Edward Loss gets certification
Arizona attorney Edward A. Loss III, who was denied admission to the Illinois bar in 1987, was advised May 19 by the clerk of the Illinois Supreme Court that he has been certified to practice in this state.
Loss, a 1984 graduate of the DePaul University College of Law, said he plans to take the oath of admission and open an office in Arlington Heights soon thereafter with a partner. His practice in Arizona, where he was admitted in 1996, concentrates in DUI defense.
Although his Illinois application 21 years ago was approved 14 to 13 by the Committee on Character and Fitness, the Supreme Court ruled that Loss be denied admission, with a lone dissenting vote by Seymour Simon.
Loss' most recent application about 18 months ago was approved unanimously by Cook County members of the committee. He was represented by Chicago attorney Warren Lupel, a member of the ISBA Committee on the Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission.
Listings follow for bar-related golf outings that have announced to date. Submit information to Stephen Anderson by facsimile to (312) 726-1422 or by e-mail to sanderson@isba.org.
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.
JULY 14 (Thursday) GURNEE - Lake County Bar Association golf outing; Bittersweet Golf Course; 11 a.m. shotgun start, 5:30 p.m. barbecue; (847) 244-3143.
JULY 14 (Thursday) DIXON - Lee County Bar/Ogle County Bar Association Play Day golf outing, with afternoon tee times; Lost Nation Country Club; Bob Thompson, (815) 562-8754.
JULY 18 (Monday) ST. CHARLES - Illinois Real Estate Lawyers Association golf outing; St. Charles Country Club; 11:30 a.m. lunch, 1 p.m. shotgun start and 6:30 p.m. dinner; (847) 593-5750 ($195, dinner only $55).
JULY 18 (Monday) MIDLOTHIAN - South Suburban Bar Association golf outing; Midlothian Country Club; Ed Burt, (708) 687-5200.
JULY 21 (Thursday) HOFFMAN ESTATES - Northwest Suburban Bar Association golf outing; Poplar Creek Country Club; 1 p.m. shotgun start, 6 p.m. dinner; (847) 259-7908.
JULY 25 (Monday) GENEVA - Kane County Bar Association golf and tennis outing; Eagle Brook Country Club; 11:30 a.m. lunch, 1 p.m. shotgun start; 5:30 p.m. reception and pig roast buffet dinner; (630) 762-1915.
Med-mal study housed at isba.org
ISBA's Web site provides a convenient way to disseminate information that would otherwise be difficult to publish to the full ISBA membership. A noteworthy example is Duke Law School Professor Neil Vidmar's 80-plus page study of medical malpractice litigation in Illinois, which is available at <http://isba.org/medmal05.html>.
According to the ISBA-commissioned study, jury awards apparently have not caused the recent spike in doctors' liability insurance premiums, caps won't result in smaller payouts in the vast majority of cases, and doctors are not fleeing Illinois.
While a much-abridged version of the study will appear in the July Illinois Bar Journal, the full text, with an array of charts and case studies, is available at no charge on the Web. You'll find a link to it from the homepage under More from ISBA (it's there, keep scrolling), along with links to an ISBA committee's recommendation on reporting of pro bono services and the Illinois Supreme Court's new rule allowing sole practitioners to transfer their law practices.
Director of Legislative Affairs
The General Assembly has finished its spring session and the following bills have passed both chambers.
Equal Justice funding. The appropriation for the Illinois Equal Justice Foundation was increased from $472,900 to $2 million in the FY 06 budget to fund civil legal services for indigents and the working poor. This increase is a result of the hard work of the Equal Justice Illinois Campaign, which is chaired by former Governor James R. Thompson and former Senate President Philip J. Rock.
Medical malpractice. Senate Bill 475 (Clayborne, D-Belleville; Reitz, D-Steeleville) is the medical malpractice bill for health care providers. (1) Among other things, it caps non-economic damages for all plaintiffs injured to $500,000 against a physician and $1 million against a hospital. (2) It requires the court to allow payment of future medical expenses and costs of life care in a medical malpractice action under certain circumstances by purchasing an annuity. (3) It requires the affiant who signs an affidavit of merit under §2-622 to have the same qualifications as an expert witness under §8-2501(a)-(d), and the affiant must disclose his or her name and other information. It also prohibits any additional 90-day extensions unless there has been a withdrawal of the plaintiff's counsel. Although Senate Bill 475 becomes law upon the Governor's signature, these parts apply to all causes of action accruing on or after the effective date of this amendatory Act of the 94th General Assembly.
Workers' Compensation. House Bill 2137 is an overhaul of the workers' compensation law that was negotiated between organized labor and the business community. Among its many changes is a prohibition against a medical provider from billing an injured worker for the balance of charges not paid by the insurance company while the work comp claim is pending. It raises benefits and creates a medical fee schedule indexed to the CPI, and enhances penalties for the unreasonable delay of payment of work comp benefits.
Automatic transfer of juveniles. Senate Bill 283 (Cullerton, D-Chicago; A. Collins, D-Chicago) creates individualized review for transfers of juveniles to adult criminal court.
Family law counseling. House Bill 360 (Rose, R-Mahomet; Winkel, R-Champaign) amends the Illinois Marriage and Dissolution of Marriage Act