Let the petition signing begin!

Elections will be held next spring for an ISBA third vice president, seven members of the ISBA Board of Governors, 39 Assembly seats in Cook County, plus a total of 88 in all 22 other circuits, including the new one in McHenry County.

Each of the 13 affiliated law schools is entitled to nominate and elect one delegate to the Assembly.

Nominating petitions may be obtained from the office of executive director by calling (800) 252-8908 or sending an e-mail to jhibbs@isba.org.

For purposes of running for ISBA office or voting in the election, an individual's designated primary legal office is considered his or her official geographical location.

The third vice president who is elected from one of the four judicial districts outside of Cook County will become ISBA president in 2010.

Four of the contested board seats are now held by members who have served maximum terms and may not be re-elected.

That includes H. Case Ellis of Crystal Lake in Area 2 (17th, 19th and 22nd Circuits), John E. Thies of Urbana in Area 5 (5th, 6th and 11th Circuits), and David C. Nelson of Belleville, downstate under age 37.

In Cook County, all four board incumbents are eligible for re-election. They are Paula Hudson Holderman, John G. Locallo, Kevin E. O'Reilly and Andrea M. Schleifer, all of Chicago.

Elections for all 88 Assembly seats outside of Cook County are held every three years. Many current members have served six years and are not eligible for re-election.

The current 19th Circuit has 13 Assembly members – seven from Lake County and six from McHenry County. The 2007 allocation, based on population, will be 10 for the 19th Circuit and three for the new 22nd Circuit.

See the election notice on pages 8 and 9 of this issue of the ISBA Bar News for the list of incumbents and complete details of the ISBA election process.

Petitions containing original signatures may be filed no earlier than Tuesday, Jan. 16, and no later than 4:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 15, at either the Illinois Bar Center in Springfield or the Chicago Regional Office. E-mailed or faxed petitions will not be accepted.

Election ballots will be distributed by April 1 to ISBA members in good standing, whose dues are current on March 1. Completed ballots must be returned by May 10.