The Abbey dons new face for 129th ISBA Annual Meeting
The Abbey Resort in Fontana, Wis., where the 129th ISBA Annual Meeting will be conducted June 16 to 18, has undergone an eye-opening metamorphosis. A $40 million renovation project has given the Abbey the right to call itself the "Crown Jewel of Lake Geneva" and the only full-service resort on the scenic shoreline.
Gone are the quaint-but-dark, vintage guest rooms where conventioneers and vacationers have stayed for more than 30 years. They have been replaced by 334 redesigned rooms, including 13 suites, with upscale cottage furnishings.
The new Abbey will open this month, and the ISBA meeting will be one of its first major events. Room reservations are being accepted now at the special rate of $152 per night, single or double, plus tax.
Call (800) 558-2405 to reserve accommodations. A deposit in the amount of the first night's lodging is required. Check in is after 4 p.m., and check out is before 12 noon. The deadline for the ISBA block of rooms is May 13, subject to availability.
Features of the rooms include marble and granite bathrooms with Kohler equipment, vaulted ceilings, flat-screen television, private patios and balconies, and wireless Internet access.
Other highlights of the Abbey renovation are development of 40,000 square feet of meeting space, including a 6,000-square-foot conference center and 6,000-square-foot shore pavilion. The Fontana Spa also is being rejuvenated.
The ISBA Annual Meeting schedule and registration details will be published in the May and June issues of the ISBA Bar News, and will be disseminated in brochures.
Scheduled events include section council and committee business meetings, three Law Ed Series seminars and an awards luncheon on Friday, the Assembly meeting on Saturday morning, and the annual banquet and installation of officers on Saturday night.
Law Day helps people realize U.S. freedoms
Law Day 2005, "The American Jury: We the People in Action," provides many opportunities for lawyers around the state to encourage people to celebrate and appreciate the freedoms they enjoy in a nation of laws.
ISBA President Ole Bly Pace III and Chief Justice Mary Ann G. McMorrow of the Illinois Supreme Court, in a letter last month to local bar presidents, called for expansion of Law Day into "a full week of activities to educate the public about the jury system" and the vital contributions of jurors.
The ISBA has distributed public service messages, titled "Justice Depends on You," to newspapers and broadcast media, stressing how important it is for people to serve when called for jury duty.
"A jury of one's peers is a cornerstone of American democracy," Pace and McMorrow wrote. "Along with voting, it is one of the primary ways people take part in the public life of this nation."
Calling jury duty "one of the great checks and balances of our system," they urged showing of appreciation for thousands of Illinois residents "who show up each year at their local courthouse to report for this solemn duty."
The ISBA will coordinate its annual statewide Ask-a-Lawyer Day program on Saturday, April 30. Bar association volunteers will answer telephone inquiries from the public and provide information about remedies for their legal problems. Calls will be taken at the Illinois Bar Center, (217) 525-1760 or (800) 252-8908.
Participating associations and their Ask-a-Lawyer phone numbers are: Chicago Bar, (312) 554-2001; DuPage County Bar, (630) 653-7779; Kane County Bar, (630) 762-1900; Lake County Bar, (847) 244-3140; South Suburban Bar, (708) 889-0025; West Suburban Bar, (708) 366-1122, and Will County Bar, (815) 774-1455.
Because May 1 falls on a Sunday this year, most Law Day activities are scheduled during the week before or immediately after.
The Chicago Bar will conduct a Law Day program at 12 noon Wednesday, April 27, at the Richard J. Daley Center with award presentations and concerts by the CBA Symphony and Vocal Ensemble.
The Peoria County Bar will hear a timely speech from Judge Michael Mihm of U.S. District Court during a Law Day luncheon Thursday, April 28, at the Hotel Pere Marquette. The DuPage County Bar will present awards at a Law Day luncheon April 28 at Klein Creek Country Club, Winfield.
The St. Clair County Bar will hold its traditional Law Day breakfast program Friday, April 29, in Belleville. Justice Thomas Fitzgerald of the Illinois Supreme Court will address the West Suburban Bar Law Day luncheon April 29 at Riverside Country Club.
Belleville trial lawyer Bruce Cook will speak during the Sangamon County Bar Law Day luncheon Monday, May 2, at the Sangamo Club. Several bar associations will conduct educational programs for the public and mock trials for students.
