Speakers are section council members Mary Kay Klimesh of Seyfarth Shaw, Chicago; Lara A. Cleary of Whitted & Cleary, Northbrook, and newsletter editor Philip C. Milsk of New Lenox.
Recent Developments in Employment Law will be outlined at 2 p.m. by a panel consisting of R. Theodore Clark Jr. of Seyfarth Shaw, Chicago, and Paul Klenck, deputy general counsel of the Illinois Education Association, Chicago.
Margaret Noe is moderator this presentation on trends in Social Security non-match issues, private sector whistle-blower protection, the Victims Economic Safety and Security Act, and state labor card check provisions.
The seminar will conclude with the 3 p.m. discussion on Ethical Issues Confronting School Lawyers. Speakers are Robert Lyons of Chicago, associate general counsel of the Illinois Education Association, and Mary Andreoni, administrative counsel of the Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission.
Business Advice panel to discuss handling clients
Presentations on arbitration of business disputes and ethics for business leaders are included in an ISBA Law Ed Series seminar that will take place from 12:30 to 4:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 20, at the Securities Training Center, Chicago.
The seminar, "Advising Illinois Business Law Clients," is sponsored by the Business Advice and Financial Planning Section. Section council member Gene A. Petersen of Husch & Eppenberger, Peoria, is the program coordinator.
The moderator, section council chair Herbert J. Klein of the Law Offices of Walter J. Zukowski, Peru, will open the seminar with related discussions on Recent Developments in Business Law.
Stephen D. Sayre of Rooks Pitts, Chicago, will give a case law update, and past section council chair John J. Horeled of Crystal Lake will provide a statutory update. The schedule follows.
1:15 p.m. Recent Developments Involving Employee Benefits and Retirement Plans, with section council member James A. Nepple of the Nepple Law Offices, Rock Island.
1:45 p.m. Piercing the Veil, with Cary R. Rosenthal of Rosenthal & Associates, Chicago.
2:30 p.m. Effective Use of Arbitration for Business Disputes, with ISBA past president Cheryl I. Niro of Quinlan & Carroll, Chicago.
3 p.m. Ethical Issues for Business Leaders, with ISBA Assembly member Eugene F. Friedman of Friedman & Friedman, Chicago, a member of the Committee on Professional Conduct.
3:30 p.m. Recent Developments Involving Family Limited Partnerships: The IRS Application of Section 2036, with section council member Leonard S. DeFranco of Oak Brook.
4 p.m. Planning for the Illinois Estate Tax, with Susan T. Bart of Sidley, Austin, Brown & Wood. See the January issue of the Illinois Bar Journal for Bart's article, "This Is Me Leaving You: Illinois Departs from the Federal Estate Tax Scheme."
The ISBA Traffic Laws and Courts Section will present its timely Traffic Law Hot Topics Update from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, March 13, at the Hyatt Regency Hotel, Oak Brook. Section council member J. Brick Van Der Snick of Geneva is program coordinator.
Sharing the moderator responsibilities are section council chair Angela E. Peters of the Buffalo Grove Law Offices, Arlington Heights, and newsletter co-editor Edward M. Maloney of Ahern, Maloney & Moran, Skokie.
After introductions and an overview of the morning program at 9 a.m., the seminar will continue as follows.
9:05 a.m. Administrative Hearings Before the Secretary of State, with section newsletter editor Larry A. Davis of DesPlaines.
9:40 a.m. Commercial Drivers' Licenses, with section council member Louis Aaron Berns of Favil David Berns & Associates, Northlake.
10:20 a.m. Trial Tips and Practice. Section council vice chair Donald J. Ramsell of Ramsell & Armamentos, Wheaton, is moderator. Section council panelists are Cook County Judge Charles P. Burns of the 4th Municipal District, Maywood; past chair Michael W. Feetterer of Roth & Feetterer, McHenry; David B. Franks of Franks, Gerkin & McKenna, Marengo, and Michelle A. Vescogni of Ottawa.
1:15 p.m. Introductions and overview of afternoon program.
1:20 p.m. DUI-Statutory Summary Suspension-Zero Tolerance Compendium, a panel discussion including motion to quash arrest and petition to rescind issues. Section council member Sean D. Brady of Mahoney, Silverman & Cross, Joliet, is the moderator.
Section council panelists are Cook County Judge John T. Doody Jr. of the 1st Municipal District, Chicago; Thomas M. Moran of Ahern, Maloney & Moran, Skokie; assistant Cook County state's attorney Peter J. Troy of Bridgeview, and Kelly P. Ward of Ward & Ward, Dixon.
2:50 p.m. Recent Case Law and Legislation Updates, with Edward Maloney.
