Full schedule awaits Annual Meeting registrants
The 127th ISBA Annual Meeting at The Abbey on Lake Geneva will begin officially with the opening reception at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, June 19, and will continue through the getaway breakfast from 9 to 11 a.m. Sunday, June 22.
The opening reception, sponsored by the ISBA Mutual Insurance Co., will be followed at 7:30 p.m. by a Sports Night buffet dinner, games, rides and entertainment until 9:30 p.m.
Special events on Friday, June 20, start at 7:30 a.m. with the Law Office Management and Economics (Standing Committe on) breakfast symposium, a roundtable exchange of practice management ideas.
During the annual awards luncheon at 12 noon Friday, ISBA members will be honored for publication work, community service and enhancement of the legal system.
Highlights include the General Practice Section Tradition of Excellence Award, Board of Governors Awards, the Law Student Public Service Award, and Young Lawyers of the Year recognition.
Three receptions that round out the day are: University of Illinois College of Law Alumni, 4:30 to 6 p.m.; Southern Illinois University School of Law Alumni, 5 to 6:30 p.m., and Fellows of the Illinois Bar Foundation, 5:30 to 7 p.m.
The Young Lawyers Division will sponsor an evening cruise on Lake Geneva from 7 to 9 p.m. that is open to all adults. Hors d'oeuvres will be served, and a band will entertain passengers.
Two complimentary 8 a.m. breakfasts will take place Saturday. One is a continental breakfast for families until 10 a.m. The other is the eighth annual networking breakfast for women attorneys and judges until 9:30 a.m.
Sponsors of the latter are the Committee on Minority and Women Participation, the Committee on Women and the Law, and the Southern Illinois University School of Law.
The semi-annual meeting of the 201-member ISBA Assembly will begin at 9 a.m. Saturday.
ISBA Mutual will offer a loss prevention and professional ethics seminar from 9 to 10 a.m. Saturday, with presentations by Illinois Bar Foundation President Warren Lupel and Mary F. Andreoni of the Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission.
The installation of Terrence J. Lavin of Chicago as ISBA president will take place during the annual banquet, which starts at 6:30 p.m. with a reception. Lavin will succeed Loren S. Golden of Elgin.
Activities for children during the Annual Meeting include a supervised day camp from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday for ages 4 to 12 that includes lunch.
Separate hospitality rooms with chaperones for youngsters and teenagers will be open from 6 to 10:30 p.m. Saturday, with food, soft drinks and entertainment for all ages.
For information about availability of accommodations at The Abbey, or nearby Lake Lawn Lodge and Interlaken Resort, call (800) 558-2405.
Judge denies motions to dismiss UPL case brought by state bar
The battle being waged by the Illinois State Bar Association against We the People may have moved closer to trial April 25, when a McHenry County judge issued an order denying all pending motions to dismiss the case.
The ISBA has charged the franchise firm with engaging in the unauthorized practice of law in marketing its legal document services by promoting the premise that litigants do not need to hire attorneys.
Judge Joseph Condon of the 19th Circuit denied a request by We the People to dismiss the complaint on three grounds: the unconstitutionality of the unauthorized practice of law statute, standing of the plaintiff, and failure to state a cause of action.
Before this motion was briefed and argued, the defendants voluntarily closed their business in Crystal Lake, prompting them to claim that the lawsuit was moot. In issuing his order, Judge Condon disagreed.
We the People has since opened a number of franchises in other areas of the state. Crystal Lake attorney H. Case Ellis and William Anaya of Chicago, who represent the ISBA in the matter, say they hope the case will finally go to trial.
"The outcome of this lawsuit could very well have a significant impact on the unauthorized practice of law in Illinois," Ellis said.
"What's at stake is whether the public will be protected against those who receive compensation for performing legal services and practicing law without being duly licensed by the Illinois Supreme Court," he pointed out.
The ISBA filed a lawsuit March 30, 2001, in the 19th Circuit, seeking injunctive relief and other penalties against the company's Crystal Lake franchise.
The civil complaint charged We the People with violations of the Consumer Fraud and Deceptive Business Practices Act and the Corporation Practice of Law Prohibition Act, as well as common law and statutory provisions against the unauthorized practice of law.
We the People countered by indicating that judges in McHenry County acted illegally in making adverse rulings on matters that involved forms prepared by the corporation. All the judges except Condon recused, and the case was assigned to him on April 19, 2002.
The co-plaintiff in the lawsuit is McHenry County resident Dean A. Manus, a physician who practices in Algonquin. He obtained legal services from the Crystal Lake office in June and July 2000 that included advice on procedures for prosecuting and finalizing a marriage dissolution.
Franchises of the corporation typically advertise low-cost legal document services in bankruptcy, divorce, incorporation, living trusts, wills and probate, guardianship, paternity, adoption, restraining orders, small claims, copyright and trademark, and quit claim deeds.
Its marketing strategy always included the inducement, "No Lawyers! Save Money!"
Lawyer population shows slow but steady growth
A gradual increase in the number of registered Illinois attorneys continued last year at 1.5 percent, the Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission reported April 30 to the Supreme Court.
The master roll numbered 75,421 on Oct. 30, the cutoff date, compared with 74,311 the previous year. Since then, 1,819 more lawyers were admitted in November and December, bringing the year-end total to 77,240.
Approximately 660 more were admitted this month, but that influx could be countered by a decrease in 2003 registrations due to retirements, deaths and other factors.
The reported 75,421 total included 57,951 practicing attorneys who indicated principal business addresses in Illinois, an increase of 1.4 percent from the previous year's 57,136.