"We urge you and the members of your bar association to help in this statewide celebration," Pace and McMorrow concluded in their letter to bar leaders. "Thank you for all your efforts."
LexisNexis pairs systems for efficiency
Time Matters 6 and Billing Matters 6 Plus have been paired by LexisNexis, an ISBA-affiliated member service vendor, to combine versatile front-office management with full back-office accounting for the efficient law practice.
While Time Matters manages cases and clients, calendars, documents and law firm communication, both in the office and off-site, Billing Matters handles payables and receivables, trust accounting, budgeting and reconciliation.
"The perfect marriage of the front office and back office," LexisNexis explains with an advertisement on page 19 of the April issue of the ISBA Bar News, has been proven to many attorneys during the past year.
One perplexed practitioner who acquired Time Matters found that it "solved most of my problems right out of the box," and provided the flexibility to let him customize the system for specific needs of his practice.
By combining client information, calendar, phone messages and case files into a single program, he noted that, "If a client moves, I simply change the address on the contact and that change is reflected in his or her matter and everywhere else information is contained."
If a client calls when the lawyer is out of the office, an assistant enters that in Time Matters. Subsequently, the record of the call and the response is filed, along with notations, and the time is recorded.
The lawyer referred to Time Matters document management as the best feature. "When a client or prosecutor calls ... I simply go to the client's matter, click on the document tab and select the document" on question.
He still maintains paper files, but has backup if the office is damaged. "All the documents in my filing cabinet are contained in my laptop," he said. "If something were to happen to the office, I could operate with my cell phone and laptop for as long as I have to."
For complete details, access www.timematters.com or call (800) 328-2989.
ISBA ballots in contested elections for the Board of Governors and Assembly must be marked and returned by Tuesday, May 10.
Ten Cook County attorneys are running for four seats on the Board of Governors. They are Stephen G. Baime, Patrice Ball-Reed, Thomas M. Battista, Mauro Glorioso, Michele M. Jochner, James J. Morici Jr., John Kelly Norris, John G. O'Brien, Stephen D. Phillips and Naomi H. Schuster.
Two downstate members, Mark D. Hassakis of Mt. Vernon and Shari R. Rhode of Carbondale, are vying for the Area VII (Southeast) board seat in the 1st, 2nd and 4th Circuits. And there are 35 candidates for just 26 Cook County seats on the ISBA Assembly.
Jack C. Carey of Belleville is unopposed for election as ISBA third vice president. Also unopposed for under-age-37 seats on the board are Celia G. Gamrath of Chicago and Keith E. Fruehling of Urbana.
Mental Health Law Day scheduled May 11
The annual ISBA Mental Health Law Day seminar will take place from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday, May 11, in the James R. Thompson Center Auditorium, Chicago.
The program is conducted by the ISBA Committee on Mental Health Law with co-sponsorship by the Illinois Psychological Association, National Association of Social Workers, Illinois Guardianship Association, Illinois Hospital Association and Illinois Psychiatric Association.
Welcoming remarks will be provided by Karl A. Menninger II of Springfield, vice chair of the ISBA committee and chief of the Bureau of Policy of the Illinois Department of Human Services.
At 9:15 a.m., committee member Andreas M. Liewald will give a Commitment and Involuntary Medication Update. Liewald is legal advocacy service attorney for the West Suburban Regional Office of the Illinois Guardianship and Advocacy Commission.
At 10:15 a.m., Chicago attorney Susan Lorraine Kennedy will discuss Advance Directives for Mentally Ill Older Persons.
At 11 a.m., N. Lee Beneze of Springfield, a member of the Elder Law Section Council and legal services developer for the Illinois Department on Aging, will cover Abuse of Mentally Ill Older Persons: Response and Prevention.
After an 11:45 a.m. luncheon break, the seminar will resume at 1:15 p.m. with a presentation on Probate Court and Mental Health Court.
Speakers are Mark B. Epstein of Epstein & Epstein, Chicago, secretary of the Committee on Mental Health Law, and Sherri R. Rudy of Rockford, a committee member and chair of the Elder Law Section Council.
At 2 p.m., The Older Person as Victim: Legal and Clinical Perspectives will be discussed by assistant DuPage County state's attorney Augusta R. Clarke of Wheaton, a member of the committee, and Dr. Sanford I. Finkel of the Pritzker School of Medicine at the University of Chicago.
