Peithmann, who served six years on the ISBA Board of Governors, is an icon of concern for quality in the legal profession and its ability to serve the public.
He chaired the Trusts and Estates Section Council and was on the Special Committee on Living Trusts. As chair of the pioneering Task Force on Public Protection from the Unauthorized Practice of Law, he received a Board of Governors Award.
As a member of the present Task Force on UPL, Peithmann is beginning to see fruition of some of its previous recommendations. For instance, a bill to expand the Attorney Act to provide penalties for non-lawyer practice recently cleared the Illinois Senate (ISBA Bar News, April 1, page 1).
A Fellow of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel, Peithmann still serves on the ISBA Trusts and Estates Section Council, and he is a member of the Illinois Bar Foundation board.
The list of clients at Mahoney, Silverman & Cross includes Caterpillar, Waste Management, Chicago Title Insurance, Marathon-Ashland Petroleum, Crosfield Chemicals, Silver Cross Hospital, Inland Real Estate Development, Illinois American Water, Good Will Industries and three banks.
The firm also counsels the municipalities of Aurora, Channahon, Elwood, Frankfort, Oswego, Shorewood and Wilmington, the Joliet Housing Authority, Troy Township, and districts that provide fire protection in Frankfort, a library in Lemont and parks in Sandwich.
Quite a list for a five-year-old firm, but not so surprising when one weighs the essential element of participation and a stated goal of exceeding client expectations.
Tort law panel covers 19 vehicle case issues
"Motor Vehicle Cases from A to Z," an ISBA Law Ed Series seminar presented by the Tort Law Section, will take place Thursday, May 22, in the Chicago Regional Office.
Presenters will discuss a variety of subjects in 15-minute increments from 9:15 a.m. to 3:15 p.m. The schedule of topics and speakers follows.
9:15 a.m. Evaluating Your Claim, with section council vice chair Martin A. Dolan of Dolan & Shannon, Chicago.
9:30 a.m. How Defense Lawyers Evaluate Claims, with James F. Best of Best, Vanderlaan & Harrington, Chicago.
9:45 a.m. Insurance Coverage Issues (UM, UIM, Med Pay, Excess, Stacking), with James T. Newman of Cooney & Conway, Chicago.
10 a.m. Discovery of Psychiatric and Psychological Records, with Lorna E. Propes of Propes & Kaveny, Chicago.
10:15 a.m. Pre-filing Settlement, with Robert T. Varney of Bloomington.
10:30 a.m. Court Annexed Mandatory Arbitration, with Mark A. Brown of Lane & Lane, Chicago.
10:45 a.m. Mediation, with H. Case Ellis of Crystal Lake, a member of the ISBA Board of Governors.
11 a.m. Commercial Vehicles: State and Federal Regulatory Violations, with ISBA Assembly member Steven B. Levy of Naperville.
11:15 a.m. Preparing a Complaint: Vehicle Code Violations, with section council member Karen M. Enright of Winters, Enright, Salzetta & O'Brien, Chicago.
11:30 a.m. Presenting Liability Evidence, with ISBA Assembly member John L. Nisivaco of Lavin & Nisivaco, Chicago, Tort Law Section newsletter editor.
11:45 a.m. Use of Police Reports, Diagrams, Tickets and Convictions, with section council member Darcy L. Proctor of Ancel, Glink, Diamond, Bush, DiCianni & Rolek, Chicago.
12 noon Luncheon break.
1:15 p.m. Presenting Damage Evidence, with section council member Timothy W. Kelly of Bloomington.
1:30 p.m. Defending Damage Evidence, with Charles E. Timmerwilke of O'Hagan, Smith & Amundsen, Rockford.
1:45 p.m. Prior and Subsequent Injuries, with section council member Joseph G. Feehan of Heyl, Royster, Voelker & Allen, Peoria.
2 p.m. Getting Medical Bills into Evidence, with J. Matthew Dudley of Trobe, Dudley & Lake, Waukegan.
2:15 p.m. Increased Risk of Future Injury: Dillon v. Evanston Hospital, with section council member Albert E. Durkin of the Nolan Law Group, Chicago, who serves on the ISBA Assembly.
2:30 p.m. Healthcare Statutory Liens, with Michael S. Krzak of the Clifford Law Offices, Chicago.
2:45 p.m. Subrogation and Common Fund Doctrine (including ERISA), with Daniel S. Kirschner of Corboy & Demetrio, Chicago.
3 p.m. Medicare and Medicaid Liens, with Mark A. Rouleau of Rockford.