The ISBA Employee Benefits Section will conduct a brown-bag luncheon seminar at 12 noon Friday, Feb. 20, in the Chicago Regional Office.
The content of "What's Right and Wrong About Trends in Benefits Litigation?" will include claims allowed and remedies permitted by ERISA, and special procedural rules the act prescribes.
The defendant's perspective will be presented by Mark A. Casciari of Seyfarth Shaw, Chicago, and the plaintiff's perspective by Mark DeBofsky of Daley, DeBofsky & Bryant, Chicago.
Although attendance is free of charge, advance reservations should be made because space is limited. Call Katie Neal at (312) 726-8775 or send an e-mail to kneal@isba.org. Refreshments will be provided by the ISBA.
ISBA Labor and Employment Law Updates are scheduled from 9 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. Friday, March 5, at the James R. Thompson Center, Chicago, and Friday, March 12, at the Holiday Inn, Collinsville.
Program coordinator and moderator for the Law Ed Series morning seminars is Jill D. Leka of Seyfarth Shaw, Chicago, a member of the Labor and Employment Law Section Council. The schedule follows.
9 a.m. Americans with Disabilities Act, Family and Medical Leave Act, and Workers' Compensation: The Bermuda Triangle, with section council member James M. Staulcup of Bryan Cave, Chicago.
9:30 a.m. Recent State and Federal Legislative Changes: Are You Prepared? with Jill Lekas.
10:15 a.m. Hot Topics in Labor and Employment Law: What's New? with speaker to be announced in Chicago, and section council member Donald R. Tracy of Brown, Hay & Stephens, Springfield, in Collinsville.
11 a.m. Professional Responsibility: What Are Your Obligations? with section council members Donald S. Rothschild of Goldstine, Skrodzki, Russian, Nemec & Hoff, Burr Ridge, in Chicago, and Nile J. Williamson of Peoria, in Collinsville.
11:30 a.m. Choice of Forum and Choice of Claims in Discrimination Cases: Pros and Cons, with section council member Daniel S. Alcorn of Stoerzbach, Morrison, Robertson, Wilcox & Alcorn, Galesburg.
12 noon View from the Bench: What the Judges See, with Judge Joan H. Lefkow of U.S. District Court for the Northern District, in Chicago.
Christian Legal Society helps lawyers with moral issues
By Shannon Marosi
Identity and moral and spiritual issues have always been causes for struggle among lawyers, said Sam Casey, executive director of the nationwide Christian Legal Society.
"Every lawyer struggles with just who we're representing and what exactly we're doing," Casey said during a Jan. 7 recruitment luncheon in Chicago. "So many of us really aren't sure who we are. It's easy to forget."
Casey challenged lawyers to higher standards of conduct. "People are looking for advocates for the poor and needy, peacemakers, wise counselors, mentors, defenders of religious freedom, protectors of the sanctity of human life," he said.
"You actually sit in a very important crossroads. People come to you with their problems. They have to trust someone and it's usually you."
The Christian Legal Society, founded in 1961 in Chicago, has more than 3,000 members in 89 chapters who continue to turn to God as a motivation for higher conduct.
"We don't exist for ourselves," said John Mauck, of Mauck & Baker, an active member of the Chicago chapter. "We exist to do service for others. It's easy to go to church on Sundays, but it's hard to go to work and be a testimony there."
Timothy Huizenga, a supervising attorney with the Legal Assistance Foundation of Metropolitan Chicago, also strives to remain true to the cause.
"I try to maintain high ethical standards," said Huizenga. "I try to see my work as a ministry, as opposed to just a job. I try to look at my clients as people, instead of just carriers of legal problems."
Society members derive instructions on justice, mercy and faithfulness from Bible verses such as Matthew 22:23, John 13:34 and Micah 6:8, which commands them "to act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God."
"It's strange to think of lawyers gathering together in loving communities, but that is exactly God's view," Casey said. "Being a Christian lawyer is grace and peace in practice. When people see lawyers like that, it's a head turner."
He added that society fellowship is invaluable to members. "This gathering is where strengthening and accountability take place, which results in justice. We are obliged to take advantage of the common ground we have been given and use it to encourage each other. Unless people like us stand up, it will disappear, the witness will be gone."
Mauck, a member for 20 years, continually finds new opportunities for learning. "It helps me put the teachings of Jesus into practice," he said. "It helps me network so that when a client wants an attorney with a biblical outlook, I can refer them."
"The notion of lawyers is exclusively a Christian idea," said Chicago attorney David G. Duggan. "The notion of a lawyer who will stand up and speak for the client has its origins in Christianity."
Casey sees a vital connection between Christianity and the field of law. "The idea that God cares about law and government comes right from the beginning," he said. "He gives authority to government.
