ISBA members may earn up to 12 hours of MCLE credit and four hours of Professionalism MCLE by attending the third annual Solo and Small Firm Conference, “Expanding Your Network, Knowledge and Skills,” next month.

Concurrent tracks on 21st Century Law, Effective and Ethical Practice, and Substantive Law will be offered Thursday through Saturday, Sept. 6 to 8, at Pheasant Run Resort in St. Charles.

Registration will begin at 11 a.m. Thursday, followed by educational tracks and an opening reception provided by the ISBA Mutual Insurance Co. in the Mega Center exhibit hall.

The Friday schedule includes 7 a.m. registration and continental breakfast, keynote speech, educational tracks, luncheon and a reception sponsored by the DuPage County and Kane County Bar Associations in the New Orleans Ballroom.

The keynote speaker at 8:30 a.m. Friday is “humorist at law” Sean Carter, a Harvard law graduate. His topic is “Using Lawghter to Clean up the Stress Mess.”

Carter also will conduct the 10:15 a.m. Friday ethics program, “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Disciplinary Hearing”.

The Saturday schedule includes 7 a.m. registration and continental breakfast, educational tracks, and a buffet luncheon program, “Gizmos, Gadgets and Widgets,” with technology gurus Ross Kodner and Nerino Petro.

Other featured speakers on Saturday are ISBA past president Fred Lane on Emerging Trends in Conflict Resolution at 9:45 a.m., and retired appellate justice R. Eugene Pincham on effective openings and closings in trial practice at 1:30 p.m.

Exhibitors who will display and explain their products and services on Thursday and Friday in the Mega Center include Fastcase Inc., the free online legal research for ISBA members.

Among other exhibitors are ABA Retirement Funds, Attorneys' Title Guaranty Fund, ATG Trust Co., ISBA Mutual Insurance Co., and GoNext travel services.

Booths will be allotted to the Illinois Bar Foundation, the ISBA Ethics Information Line and Internet Café, and ISBA Member Services and a Boutique of logo items.

Visitors to the exhibit area may participate in prize drawings for a Pheasant Run getaway, free registration for the 2008 conference, a premium Fastcase update, and department store gift cards.

For availability of accommodations at Pheasant Run during the conference, call (630) 584-6300 or (800) 474-3272 by Aug. 22 and ask for the ISBA rate.