Program coordinators are Tort Law Section Council chair Frank A. Perrecone of Ferolie, Perrecone & White, Rockford, a member of the ISBA Assembly, and Timothy Kelly.
Judges air federal court procedures
Nine Northern District federal judges and magistrate judges will participate in an ISBA Law Ed Series roundtable from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Friday, May 16, in the Marriott Hotel, Oak Brook.
Coordinators of "Making a Federal Case Out of It: The 'How to' of Federal Court Practice," are Joseph G. Bisceglia of Jenner & Block, a member of the ISBA Board of Governors; Magistrate Judge Morton Denlow, who serves on the ISBA Federal Civil Practice Section Council, and Judge James F. Holderman.
The program will begin with Pre-Trial Practice, a discussion of pleadings, general motion practice, motions to dismiss, summary judgment motions, discovery issues and pre-trial conferences.
At 10:15 p.m., a session on Trial Practice will include voir dire, objections, witnesses, exhibits, jury instructions and proposed findings.
At 11:30 a.m., Alternative Dispute Resolution and Settlement Conferences will be reviewed, with commentary on mediation and summary jury trials. Lunch with panelists will follow at 12 noon.
Judges on the panel are Wayne R. Andersen, David H. Coar, John W. Darrah, Ronald A. Guzman and Rebecca R. Pallmeyer of Chicago, and P. Michael Mahoney of Rockford. Magistrate judges are Michael T. Mason, Ian H. Levin and Arlander Keys. Bisceglia and Holderman are the moderators.
CLE committee looking ahead to fall slate
Proposals from ISBA committees and section councils that would like to present Law Ed Series seminars this fall must be submitted by Monday, June 9. Proposal forms may be obtained by calling the CLE registrar in the Illinois Bar Center, (800) 252-8908.
Only two seminars remain on the spring schedule before presentation of several programs during the Annual Meeting next month at The Abbey on Lake Geneva.
To register for either of the following, use the form on page 17 of this issue of the ISBA Bar News. They are:
Friday, May 16, 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Making a Federal Case out of It: The "How-to" of Federal Court Practice (Federal Civil Practice Section); Marriott Hotel, Oak Brook.
Thursday, May 22, 9:15 a.m.-3:15 p.m. Motor Vehicle Cases from A to Z (Tort Law); ISBA Chicago Regional Office.
Jose de Lasa earns national legal aid award
The National Legal Aid and Defender Association (NLADA) will honor North Chicago attorney Jose de Lasa during a dinner in Washington, D.C., on Thursday, June 12. The event will celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Supreme Court decision in Gideon v. Wainwright.
De Lasa, who is senior vice president, secretary and general counsel of Abbott Laboratories, will receive a National Exemplar Award for demonstrating outstanding leadership in promoting and supporting equal justice.
Since the beginning of his legal career in New York, de Lasa has been a dedicated pro bono volunteer. He currently contributes time every month to help Spanish-speaking clients at Prairie State Legal Services in Waukegan.
He was honored in September 2000 by the Lake County Bar Association Volunteer Lawyers Program for his vital assistance during the intake process for Hispanic individuals who need legal help but cannot speak English.
Under de Lasa's leadership, Abbott's legal department has taken on successful pro bono projects, ranging from immigration to business law, with various Chicago area public interest organizations.
Among them are the Legal Assistance Foundation of Metropolitan Chicago, the Center for Disability and Elder Law, the Community Economic Development Law Project and the Midwest Immigrant and Human Rights Center.
De Lasa serves on the boards of the Chicago Children's Museum, the Chicago Council on Foreign Relations, the Resource Foundation, the Stovir Foundation and the American Arbitration Association, and the advisory board of Instituto Cervantes.
He has been a member of NLADA's Corporate Advisory Committee for three years, advocating the critical role of corporate counsel in enhancing the quest for equal justice.
Through tireless advocates like de Lasa, "we see the spirit of Gideon upheld," said NLADA President Clint Lyons. "They serve as beacons to the entire equal justice community by their work to level the field for all."
Two more honored at NLADA dinner
Also due for recognition during the NLADA dinner June 12 in Washington are Stephen Richards, deputy state appellate defender in the Death Penalty Trial Assistance Division, and Lois Wood, managing attorney for the Land of Lincoln Legal Assistance Foundation.
They will receive Kutak-Dodds Prizes from NLADA and the Robert J. Kutak Foundation that include cash awards of $10,000 each.
