate Mohammad for each winning a Visa gift card in the #lawinINstyle Instagram contest. 

During our second week of Member Appreciation Month, we gave advice on how to polish your professional presence by evaluating what kind of image your wardrobe projects. We asked several of our members to give insight and advice on the power of dressing well, then asked our readers to share their favorite outfit on Instagram. We loved seeing examples of how our members use their wardrobes to put their best foot forward as attorneys.

Don't forget to check out our Membership Appreciation Month site for upcoming promotions.

Don’t miss this full-day seminar in Chicago or via live webcast on June 9, 2017 that offers valuable information on how to handle an assortment of complex issues facing certain families during the administration of an estate, including drafting appropriate estate planning documents, enforcing settlement agreements, repairing documents that do not work, understanding administrative provisions of trust instruments, administering qualified retirement assets, and preparing fiduciary tax returns. Attendees with intermediate or advanced experience in estate planning, probate, tax planning, trust construction, tax preparation, trust and estate administration, chancery, or charitable planning representing fiduciaries who attend this seminar will better understand: the role of the trust protector; statutory and common law techniques available to fiduciaries and beneficiaries; trust construction, modification, and decanting; charitable trust reformation and how to assure grantor’s intent is met; use of apportionment provisions in planning documents; inherited IRAs; typical issues faced in tax return preparation; and much more!

The program is presented by the ISBA Trusts & Estates Section and qualifies for 6.25 hours MCLE credit.

Click here for more information and to register.

Discover a whole new world at Disney's ALADDIN, the hit Broadway musical. Take advantage of this deal from TicketsatWork to buy tickets starting at $63.50. 

From the producer of The Lion King comes the timeless story of Aladdin, a thrilling new production filled with unforgettable beauty, magic, comedy and breathtaking spectacle. It's an extraordinary theatrical event where one lamp and three wishes make the possibilities infinite.

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.

Continuing our D4S Office Wellness Week, today we're looking at a very 21st century work problem — Computer Vision Syndrome — and ways to prevent or alleviate related symptoms.

What is Computer Vision Syndrome (CVS)? According to the American Optometric Association, CVS (also referred to as Digital Eye Strain) describes a group of eye and vision-related problems that result from prolonged computer, tablet, e-reader and smartphone use. Research shows that between 50 and 90 percent of people who work at a computer screen experience some symptoms.

The most common symptoms include eye strain, headaches, blurred vision, double vision, dry red eyes, and neck/shoulder/back pain.

What causes CVS? CVS is similar to carpal tunnel syndrome in that both are repetitive motion injuries you can get at work. When you spend the majority of your day on the computer, your eyes follow the same path over and over, constantly focusing and refocusing every time they move across the screen or you look away from your screen and back.

Welcome to D4S Week 4 - Office Wellness! Lawyers tend to work long hours and experience significant amounts of stress. This week we're looking at ways to help you cope with that stress and make your office environment healthier too. Let's get started...

Chances are you spend much of your day sitting in front of a computer. (You're likely there now.) If you are seated (or the next your are,) check your posture. Are you hunched over? Is your breathing inhibited? Does your lower back or neck hurt? When was the last time you stretched?

We've asked Health and Relaxation Coach Liv Ryan — daughter of (proud) mom Jeanne Heaton, ISBA Director of CLE — for an encore of her 'DIY Physio for Stress Reduction' techniques, recently given at an ISBA Solo & Small Firm Institute.

In the video, Liv shares a few stretches you can do seated at your desk, or standing nearby, that will reinvigorate you, work out some of your tension, and get the blood flowing again for better alertness and posture throughout the rest of your day. Watch it before you go get your morning coffee or whenever you find yourself needing a short break.

Please enjoy this gift from our malpractice insurance partner, ISBA Mutual!

At ISBA Mutual, your success is ours, and we're recognizing that fact throughout ISBA Member Appreciation Month. To help you build upon your present success and flourish in an uncertain future, we are providing another e-book to help you make your practice the best law practice it can be.

Tomorrow is Today: A Day in the Life of a Technology Oriented Law Firm is the companion piece from our 2015 Risk Management Conference, an event that is only available to lawyers we insure.

Here is what you can expect to discover in this e-book:

The Illinois Supreme Court announced the filing of lawyer disciplinary orders on May 19, 2017. Sanctions were imposed because the lawyers engaged in professional misconduct by violating state ethics law.

Our final challenge this week is to uncover some best practices for creating better passwords and learn how to properly store them.

'The whole is greater than the sum of its parts.' –Aristotle

Faster hardware and new tech used by password crackers have made passwords less secure than in years past. Your best bet for creating a password that is more difficult for online predators to crack is to employ multiple methods. Our favorites are outlined below. Alone, each is better than doing nothing, but together our 1-2-3-punch makes for a stronger deterrent.

Randomizing. By definition, to randomize is to make unpredictable. Humans are notorious for creating predictable passwords. If you Google 'random password,' a number of online random password generators will turn up in your results. Great, right? Wrong. According to our IT guru Tim, 'If it's online, it's not recommended. Sacrifice convenience for security.' Your results and IP address can potentially be discovered by the wrong people. With that in mind, go old school. Find a favorite book or pick up a dictionary, close your eyes, point to a word...you know the drill. In fact, you'll want to do that a few times because our next tip is to use...

Phrases/Multiple Words. Another best practice is to use a string of words instead of a single word. Here, more is better; use as many words/characters as you are comfortable using, and again, try to randomize and make sure they have no relationship to one another.

Leading appellate attorneys review the Illinois Supreme Court opinions handed down Thursday, May 18. The cases are Better Government Ass'n v. Illinois High School Ass'n, In re Estate of Shelton, Ferris, Thompson & Zweig, Ltd v. Esposito, Chultem v. Ticor Title Insurance Co., and People v. Veach.