When the America Invents Act was signed into law, it incorporated significant changes to patent law, including new patent office proceedings for challenging the validity of patents. These “post-grant review” proceedings were designed to create easier, less-costly challenges to patents than traditional district court proceedings. Join us in Chicago on March 20^th for this informative presentation and learn how these new proceedings are being implemented, while getting the practical tips and advise you need for using them! Can’t attend live in Chicago? This program is also being offered via the Internet as a live webcast so attorneys can attend remotely!

The program is presented by the ISBA Intellectual Property Section and qualifies for 3.0 hours MCLE credit.

Click here for more information and to register for the CHICAGO program.

Click here for more information and to register for the LIVE WEBCAST.

The ISBA has established the John C. McAndrews Award to honor the extraordinary commitment of individuals, bar associations, or law firm/corporate legal departments to providing free legal services to the income eligible in Illinois or expanding the availability of legal services to the income eligible in Illinois. Nominations for the John C. McAndrews Award due on March 15, 2013. The nominating form is available at www.isba.org/awards/mcandrews.

The Chicago Alumni Chapter of Phi Alpha Delta Law Fraternity, Int'l, will be honoring Cook County Public Defender, Hon. Abishi C. Cunningham Jr. (Ret.), during its annual St. PADdy's Day Luncheon. Phi Alpha Delta, which has as its mission service to the student, school, profession and community, will be recognizing the Public Defender for his career-long contributions to all these service areas.
 
The luncheon, which features traditional Irish fare and music, will take place on Thursday, March 14, 2013, at the Union League Club, 65 West Jackson. Reception from 11:30 a.m. to Noon. Luncheon from Noon to 1:30 p.m.
 
For more information or to purchase tickets, call Chapter Justice, Deidre Baumann, at 312-558-3119.
 

"The taxpayers in Cain v. Hamer were classic snowbirds," write Steven B. Siebers and Emily Schuering Jones in the latest ISBA Trusts and Estates newsletter. "Residents of Illinois since 1964, they built a second home in Florida in 1990. Within several years, they began spending a portion of each year in Florida. Every October through May, they enjoyed Florida’s warmer climes. They returned to Illinois once during the holidays, before again fleeing the Midwest winters." And in 1996 they quit paying Illinois taxes, regarding themselves as Floridians and not Illinoisans.

Ultimately, they sued for a declaratory judgment that they were right about that. And they won. Cain v. Hamer, which Siebers and Jones call "a surprisingly taxpayer-friendly decision," gives clients and their counsel "a judicial road map for an Illinois snowbird." Read their summary of Cain and the 10 lessons they draw from it.

Asked and Answered

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

Q. We are based in Kansas City, Missouri. We have two partners, two associates, five staff members, and have been together for 6 years. The firm is the result of a merger of each of the two partner's practices a few years ago. The integration has not gone well. We are quite polarized. Each partner operates as a separate island, does his own thing without regard for the other partner, and staff follow suit. Each partner has very different practice values, approaches to practice, and goals. Conflict has escalated to the point when productivity and profitability has suffered and everyone is miserable. Would you share your thoughts?

The ISBA Young Lawyers Division will host its Soiree fundraiser on Friday, April 26 at the Hard Rock Hotel Chicago. Details are below:

• When: Friday, April 26, 2013, 7:00 – 10:00 p.m.
• Where: Hard Rock Hotel Chicago, 230 N. Michigan Avenue, Chicago (map and directions)
• What: Open Bar, Hors d’oeuvres, Dancing, and Raffle for great prizes, Cocktail/Semi-formal Attire Preferred
• Cost: $75 per ticket. 
• Deadlines: All advertisements must be purchased in by Monday, 4:30 pm April 12, 2013.
  Tickets must be purchased by April 22

Purchase tickets, advertising or become a sponsor at www.isba.org/sections/yld/soiree

Space is limited so register early! Parking will be available at a discounted rate.

For more information, contact Janet Sosin at 312-726-8775 or email jsosin@isba.org

The YLD Children's Assistance Fund is a special fund of the Illinois Bar Foundation, a 501(c)(3) charitable entity.

2013 CANDIDATES REPORT

                PETITIONS FILED BY THE REQUIRED DATE OF JANUARY 31, 2013

(N.B.: Pursuant to the Policy and Procedures for Election approved by the ISBA Assembly, in those instances where there are more candidates than positions to be filed, nominees are listed on the ballot by the date of filing.  Where two or more people filed on the same day, ballot positions were determined by lot.  Ballot positions are listed next to the candidates’ names.)

For Third Vice-President – 1 to be elected

• Vincent F. Cornelius, Wheaton     (1)
• Carl R. Draper, Springfield           (2)

For Board of Governors – Cook County – 4 to be elected

Lawyers in Illinois took a big bite out of the state’s hunger problem by surpassing a goal to raise one million meals during a two-week food and fundraising drive from February 18-March 1.

Lawyers Feeding Illinois, an initiative of the ISBA, has raised $211,474, enough for 1,057,370 meals, and the dollars and non-perishable food supplies are still flowing in, according to ISBA President John E. Thies, of Urbana.

“This effort, supported by hundreds of lawyers, will significantly impact the lives of an estimated 1.9 million Illinoisans who are considered food insecure,” said Thies, who created the initiative as part of his presidency. Lawyers Feeding Illinois is supported by Feeding Illinois and the Office of Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan. Thies’ wife Terry chaired the campaign.

The Illinois State Bar Association’s Lawyer Finder Service provides referrals to local lawyers Mondays through Fridays. The Service makes referrals in a number of areas of law. For the month of February 2013, ISBA helped people in need of legal services find lawyers in the following areas:

• Administrative Law – 10
• Animal Law - 4
• Bankruptcy - 11
• Business Law - 9
• Civil Disputes - 37
• Civil Rights - 21
• Collection – 23