Please join us at the 15th Annual Holiday Party and show your support for the IBF/ YLD Children’s Assistance Fund. Initially created to assist with the opening of children’s waiting rooms in courthouses across the State of Illinois, the IBF/YLD Children’s Assistance Fund has since grown, and now provides funding to organizations across the State of Illinois that provide legal assistance to children, maintain children’s waiting rooms in courthouses, work to reduce recidivism of juveniles, and/or work to reduce the incidents of domestic violence in families with children. The YLD has raised more than $350,000.00 for the Children’s Assistance Fund over the past 14, due, in large part, to the widespread support and participation in our annual Holiday Party. We hope that you will help us continue this worthy tradition by joining us in person or, if you cannot attend, by contributing to the cause.

WHEN: Friday, Dec. 7, 2012, 6 p.m.-10 p.m.

WHERE: Cubby Bear Lounge, 1059 W. Addison, Chicago, Illinois

WHAT: Open Bar, Warm Appetizers, and Live Music by Rod Tuffcurls & the Bench Press!

COST: $35 per person, for tickets purchased on or before Nov. 26, 2012;  Discount rate: $30 for law students, for tickets purchased on or before November 26, 2012; $40 per person, for tickets purchased after November 26, 2012

In what could become a windfall for lawyers representing defendants charged with violating traffic laws, Gov. Pat Quinn has signed three bills prohibiting specific kinds of telephone use while driving.

The laws are "fairly well tailored to real problems," said a past chair of the ISBA Human Rights Section Council, who also warned that most drivers -- even lawyers such as himself -- could easily fall victim to the new cell-phone regulations. Read Adam Lasker's LawPulse item in the October IBJ and find out more.

Did you know that, according to Kashmir Hill at Forbes, Facebook is Tracking What Users Buy in Stores to See Whether its Ads Work? How? It has partnered with Datalogix, a Colorado based company that gathers information generated by loyalty cards. You know, those cards that you give the cashier at places like Jewel and Walgreens in order to get special discounts or rebates. So, by comparing e-mail and home address information, Facebook can now tell its advertisers how many of its users who viewed their ad actually purchased the product. It claims that it does not gather an individual's purchase history; but only product data, however. The Electronic Freedom Foundation has delved deeper into the data collection from loyalty cards and provides instructions for opting out of the collection process in its blog: A Deep Dive into Facebook and Datalogix: What's Actually Getting Shared and How You Can Opt Out.

Asked and Answered

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

Q. Our firm is in Nashville and we currently have 12 attorneys - 7 partners and 5 associates. We are an eat-what-you kill law firm. In essence we operate as separate profit centers and operate in our own silos. We all have to come together and agree on any and all management decisions. Our management team consists of all partners. We do not have an office administrator, office manager or even a managing partner. We all have the freedom to do as we please and there is very little accountability to each other. Recently we have been discussing the pros and cons of why we might want to change our governance and overall structure. I would be interested in your thoughts.

Join us in Bloomington on October 12^th for this in-depth discussion on the increasingly complex issues occurring in traffic and DUI court, including the complicated sentencing options mandated by the Illinois General Assembly. State’s attorneys, public defenders, and attorneys practicing in the DUI and Traffic courts – with all levels of practice experience – will benefit from the following educational topics: immersing your practice in the Secretary of State administrative process; understanding the difference between “blood serum” and “blood whole” in alcohol detection cases; discovering how new legislation could affect the traffic law arena; refreshing your knowledge on Standardized Field Sobriety Tests and Preliminary Breath Tests; preserving and protecting the record on appeal; understanding how civil discovery can affect statutory summary suspensions; and much more!

The program is presented by the ISBA Traffic Laws & Courts Section and qualifies for 5.50 hours MCLE credit.

Click here for more information and to register.

Chief Circuit Judge John T. Elsner has announced that Robert G. Gibson has been appointed to the position of Associate Judge. He fills the vacancy created by the retirement of Associate Judge Carey B. Pierce.

Gibson graduated from the University of Illinois College of Law in 1983 and has been serving as a Circuit Judge since Aug. 2, 2010, filling the vacancy created by the retirement of Circuit Judge Perry T. Thompson.

President John E. Thies highlights the contributions of the ISBA Senior Lawyers Division.

Help you and your clients plan for retirement, Medicare, social security, and more with this informative seminar!

As senior lawyers, we not only advise clients who are contemplating retirement, but we must also plan for our own withdrawal from the workforce. Join us in Chicago on October 12^th for an in-depth look at transitional planning – from social security and Medicare benefits to succession planning and long-term care insurance. Practitioners (aged 55 and older) and those representing clients planning for transitions who attend this program will gain a better understanding of: how to maximize returns on social security benefits; the common mistakes of retirement planning; the necessary income and assets for a successful retirement plan; how to prepare for financial hardship in the event of a medical calamity; what’s needed for the succession planning of a law firm; and much more.

The program qualifies for 3.5 hours MCLE credit, including 1.5 hour Professional Responsibility MCLE credit (subject to approval) and is presented by the ISBA Senior Lawyers Section and co-sponsored by the ISBA Elder Law Section.

Click here for more information and to register.

Join ISBA members for a group admission on June 3, 2013

Only 50 spots are available so sign up now for the ISBA's biennial trip to the U.S. Supreme Court! For an application for admission and the event and hotel reservation form, contact Janet Sosin, jsosin@isba.org, or 800-678-4009 or 312-726-8775. Applicants will be placed on the list on a first-come basis. A special group hotel room rate is available at the Willard Intercontinental Hotel for the admittee, family and guests.

Planned Events:

• Reception Sunday, June 2, 2013:  5:30 p.m.–7 p.m. at the Willard Intercontinental Hotel for admittees and guests
• Group Admission to the U. S. Supreme Court: Monday, June 3, 2013
• Continental Breakfast at the U. S. Supreme Court for admittees and guests

To be eligible, you must be an active lawyer member of the ISBA, admitted to practice more than 3 years, and did not have any adverse disciplinary action pronounced or in effect during that 3-year period.

Click here to view photos from the ISBA trip in 2011.

(This event is sponsored by the Standing Committee on Bar Services and Activities)