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  • September 8, 2011 | ISBA News
    Share your memories of Sept. 11, 2011

    The 10th anniversary of 9-11 is a reminder of how fragile and precious life can be.  It brought out the best in us as a nation, as we entered a new era marked by national pride and self-sacrifice.

    Members of Congress sang “God Bless America” on the steps of the Capitol while young people signed up for the military, knowing they would probably be sent to a war zone. ISBA lawyers with a military background stepped forward to form the Committee on Military Affairs and trained other members so they could provide needed legal services, often pro bono, to members of the military and their families. 

    How ISBA lawyers choose to commemorate 9-11 is, of course, a personal matter. Some will remember the day by supporting a cause, volunteering or performing an act of kindness.  Others will commemorate the tragedy through discussions and actions year-round. Still others will carry the memory privately in their hearts and prayers.

    What are your thoughts and reflections as we remember this major turning point in all our lives? I invite you to post comments below. 

     

    John G. Locallo, ISBA President

    7 comments (Most recent September 9, 2011)
  • August 31, 2011 | ISBA News
    ISBA leaders attend judicial merit selection conference

    ISBA President John G. Locallo and ISBA President-elect John E. Thies attended the National Summit on Defending Merit Selection earlier this week in St. Louis. The ISBA has been on record in support of the merit selection of judges since 1987.

    The purpose of this conference was for bar leaders from around the country to meet and discuss strategies for advancing and preserving merit selection of judges in their respective states as a way to keep politics out of the courtroom. Retired Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor was the keynote speaker, and attended one of the plenary sessions.

  • August 29, 2011 | ISBA News
    "Senior Scams" and "Identity Theft" to air on Illinois Law

    Senior Scams – The Wolves Are Out There and Identity Theft – It Can Happen to You, two half-hour programs presented by “Illinois Law,” a cable production of the Illinois State Bar Association (ISBA), will air on Chicago Access Network Television, Channel 21 in Chicago.  Senior Scams will air at 10 p.m. on Tuesdays, August 30 and September 13, and Identity Theft will air at 10 p.m. on Tuesdays, September 6 and 20.

    Appearing on the shows are (from left) Det. Sgt. James Hennelly, Financial Crimes/Public Corruption, Cook County Sheriff’s Police Department; program moderator Gilda Hudson-Winfield, Law office of Gilda Hudson-Winfield in Chicago; Eric Salcedo, Community Outreach Coordinator, Illinois Attorney General’s Office; and Katherine Walsh, director, Senior Citizen Law Enforcement Academy, Cook County Sheriff’s Office.

  • August 25, 2011 | ISBA News
    ISBA Statehouse Review for the week of August 25

    ISBA Director of Legislative Affairs Jim Covington reviews legislation of interest to ISBA members in his weekly ISBA Statehouse Review. This week he looks at Adoption forms (PA 97-493), the Illinois Personal Information Act (PA 97-483), Insurers must arbitrate small subrogation damages (PA 97-513), Cook County landlord and tenants (PA 97-470) and Jurors removed PA (97-436).

  • August 23, 2011 | ISBA News
    Juvenile Incarceration program to air on Illinois Law on Aug. 30

    “Juvenile Incarceration: Alternatives/Placements/Visitation/Release,” a half-hour program produced by Illinois Law, will air on Chicago Access Network Television, Channel 21 in Chicago, on Tuesday, August 30 at 10 p.m. Illinois Law is a cable production of the Illinois State Bar Association (ISBA).

    Appearing on the show are (from left) Raymond G. Stubner, deputy chief of Juvenile Probation Services for the Department of Probation & Court Services in DuPage County; program moderator Hon. Cheryl Cesario, a judge in the Circuit Court of Cook County; and Hon. Thomas J. Riggs, a judge in the 18th Judicial Circuit in DuPage County.

