The Illinois State Bar Association will be recognizing members who have been admitted to practice for 50 years at a luncheon on Wednesday, Dec. 12. We are pleased to invite you to join President John E. Thies as the Association recognizes the 2012 Class of Distinguished Counsellors.

The luncheon to recognize the 2012 Class of Distinguished Counsellors will be held at Sheraton Chicago Hotel & Towers. There will be a reception at 11:15 a.m. and lunch at noon. Tickets are available at $75 per person and advanced registration is required.

If you have any questions, please contact Kim Weaver by e-mail at kweaver@isba.org or by telephone at (800) 252-8908.

Congratulations to the 1962 Class of Distinguished Counsellors:

ISBA Director of Legislative Affairs Jim Covington reviews bills in Springfield of interest to ISBA members. In this episode he covers Senate Bill 3626 (New therapy in family law cases), Senate Bill 957 (Temporary driver's licenses), House Bill 30 (Medical cannabis), Senate Bill 16 (Fast-track mortgage foreclosures) and House Bill 3636 (Mechanics' Lien Act). More information on the bill is available below the video.

The current term of office of the Honorable Byron G. Cudmore, incumbent United States Magistrate Judge for the Central District of Illinois at Springfield, is due to expire August 31, 2013. The United States District Court is required by law to establish a panel of citizens to consider the reappointment of the magistrate judge to a new eight-year term.

The Agenda for the December 15, 2012 Assembly meeting is available. The Assembly meeting will begin at 9 a.m. at the Sheraton Chicago Hotel & Towers, Chicago Ballroom 10.

An undocumented alien can sue his former employer, but his recovery for future earnings is limited to what he could make outside of the U.S., an Illinois-based federal court ruled recently. Find out more in the December Illinois Bar Journal.

ISBA President John E. Thies and Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan highlight the upcoming Lawyers Feeding Illinois campaign that aims to collect a million meals for needy Illinois families.

The following members’ tweets (see below) were randomly chosen as the winners of our ISBA Membership is Tweet contest.

Ellen Beth Gill (@EllenBethGill) of Northbrook, Matthew M. Rossetti (@entreprelawyer) of Chicago and Megan Wood (@MeggyLouWoo) of Normal will each receive an iPad Mini for tweeting about their favorite ISBA membership benefits.

Thanks to everyone who participated - all tweets can be viewed at https://twitter.com/ISBAmembership

My favorite ISBA member benefits are Fast Case online legal research and ISBA Mutual. #isbabenefits

— EllenBethGill (@EllenBethGill) November 26, 2012

The discount on malpractice insurance for new lawyers is amazing! #isbabenefits

Asked and Answered

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

Q. Our firm is an 18 lawyer general practice firm in the western Chicago suburbs. Recently, we are beginning to take on more personal injury cases on a contingency fee work which is creating some cash flow strain. Do you have suggestions regarding firms doing contingency fee work?

Effective January 8, 2013, and until further order of the Court, the Hon. Michael B. Hyman, Judge of the Circuit Court of Cook County, is assigned to duty in the Appellate Court, First District, to the position formerly held by the Hon. Nathaniel J. Howse, Jr., who was elected to the Appellate Court. Judge Hyman shall occupy the rotation position in the Third Division formerly held by the Hon. Marcus R. Salone.