includes a supervisor at any level having responsibility for the actions of a subordinate employee who actually participates in a matter.
With more and more reserve support personnel being deployed overseas, another ban may be important to understand. It is called the trade or treaty one-year ban.
In essence, this ban prevents an individual for one year from aiding, advising or representing someone else regarding trade or treaty negotiations that he or she worked on during the final year of government service.
Finally, there is a ban that applies to performing compensated services for a foreign government. In general, unless a person receives prior authorization from the service secretary, he or she could forfeit reserve or retirement pay in the amount equal to pay received from a foreign government during the time of the compensation.
"Foreign government" includes educational and commercial institutions that are owned or controlled by foreign governments, as well as corporations that are owned by foreign governments and have a unity of interest with the government.
Corporations that maintain separate identities and are not mere agents or instrumentalities of the foreign government, even if owned by a foreign government, are not considered to be part of a foreign government.
Each time reserve support personnel complete tours of duty (whether serving for one day or one year), a new period of post-government employment begins. This means that reserve support personnel may accumulate multiple particular matters.
This could have a great impact on individuals when they negotiate for employment with civilian companies or organizations prior to the completion of their periods of active duty.
Personnel who believe that this employment negotiation could put them in conflicts of interest on matters in which they were personally and substantially involved should consider disqualification.
In effect, this means that with the approval of a military supervisors, a person can change duties to eliminate any contact or actions affecting those companies or organizations.
These are just the highlights pertaining to post-government employment bans. Reserve support personnel should have some familiarity with these bans, especially if they are employed in their civilian capacities by companies or corporations that do business with the federal government and more specifically, the Department of Defense.
A little familiarity can go a long way in avoiding any potential conflicts of interest.
Practitioners should refer Army personnel to the Army Standards of Conduct Web site at www.jagcnet.army.mil/SOCO or the Army Office of General Counsel (Ethics and Fiscal) Web site at www.hqda.army.mil/ogc/eandf.htm.
Bar-related golf outings are beginning to dot the early summer calendar. Some are charitable events that raise funds for pro bono legal assistance and other initiatives. Listings follow for those that have announced details to date.
Bar associations and other organizations may submit golf outing information to Stephen Anderson by facsimile to (312) 726-1422 or by e-mail to sanderson@isba.org.
JUNE 2 (Thursday) NORMAL - Illinois Shakespeare Festival benefit John Stevens memorial golf outing (former ISBA Assembly member); Illinois State University Golf Course; (309) 438-5732.
JUNE 3 (Friday) OAK BROOK - Illinois Trial Lawyers Association 50th annual golf outing, followed by installation dinner dance; Oak Brook Hills Resort; (800) 252-8501.
JUNE 6 (Monday) DANVILLE - Vermilion County Bar Association/Edgar County Bar Association golf outing; Danville Country Club; 12 noon buffet lunch, 1:15 p.m. shotgun start and 7 p.m. dinner; Jim Mulvaney, (217) 442-0362.
JUNE 8 (Wednesday) BENSENVILLE - Chicago Volunteer Legal Services Foundation 3rd annual Golf Fore Justice outing; White Pines Golf Club; 9 a.m. shotgun start, followed by lunch; Phil Mohr, (312) 332-3528.
JUNE 9 (Thursday) ITASCA - Intellectual Property Law Association annual Field Day golf and tennis outing; golf at Itasca Country Club: 11:30 a.m. lunch, 12:45 p.m. shotgun start; tennis at Schaumburg Tennis Plus; 6 p.m. reception and dinner; Gregory Sitrick, (312) 578-6845, for golf; Jeffrey Ingalls, (312) 807-4377, for tennis.
JUNE 10 (Friday) WILMINGTON - Will County Bar Association golf outing; Cinder Ridge Golf Links; 1 p.m. shotgun start; (815) 726-0383.
JUNE 13 (Monday) CHICAGO - Chicago Bar Association 82nd annual golf outing; Ridge Country Club; tee times 9 a.m.-1:30 p.m.; Angie Cruz, (312) 554-2132.
JUNE 13 (Monday) WINFIELD - DuPage County Bar Association golf outing; Klein Creek Country Club; 1 p.m. shotgun start; (630) 653-7779.
JUNE 14 (Tuesday) BENSENVILLE - Justinian Society golf outing; Oak Meadows Country Club; 11:30 a.m. lunch, 1 p.m. shotgun start, 6 p.m. reception and dinner; Nina Vidmer, (708) 338-0760.