"Both Richards and Wood epitomize all that public defenders and legal aid attorneys can be, as evidenced by their respective achievements, varied leadership roles and outstanding legal work," said President Clint Lyons.
Richards, a former assistant Cook County public defender, was instrumental in the establishment of First Defense Legal Aid, a Chicago initiative that provides pro bono attorneys for indigents who are in police custody as criminal suspects.
As director of the Death Penalty Trial Assistance Division for three years, Richards has helped revolutionize capital defense in the state by educating judges and attorneys on critical issues.
He also chaired the Ad Hoc Committee for Mass Clemency and argued two clemency petitions before the Illinois Prisoner Review Board.
Woods has devoted 29 years to providing meaningful opportunities and safe communities for residents of East St. Louis in housing, health care, education and consumer rights.
She helped stop the closing of a hospital that served low-income individuals, and she fought for installment contract home buyers who became victims of an interstate insurance scam.
Woods also was involved in a lawsuit on behalf of public housing residents against fraud and incompetence in public housing operation. As a result, the federal government took over a local housing authority and enabled rehabilitation and replacement of substandard units.
Cable programs cover criminal, civil processes
ISBA Assembly member Robert A. Loeb of Chicago and Cook County Law Division Judge Daniel M. Locallo, both past chairs of the Criminal Justice Section Council, are panelists for ISBA cable television programs this month.
They are joined by assistant Cook County state's attorney Robert J. Milan and moderator John E. Thies, a member of the Criminal Justice Section Council and chair of the Special Committee on Cable Television Programming.
Part I of "Confessions in Criminal Prosecution" will be broadcast at 10 p.m. Tuesday, May 20, and Part II on May 27, on Chicago Access Network channel 21.
June programs slated
Two more ISBA cable television programs are scheduled during June at 10 p.m. Tuesdays on Chicago Access Network channel 21. They are "Anatomy of a Trial" and "Looking for Mr. or Ms. Good Lawyer."
"Anatomy of a Trial" is scheduled for viewing June 3 and June 17. "Looking for Mr. or Ms. Good Lawyer" may be seen June 10 and June 24.
Members of the Civil Practice and Procedure Section Council who are panelists for the programs are Debra B. Walker, John C. Sciaccotta and past chair Angela Imbierowicz, who also is the section's newsletter co-editor.
The moderator is David H. Levy, a member of the Special Committee on Cable Television Programming and the Task Force on Unauthorized Practice of Law and chair of the Committee on Supreme Court Rules.
Central District slates admissions
A Central District federal court admission ceremony will be conducted at 4 p.m. Monday, May 19, in Springfield by Judge Richard Mills. To register, call Lara L. Quivey at Webber & Thies in Urbana, (217) 367-1126.
Registered Illinois attorneys who are eligible to practice in the Central District will take the oath in the historic federal court on the second floor above the Lincoln-Herndon Law Office on Old State Capitol Plaza.
Lawyers organize tag days to benefit ALS Foundation
Several attorneys have been involved in tag days this month to raise funds for the Les Turner ALS Foundation and increase public awareness of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or Lou Gehrig's disease.
Kathleen E. Rodriguez was co-captain of the Arlington Heights drive May 2 and 3 because it "helps me feel as though I am making a difference in the lives of people who are affected by this devastating disease," she said.
A solo real estate, wills and trusts attorney in the community, Rodriguez graduated from law school in 1997 shortly after she lost her mother to ALS.
"I know firsthand how tough this disease is for the patient, family and friends," she said, "and being involved with the foundation at this level is my way of contributing to the quest for a cure."
Tag days in other communities were headed by Chicago attorneys Kenneth M. Crane of Jenkens & Gilchrist, Cindy G. Fluxgold of Golstein & Fluxgold, Susan Peters Schaefer of McDemott, Will & Emery, and Joel A. Schechter.
Cindy Fluxgold, who has organized tag days for 10 years, knows how difficult it is for an attorney to take the time to do it, "but because it's so important to me, I make it happen," she said.
"It's personally uplifting to see the support we get from people in the community," added Ken Crane, who has planned tag days in Hinsdale for four years.
The ALS Foundation hopes to net more than $100,000 this month to support research at Northwestern University, a patient clinic at Northwestern Memorial Hospital, in-home services and educational programs.
Although tag days are over in several communities, others are scheduled May 16, 17 or 18 in Chicago train stations, the Lincoln Park and Midway neighborhoods, Deerfield, Elmhurst, Glenview, Highland Park, Island Lake, McHenry, Northbrook, Orland Park and Wauconda.