Looking for a short term opportunity to give back to the legal profession?
Or looking for help launching your legal career?

Enroll in ISBA’s 2016 Lawyer-to-Lawyer Mentoring Program by December 18!

Hear what some of our 2015 participants have to say about the program:

Daniel Saeedi, Taft Stettinius and Hollister LLP, was admitted to the Illinois bar in 2008 and served as a mentor this year for Madeleine R.L. Goldfarb, a newly admitted attorney working at CinnamonMueller in Chicago. Daniel says the best thing he experienced being a mentor is satisfaction in helping new attorneys make contacts, identify marketing opportunities, find short cuts and time savers to practice more efficiently, and deal with whatever challenge they are facing at the time. He likes the one year length of the program because the new attorney will encounter a variety of issues over the course of the year and he is there to be a resource as those new issues arise.

Child custody cases often involve the use of a guardian ad litem (GAL), a child representative, an attorney for the child, or some combination of the three. However, the way these important participants are used varies dramatically from circuit court to circuit court.

The ISBA's Family Law Section Council's Committee on Representing Children wants to start a statewide dialogue on how attorneys are used to represent children. Marilyn Longwell and Treva O'Neill describe this effort in the September 2015 ISBA Family Law newsletter ("We need a statewide dialogue on the use of attorneys appointed to represent children," at http://bit.ly/1MKN7Pl).

Longwell and O'Neill recognize that economic and other factors may prevent creating a uniform system across the circuits. The committee hopes to "form a consensus as to what are the best practices in using attorneys to represent children" and to "accommodate for economic and other factors which impinge on those practices." Find out more in the December Illinois Bar Journal.

A Ski Vacation

Nothing signifies winter more than a ski vacation and this December TicketsatWork.com invites you to explore some of the nation's best ski resorts with savings up to 50%! This ski season, explore Hunter Mountain in New York and save $35 on 2-anytime lift tickets, Mountain Creek Ski Resort in the Appalachian Mountains of New Jersey and save over 55%, and Shawnee Mountain in Pennsylvania and save 25% on a ski or snowboard package. For more ways to enjoy a ski vacation this December visit TicketsatWork.com.

Cirque duCember

December is all about Cirque du Soleil! TicketsatWork.com wants you to remember December with one of Cirque's many shows across the nation. Delve into a world of curiosity with Kurios in Costa Mesa, CA, Los Angeles, CA, and Atlanta, GA and save over $40 when you do. In Las Vegas you can listen to some of Michael Jackson's greatest hits and watch Cirque's incredible acrobatics in Michael Jackson ONE by Cirque du Soleil. When you do you'll save up to $25 on this phenomenal production. And if you're looking for a holiday show to get you in the spirit of the season, head to New York for the Radio City Christmas Spectacular and save up to 50%!

Deal of the Month: Save up to 50% on Radio City Christmas Spectacular

Did You Know?

AMC movie tickets make the perfect holiday gift. Spread the holiday cheer this season with admissions to the year's biggest blockbusters. Right now TicketsatWork.com will make your holiday even brighter with savings up to 45% on AMC movie tickets!

Asked and Answered

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

Q. I am the owner of a solo practice family law firm in Jackson, Mississippi. I have been in practice four years. I have been approached by a senior solo attorney that has a well established family law practice that generates $800,000 annually and is looking to sell his practice. We envision a merger where I would make an initial payment upon merging my firm with his and then buyout his interest over a five-year period. We have agreed on a fixed price for his ownership interest. However, we are not sure how to handle compensation. He wants to continue to work for another five to seven years. We would appreciate your thoughts.

Attorney Morris Lane Harvey discusses temporary relief in family law cases.

Chief Judge of the Seventh Judicial Circuit Kenneth Deihl is pleased to announce that Springfield attorney Jennifer M. Ascher has been appointed as Associate Judge and will be assigned to Sangamon County. Ms. Ascher was appointed to fill the vacancy created by the impending retirement of Associate Judge Steven H. Nardulli. Ms. Ascher will take her oath of office and start on January 11, 2016.

Commenting on the selection, Chief Judge Kenneth Deihl states, “Ms. Ascher is a talented and respected family attorney. Her extensive trial practice and professional demeanor makes her well suited for judicial office. We look forward to her service in our justice system.”

Ms. Jennifer Ascher received her undergraduate degree in 1999 from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and her Juris Doctor in 2003 from Saint Louis University School of Law. She is currently a partner at Sorling Northrup, where she has practiced family law nearly exclusively for the past twelve years. During her tenure, she represented clients in Sangamon County and surrounding counties. She is a Springfield native where she resides with her family.

Ms. Ascher previously served as president of the Central Illinois Women’s Bar Association and the Sangamon County Bar Association.

Asked and Answered

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

Q. I am the managing partner of a 27 lawyer insurance defense firm in Orlando, Florida. In the last seven years we have grown from 10 lawyers to 27. Our firm is very dependent upon a handful of insurance companies and we are looking at ways to diversify our practice. Our rapid growth has caused us to outgrow our management structure. A few years ago we hired our first firm administrator to manage the business operations of the firm. We are now considering establishing a business development/marketing position to help focus our business development efforts. I would appreciate your thoughts.

By Susan Zielke, ISBA Standing Committee on Delivery of Legal Services

As we celebrate Veterans Day, it is time to remember and thank the men and women who have served our country. According to the U.S. Department of Justice Access to Justice Initiative, there are more than 22 million U.S. veterans and 1.4 million service members, many of whom face serious challenges dealing with unemployment, health problems, and homelessness. The Department of Veterans Affairs’ Project CHALENG survey consistently finds that four of the top 10 unmet needs of homeless veterans involve legal assistance for eviction and foreclosure prevention, child support issues, driver’s license restoration, and outstanding warrants and fines. Other top 10 unmet needs also have a legal component such as family reconciliation assistance and financial guardianships.