  • August 18, 2011 | ISBA News
    Join John Locallo on his ISBA President's trip to Argentina and Brazil

    SBA President John G. Locallo is excited to personally invite you, a guest, your family and friends to join him in South America for the Annual ISBA President’s trip May 5-12, 2012. Guests will spend a week in Buenos Aires, Argentina and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

    The trip will be extra special as President Locallo has intentionally left plenty of time for you to explore the two cities on your own or with his sister and brother-in-law -- who lived there. He has also arranged a local expert to be on hand in both cities to help you thoroughly enjoy your time. The hotels are centrally located to maximize walking and President Locallo has a special event planned in each city to show off the local culture and cuisine. There will also be a full-time escort from Carrousel Meetings & Incentives to help with anything you need while in South America.

    For more information and to register please visit the ISBA Argentina/Brazil President’s Trip website at www.regonline.com/ilstatebarassociation.

  • August 16, 2011 | ISBA News
    Need conference room chairs? ISBA selling 10

    As part of its Chicago office rehab, the Illinois State Bar Association has 10 office chairs available for $150 each. The chairs are green and in good condition. They have been in the Chicago office library for the past few years.

    Contact Joyce Williams, Chicago Office Coordinator, at (312) 726-8775 if interested.

  • August 15, 2011 | ISBA News
    JAG Officers, Elder Law Attorney to provide legal information at the Illinois State Fair

    Two JAG officers will be on hand to answer general legal questions of service members and their families at the Illinois State Fair on Sunday, August 14, from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., courtesy of the Illinois State Bar Association (ISBA).

    Timed to coincide with the fair’s Veterans Day celebration, the officers will be available at the ISBA tent on the fairgrounds located on Central Avenue across from the Dairy Building.

    On Monday, August 15, during Senior Citizens Day, an elder law attorney will be available at the tent to answer general questions about the law related to seniors.

    Throughout the 12-day event, the ISBA tent will distribute free legal pamphlets on a wide variety of legal issues.  Other freebies include gavel-like pencils, notepads, Abe Lincoln coloring books and temporary tattoos.

    Fair-goers who want to assume a Lincoln identity can have their photo taken not WITH but AS the “Great Emancipator.”  The ISBA’s tent will have a life-size figure of Lincoln with a hole where his face should have been (sorry Abe) so visitors can have a free keepsake photo of themselves portrayed as the man considered Illinois’ most famous lawyer and one of the nation’s greatest U.S. Presidents.

    The Illinois State Bar Association incorporates an image of Lincoln in their advertising and promotional materials with the tag line: “Our state has a history of some pretty good lawyers; we’re out to keep it that way.”

  • August 12, 2011 | ISBA News
    Thies elected as President-elect of the National Caucus of State Bar Associations

    ISBA President-elect John E. Thies of Urbana was named President-elect of the National Caucus on Bar Associations at the recent ABA Annual Meeting in Toronto. The purpose of the caucus is to coordinate the efforts of state bar associations across the country in considering and proposing matters before the American Bar Association House of Delegates. Thies' term as president will coincide with his year as ISBA president (2012/13).  

    “The state bar associations – including the ISBA – have a unique interest in many matters before the ABA House and within the ABA generally," Thies said. "These associations are most closely connected to the practicing bar, and the administration of justice at the core level. Accordingly, it is important that state bars have a strong voice within the ABA. In leading the Caucus, I plan to work with other state bar leaders to make sure that this is always the case.”

    Judge David Gienapp (at lectern, the then-president of the Caucus) is shown declaring Thies' election following a nominating speech by ISBA President John Locallo (right).

  • August 11, 2011 | ISBA News | Events
    Be sure to visit ISBA tent at Illinois State Fair!

    The Illinois State Bar Association will once again have a tent at the Illinois State Fair, starting today and continuing through August 21. The tent will look to help the public through the promotion of the ISBA's new Illinois Lawyer Finder public website.

    The tent offers legal brochures for the public and an Abraham Lincoln photo opportunity for state fair patrons who want to put their face in Lincoln's image. There is also a laptop connected to the Illinois Lawyer Finder site that visitors can try out and visit the ISBA's new consumer website. Visitors can also receive giveaways including: the infamous gavel pencils, small notepads and ISBA temporary tattoos.

    More information on the state fair is available at www.agr.state.il.us/isf/

    1 comment (Most recent August 11, 2011)