2007 Articles

2007 Tradition of Excellence Award winner By Hon. Adrienne W. Albrecht July 2007 The General Practice, Solo and Small Firm Section Council has awarded its 2007 Tradition of Excellence Award to Adrienne W. Albrecht of Kankakee, lllinois.

Admonitions in the criminal trial court: Waiver of Counsel, Jury Demand, and Noncitizen Guilty Pleas By Patrick M. Kinnally July 2007 In January 2004 the Illinois General Assembly passed a law (725 ILCS 5/113-8) which says:

Approaching the total client in general practice By Patrick E. Ward July 2007 Each person is the composite of the many parts which force or shape that person’s behavior. While respecting the role of free will, perceptions of options often narrow the field of choices and effectively dictate action taken.

The benefits of mandatory arbitration in Illinois By Randall Edgar March 2007 From its inception through the Mandatory Arbitration Act of January 1, 1986, the concept of the Mandatory Arbitration Hearing in Illinois has caused many attorneys to question the benefit and purpose of these “mini hearings.”

Chair’s Column: Going out, outgoing, & not going away By Matt Maloney July 2007 The General Practice, Solo & Small Firm Section Council had a phenomenal past year.

Chair’s Column: Hey, look us over! By Matt Maloney February 2007 The lawyers who make up our Section Council come from different practice backgrounds, different geographic areas and, as you might expect, are different ages.

Chair’s Column: Imagine this By Matt Maloney March 2007 I’m in a local grocery store doing the usual weekly shopping.

Chair’s Column: Solo and Small Firm Conference—Like no other conference in Illinois By Donald A. LoBue November 2007 The Annual Meeting in June marks the beginning of a new year with the Illinois State Bar Association.

Editor’s Column: In praise of our staffs and contingency planning By John T. Phipps November 2007 This past summer was a very trying summer for the Editor, who experienced numerous office staff problems which, because of an unexpected staff family emergency, ended with a temp who, because of the need for training, (which we did not have time to do) could not do much other than answer the phone.

Editor’s Column: Lessons from The ABA Tech Show: Windows VISTA—Looks good but no compelling reason to upgrade By John T. Phipps July 2007 The consensus from the ABA Tech Show participants and exhibitors as well as local tech experts we have talked to is that “If your current windows XP system is working, don’t change it.”

Legislative update: Ten new Public Acts that affect general practice By J.A. Sebastian November 2007 The following is a summary of recent legislative action of interest to members of the ISBA General Practice, Solo, and Small Firm Section.

More than 350 lawyers “shined up their shingles” at the ISBA’s Second Annual Solo and Small Firm Conference, making it a resounding success! By Michele M. Jochner February 2007 More than 350 attorneys attended this year’s ISBA Solo and Small Firm Conference, “Shine Up Your Shingle - What You Need to Succeed,” which was held Thursday, September 14th through Saturday, September 16th at the Pheasant Run Resort in St. Charles.

The Open Meetings Act: Recent amendments and cases By Donald A. LoBue February 2007 There are many local governments in the State of Illinois.

Practice Alert: Special issues in the social security disability case—COBRA & Medicare, aka, Snake Oil Medicine By David R. Bryant March 2007 The Consolidated Omnibus Budget Amendment Act of 1985 (COBRA) added ERISA Title I, Part 6, requiring that the sponsor of a group health plan make continuation coverage available to employees, spouses, ex-spouses, dependents, and others for periods of 18 to 36 months following an event that might otherwise result in loss of coverage.

Practice Alert: When advising a client that a plea for supervision is not a conviction. . . Think again!!! By Thomas A. Bruno February 2007 When Lou Grant interviewed Mary Richards for a job at WJM-TV, he asked her about her religion.

Recent amendments to the Illinois Supreme Court Rules By Michele M. Jochner November 2007 Since the beginning of this calendar year, the Supreme Court of Illinois has made several amendments to its Rules. Outlined below are highlights of some of the most significant amendments.

Same-sex couples and the concept of de facto parents—Illinois vs. Washington State By Michael K. Goldberg March 2007 The demographic changes of the past century make it difficult to speak of an average American family.

The Tradition of Excellence Award February 2007 The General Practice, Solo and Small Firm Section has established a Tradition of Excellence Award. ISBA members in Illinois who have been in practice a minimum of 20 years, including sitting or retired judges, are eligible.