At 3 p.m., Robyn Mary O'Neill, regional long-term care ombudsman in the Evanston office of the Legal Assistance Foundation of Chicago, will speak on Nursing Facilities and Persons with Mental Disabilities.
The seminar will conclude with a wrap-up session from 3:45 to 4 p.m.
Registration at $50 per person should be made by May 10 by calling Phyllis Lester at (312) 726-8775 or sending payment to the Illinois State Bar Association, Suite 900, 20 S. Clark St., Chicago 60603.
Continuing education credit certificates of completion are available through the National Association of Social Workers at $10, and through the Illinois Psychological Association at $5.
The ISBA Board of Governors will conduct its final meeting of the current bar year at 9 a.m. Friday, May 13, at the Renaissance Hotel, Springfield.
The 129th ISBA Annual Meeting will be conducted Thursday through Saturday, June 16 to 18, at The Abbey on Lake Geneva. Robert K. Downs of Chicago will succeed Ole Bly Pace III of Sterling as president, and other elected officers, board and Assembly members will take office.
Subsequent meetings of the new Board of Governors will begin Friday, July 22, at the Park Hyatt Hotel, Chicago, followed by the 31st annual board alumni dinner.
Other tentative 2005 dates and locations are Friday and Saturday, Sept. 23-24 at House on the Rock Resort, Spring Green, Wis., and Friday, Nov. 11, in Collinsville. The Midyear Meeting will take place Dec. 8 to 10 at the Sheraton Chicago Hotel.
The preliminary schedule for 2006 indicates that board meetings will be held Jan. 20 in Chicago, March 10 in Quincy and May 19 at Starved Rock Lodge, Utica.
Another reason not to use your cell phone on a train
The walls have ears, and so do all the people on the bus or train who can hear what you say when you talk on your mobile telephone.
An illustrative article on a possible breach of the Illinois Rules of Professional Conduct that pertain to client confidentiality was published in the February issue of the newsletter of the Committee on Government Lawyers.
The ISBA Legal Department received a call recently from an individual who overheard a lawyer discuss a client meeting on his cell phone while riding on a commuter train.
The lawyer named the clients, talked about billing details, and dictated a memo to the client file that summarized the case and strategy. Other lawyers and witnesses also were identified.
The person who overheard the conversation was sure that the lawyer did not realize that other people in the car were listening. She subsequently asked her own lawyer to sign a confidentiality agreement that would prohibit any similar incident.
As stated in Rule 1.6(a), "Except when required under Rule 1.6(b) or permitted under Rule 1.6(c), a lawyer shall not, during or after termination of the professional relationship with the client, use or reveal a confidence or secret known to the lawyer unless the client consents after disclosure."
The newsletter article stressed that even if a client consents after disclosure, the lawyer should be careful not to break the privilege by inadvertently ignoring the surroundings and presence of other listeners.
A lawyer should not use mobile communications devices when discussing confidential client matters in public areas, unless he or she is confident that other people can't overhear the conversation.
In fact, one might even consider reading quietly on the train, like most considerate folks who have put their cell phones away for the day.
Women Everywhere events include May 12 seminar
The sixth annual Women Everywhere: Partners in Service Project will have an educational component this year. With a theme of "Inspiring Women," the seminar will take place Thursday, May 12.
Women high school students from throughout the Chicago area have been invited to attend the presentations in the Illinois Supreme Court's Chicago courtroom on the 18th floor at 160 N. LaSalle.
The program is chaired by Michele M. Jochner, a member of the ISBA Board of Governors and law clerk to Chief Justice Mary Ann G. McMorrow, and Yolaine M. Dauphin, a member of the ISBA Human Rights Section Council and law clerk to Justice Charles E. Freeman.
Judge Ann Claire Williams of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit will open the program at 9 a.m. with appropriate remarks on opportunities for young women.
At 9:15 a.m., Overcoming Obstacles Against Women in Society and the Workplace will be discussed by Dolores K. Hanna of Bell, Boyd & Lloyd, a Laureate of the ISBA Academy of Illinois Lawyers, and Dean Patricia Mell of The John Marshall Law School.
At 10:25 a.m., Sexual Discrimination and Harassment Cases will be reviewed by Mary Lee Leahy of Springfield, a Laureate of the Academy of Illinois Lawyers and member of the ISBA Federal Civil Practice