JUNE 17 (Friday) BARRINGTON - Midwest Center on Law and the Deaf benefit golf outing; Makray Memorial Golf Club; 1:30 p.m. shotgun start, 6 p.m. dinner; (800) 894-3653.
JUNE 20 (Monday) LEMONT - Youth Outreach Services benefit golf outing with 7:30 a.m. shotgun start; Ruffled Feathers Golf Club; Barbara Schwarz, (773) 777-7112, ext. 281.
JULY 11 (Monday) BUFFALO GROVE - John Marshall Law School Alumni Association annual golf outing; Arboretum Golf Club; 1 p.m. shotgun start, 6 p.m. dinner; (312) 987-1420.
Mock trial team needs volunteers
Lawyers, including retired judges, are being recruited to help prepare students at Evanston Township High School for participation in the 2006 ISBA Mock Trial Program.
The volunteers and team members will meet at the high school from 4 to 6 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays, beginning Nov. 15 and continuing through March 1.
Chicago attorney Warren Lupel, a past president of the Illinois Bar Foundation, is heading this project. Interested lawyers may contact him at (312) 845-2568 or by e-mail to wlupel@wr-llp.com.
Spring has truly arrived when the ISBA Sunday Runners (who stroll or jog on Saturday mornings) have emerged from hibernation. The season began officially on May 7.
Led by ISBA past president Leonard F. Amari and President-elect Robert K. Downs, the Sunday Runners meet about 7:50 a.m. each Saturday near the totem pole just east of Lake Shore Drive and the intersection with Addison Street.
After their casual sojourn through the pathways and harbors of Lincoln Park, the runners repair to the Bagel at Broadway and Barry for breakfast.
The Sunday Runners have only one rule: "There is no obligation to show up; if you come, you come."
The unofficial ISBA contingent is the nucleus for teams that enter charitable events, such as the annual Race Judicata of the Chicago Volunteer Legal Services Foundation.
Survive? or Thrive! Solos, Small Firms plan program
"Don't Just Survive - Thrive!" is the provocative title of a Solo and Small Firm Conference that will be conducted by the Illinois State Bar Association from Oct. 7 to 9 at the Pheasant Run Resort in St. Charles.
Designed by the ISBA General Practice, Solo and Small Firm Section to explore the pathways to success for law firms, the conference will focus on increasing revenues and overcoming stress through effective management and practical planning.
Featured speakers will include California attorney Jay Foonberg, author of the best-selling (and most often stolen from law libraries) American Bar Association guidebook, "How to Start and Build a Law Practice" (4th Edition).
Another presenter is Dustin Cole, Florida management specialist and founder of the Attorneys Master Class, an organization that helps practitioners enhance skills in law practice management and growth strategy.
Save the October dates. More details will be announced in future issues of the ISBA Bar News and on the ISBA Web site, www.isba.org.
Adult guardianship training scheduled
Volunteer attorneys, both practicing and retired, are being sought to conduct adult guardianship investigations and report to the courts as pro bono guardians ad litem.
The new Adult Guardianship GAL Project of the Loyola University School of Law Elder Law Initiative hopes to increase the number of pro bono guardians who are available for cases in the Cook County Circuit Court.
Project coordinators also are looking for other professionals with training or experience in working with the elderly, the developmentally disabled or the mentally disabled to assist with evaluations of these cases.
The project plans to conduct its initial training in July. For more information, contact Carla Fiessinger at (312) 915-6775 or cfiessi@luc.edu.
The Loyola project will offer half-day training and detailed manuals to professionals who are interested in serving as guardians ad litem. In exchange, volunteers are asked to agree to serve as GALs (or otherwise participate) in at least three guardianship cases during the following year.
Each case is likely to require at least five hours to complete, including preparation of a written report and one court appearance. Ordinarily, a GAL will have three to four weeks to complete an investigation and make a report.
Mediation skills training series begins
The Cook County Circuit Court Law Division has begun a series of free continuing education seminars for judges, lawyers and mediators who are interested in court-annexed mediation skills and procedures.
The ISBA Alternative Dispute Resolution Section Council is a major sponsor of the series, said vice chair Michael S. Jordan of Glenview, a retired judge. Judge Allen S. Goldberg, who supervises the court's mediation program, serves on the section council.