"The Ten Commandments are a basis for all law, such as marriage law and contract law. The foundation of law assumes that there is a law giver. Today we assume that the law itself has credibility, but without the biblical world view the basis of western civilization cannot be maintained."
The four goals of the Virginia-based society are biblical conflict reconciliation, access to justice for the poor and needy, religious freedom, and the sanctity of human life.
The society has an Institute for Christian Legal Studies that reaches law students, legal scholars and practitioners; a Center for Law and Religious Freedom that defends religious liberties, and Law Student Ministries across the country.
Meetings of the Chicago chapter are held at 12 noon on the third Thursday each month at the Chicago Bar Association. Bible study is conducted at 12 noon every Friday at Mayer, Brown, Rowe & Maw. They are open to all legal professionals.
For member information, call David Nammo at (703) 642-1070, ext. 3300, or visit the Web site, www.clsnet.org.
Several events will commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Brown v. Board of Education decision, which took place May 17, 1954. Among them are:
Saturday, Feb. 21, 1-4 p.m. Cook County Bar Association town hall meeting on civil rights issues; Apostolic Church of God, Chicago.
Saturday, March 13, 2 p.m. Just the Beginning Foundation program, "Affirmative Action: Historical Perspectives and Contemporary Issues," in conjunction with Brown v. Board of Education exhibit; Carter Woodson Regional Library, Chicago.
Thursday through Saturday, April 1-3 University of Illinois Colleges of Law and Education academic conference on the impact of the Brown v. Board of Education decision, with several distinguished speakers.
Saturday, April 17, 2 p.m. Just the Beginning Foundation program, "Chicago's Black Judicial Pioneers," in conjunction with Brown v. Board of Education exhibit; Carter Woodson Regional Library, Chicago.
Monday, April 19 Illinois Humanities Festival reenactment of Supreme Court oral arguments in the Brown case; Goodman Theater, Chicago.
Thursday, April 29 John Marshall Law School evening event to commemorate the 100th anniversary since graduation of its first black student.
Adoption, custody can be practice issues
An ISBA Law Ed Series seminar on family law issues for attorneys in general practice, including new lawyers, will be conducted from 8:50 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday, March 19, in the Chicago Regional Office.
"What's New in Adoptions, Child Custody, Child Support and Maintenance? Issues for the General Practitioner" is a joint presentation of the General Practice, Solo and Small Firm Section, the Family Law Section and the Young Lawyers Division.
Constantly changing statutes covering basic family practice areas continue to create new options and challenges for both lawyers and clients. One example that will be discussed is new child custody jurisdiction and enforcement legislation, effective Jan. 1, that has replaced the previous act.
General Practice Section secretary Dawn R. Hallsten of Mateer & Associates, Rockford, is program coordinator. The moderator, General Practice Section chair Michele M. Jochner, law clerk to Chief Justice Mary Ann G. McMorrow, will open the seminar with introductions. The schedule follows.
9 a.m. Handling Domestic Adoptions, with ISBA Assembly member Christopher S. Haaff of Gitlin, Haaff & Kasper, Woodstock, a member of the Young Lawyers Division and chair of its Law Student Division.
9:45 a.m. Handling International Adoptions, with Ilene E. Shapiro of Nadler, Pritikin & Mirabelli, Chicago.
10:45 a.m. Parentage Issues, with Carl W. Gilmore of Rupp & Youman, McHenry, author of the ISBA publication, "Illinois Parentage Law," and member of the Committee on Law-related Education for the Public.
11:30 a.m. Maintenance, with Anne Phipps Martinkus of Erwin, Martinkus & Cole, Champaign, a member of the General Practice Section Council.
1:15 p.m. Uniform Child Custody Jurisdiction and Enforcement Act, with Rodney W. Equi, presiding judge of the 18th Circuit Domestic Relations Division, Wheaton, and member of the Family Law Section Council.
1:45 p.m. Child Custody Issues, with Rory T. Weiler of Weiler & Noble, Geneva, a member of the Family Law Section Council.
2:45 p.m. Child Support Enforcement, with Meredith Emerson Ritchie, deputy general counsel for the state's Central Management Services, secretary of the Committee on Women and the Law.
3:30 p.m. Removal of Children from the State, with David N. Schaffer of Brooks, Adams & Tarulis, Naperville, a member of the Family Law Section Council.
CVLS' Levine Center holds inaugural program Feb. 25
The new Harold I. Levine Center for Housing at the Chicago Volunteer Legal Services Foundation will conduct its inaugural educational program at 12 noon Wednesday, Feb. 25, in the ISBA Chicago Regional Office.
"The Lawyers' Training for Secure Housing," the first in a series of events, will provide practical information for pro bono attorneys who represent clients in mortgage foreclosures, landlord-tenant disputes and related issues.