Cook County rose 1.2 percent from 40,124 to 40,623, and registration in the 2nd District was up 2.6 percent from 8,897 to 9,130. Negligible increases were recorded in the 3rd, 4th and 5th Districts.
By counties, DuPage had 3,793 registered attorneys (+4.1%); Lake, 2,701; Sangamon, 1,099; Kane, 981; Will, 709; Peoria, 705; Winnebago, 691; St. Clair, 643; Madison, 574, and Champaign, 528.
The grand total includes 6,598 attorneys on inactive status, 1,753 who are judges or judicial clerks, and 207 on active military duty.
The ARDC reviewed a total of 6,182 complaints, a 6.4 percent increase, against 4,227 individual attorneys last year. But of the total, 5,710 were closed by the administrator and 96 by the Inquiry Board. Only 334 complaints were voted for review.
The Supreme Court ordered sanction for 126 attorneys last year 31 disbarments, 61 suspensions, 18 probations and 16 censures. Another 15 were on interim suspension in accord with Rules 761(b) and 774.
The ARDC began 2002 with a docket of 2,080 pending investigations and closed the year with 2,079 after 6,182 were opened and 6,183 concluded.
Bar Foundation helps 10 students achieve goals with scholarships
The Illinois Bar Foundation has distributed scholarships of $2,000 each to students at 10 law schools affiliated with the Illinois State Bar Association. A total of 37 students applied for the scholarships.
The need-based grants were awarded to second- or third-year students with accomplished academic records and diverse service in extracurricular and community activities. The recipients and their law schools are:
Chicago-Kent
David F. Benson of Chicago is a third-year student with a 3.546 GPA who is notes and comments editor of the Law Review and a teaching assistant in both legal writing and property. A certified conflict resolution mediator, he was a summer intern at Katten Muchin Zavis Rosenman.
DePaul University
Allison Gooch of Chicago is a third-year student with a 3.221 GPA who serves on the ISBA Committee on Legal Education, Admission and Competence and has been a representative to the ISBA Law Student Division Council for two years. She has excelled in moot court competition and is a law clerk at Wiedner & McAuliffe.
John Marshall
Melissa L. Williams of Chicago is a third-year student with a 3.198 GPA who is president of the Black Law Students Association and a student member of the law school's new Diversity Committee. A founder and director of a mentoring program and adult coordinator of a peer jury program, she has been a juvenile justice intern for the Cook County Circuit Court.
Loyola University
Kimberly R. Lusk of Evanston is a third-year student with a 3.04 GPA who is vice president of the Public Interest Law Society and a representative to the ISBA Law Student Division Council. A law clerk for Horwood, Marcus & Berk and staff assistant to Loyola's Law Career Center, she has volunteered with CLAIM and Pro Bono Advocates.
Northern Illinois
Julie Ann Proscia of DeKalb is a third-year student with a 3.623 GPA who has won moot court awards and is assistant editor of the Law Review. A law clerk last summer at Barrick, Switzer, Balsley, Long & Van Evera, she has served on the Student Bar Association and Women's Law Caucus.
Northwestern University
Christina Lane of Chicago is a second-year student with a 3.933 GPA who is a member of the Student Faculty Appointment Committee and a team leader on the Student Admissions Committee. A member of Law Review, she was a university research assistant last summer.
St. Louis University
Daniel L. Fultz of Taylorville is a part-time third-year student with a 3.171 GPA who is employed full-time an an assistant deputy director of the Illinois Department of Commerce and Community Affairs. He expects to graduate in December.
University of Chicago
Meghan C. Morrissey of Chicago is a second-year student with a 77.2 grade scale (B+) who is a volunteer teacher for Streetlaw and a member of the Little Sibling and Women's Mentoring programs. She was a law clerk in the City of Chicago corporation counsel's office last summer and is a criminal and juvenile justice clerk at the Mandel Legal Aid Clinic.
University of Illinois
Folarin Sherif Dosunmu of Urbana is a second-year student with a 3.273 GPA who is active in the Black Law Students Association. He is a mentor for Jefferson Middle School and the Minority Association of Future Attorneys.
Washington University
Abby J. Hartwick of Beardstown is a second-year student in the top five percent with a 93.17 GPA who belongs to Law Quarterly. A member of Women's Law Caucus who has participated in negotiation and client counseling competition, she was an intern last summer with McClure, Brannan & Hardwick.
Commencement ceremonies for students in two Illinois law schools will take place Saturday, May 24. The schedules follow.
The Loyola University School of Law will have a Baccalaureate Mass at 10:30 a.m. in Madonna della Strada Chapel and a 1 p.m. graduation ceremony at the Joseph J. Gentile Center, 6525 N. Sheridan Road, Chicago, followed by a reception. Illinois Supreme Court Justice Thomas R. Fitzgerald will speak.
The Northern Illinois University College of Law commencement will take place at 2 p.m. in the new NIU Convocation Center in DeKalb. Judge Ruben Castillo of U.S. District Court for the Northern District will speak.
Equal Justice Campaign seeks more legal aid funds
A coalition of Illinois leaders that includes ISBA President Loren S. Golden kick-started a campaign late last month to accelerate state funding for legal aid to low-income residents who need representation in urgent, non-criminal matters.
The Equal Justice Illinois Campaign is headed by former governor James R. Thompson and retired senator Paul Simon, who pointed out that Illinois ranks last among the 10 most populous states with just $490,000 in annual legal assistance funding.
"Increasing the appropriation for civil legal aid is a wise, long-term investment for Illinois," Thompson said. "By providing people with the legal help they need now, we can help prevent problems such as domestic violence and homelessness, and reduce the need for costly government services."
Funding for legal aid became a state obligation under the Illinois Equal Justice Act, which created the Illinois Equal Justice Foundation in 1999.