The seminars are conducted from 12 noon to 1:45 p.m., usually on the second Thursday of each month, in courtroom 2005 of the Richard J. Daley Center, Chicago.Participants should being lunches.
The series began April 14 with a Mediation Advocacy Skills Training session that provided general information about mediation in the alternative dispute resolution context and preliminary pre-mediation considerations. A second session on May 12 covered preparation of the case and the client for mediation.
The third Mediation Advocacy Skills Training session will be conducted Thursday, June 9, by John W. "Jack" Cooley of Evanston. Topics are effective advocacy in the mediation session and post-mediation advocacy.
For more information or to register for attendance, call Mrs. Ferenzi at (312) 603-6078 or Kim Atz at (312) 793-0125. The series will continue in the fall on the following tentative schedule.
Thursday, Sept. 8 - Breaking the Impasse: Moving from Stalemate to Settlement in Mediation; U.S. Magistrate Judge Morton Denlow, Stuart M. Widman of Miller, Shakman & Hamilton, and Prof. Thomas F. Gibbons of Northwestern University.
Thursday, Oct. 13 - Resolving the Complex Case; retired judges Stephen A. Schiller and Richard E. Neville. This workshop will cover guidelines on getting the right parties to the table, use of pre-hearing conferences, content of case management orders, use of experts, authority issues, and management of multi-party and intra-party negotiations.
Thursday, Nov. 10 - Creative Problem Solving for Advocates and Mediators; Clinical Associate Prof. Lynn P. Cohn of Northwestern University School of Law, Assistant Clinical Prof. Pamela A. Kentra of Chicago-Kent College of Law, and Susan Yates, executive director of the Center for Analysis of Dispute Resolution Systems.
Thursday, Jan. 12 - Effective Mediation of Employment Disputes; U.S. Magistrate Judge Edward A. Bobrick and Debra Howdy. In this workshop, employment specialists will share experiences and insights on selecting the best mediator, the role of counsel, client preparation, and development of non-monetary trade-offs.
Thursday, Feb. 9 - Serving Two Masters: The Attorney-Mediator's Dilemma; John Cooley and Lynn Gaffigan. Topics include ABA/AAA Standards of Conduct for Mediators, whether they coexist or conflict with Illinois Rules of Professional Conduct, what to do when a conflict arises, and confidentiality in the context of mediation.
Thursday, March 9 - Co-mediation of Medical Negligence Cases; attorneys Geoffrey L. Gifford and Richard Donohue.
June 8 is deadline for fall CLE plans
Proposals for fall Law Ed Series seminars must be submitted no later than Wednesday, June 8, by ISBA section councils and committees. This does not include Midyear Meeting programs.
Information and program proposal forms may be obtained by accessing the ISBA Web site, www.isba.org, or calling the CLE registrar at (800) 252-8908.
Now you can call it 'The Savvy Abbey!'
Coverage by Stephen Anderson
No longer does this storied resort on Geneva Lake deserve the other rhyming sobriquet that described its decline in seasons past. For the all-new Abbey, 2005 is a year of revelation, and "savvy" is the appropriate way to commend the glory of its rebirth.
Here we found a property that shows it knows what patrons want, and an enthusiastic, well-drilled staff that understands how to provide exemplary service. The $40 million metamorphosis has resulted in a top-drawer resort that will please every member of the ISBA family next month.
The 334 bright, immaculate quarters boast stylish furniture, comfy beds with crisply ironed sheets, marble and granite bathrooms with Kohler fixtures, and wall-mounted flat-screen television sets. Luxurious carpeting and attractive lighting lead the way from the sparkling lobby.
Porto, the only restaurant that was open when we visited The Abbey last month, deserves a handful of Michelin stars for a pleasing combination of ambience, decor, service, wine and cuisine. Crispy striped bass or lemon-buttered sole, prime filet or veal chop with porcini, braised chicken or pappardelle and fennel sausage.
In all, there will be three unique food venues, a Starbucks cafe, an updated piano lounge, and a hideaway for cigar smokers (otherwise The Abbey is one big no-smoke zone, with penalties for lighting up in the rooms). Plenty of shops, too.
The indoor swimming pool rivals any other, and the outdoor pool area is being redesigned. And ahh, the spa. Make your reservations early; this will be a more popular diversion than ever for both sexes. Kids will love the buzzy interactive game room, and there is a new supervised haven for the wee ones.
The astute management team does not seem to have overlooked any means of assuring an ISBA affair to remember.