The Bar News

Bar News Sections

Northern Illinois

  • September 8, 2009 | People
    Maas joins Smith, Hahn, Morrow & Floski, P.C.
    Smith, Hahn, Morrow & Floscki P.C. takes pleasure in announcing the expansion of its Oregon law office and welcomes attorney Deborah S. Maas as an associate. Ms. Maas is a graduate of the Northwestern School of Law of Lewis & Clark College, Portland, Oregon.  She began the practice of law in 2001 with the Bloomington office of Prairie State Legal Services, Inc., and has been in private practice the past six years.  She transitions her private practice from Ronda Glenn Law Offices in Bloomington and Pontiac, Illinois.  She will continue a practice of general civil law with a focus on family law matters, guardianships, probate, estate planning, civil litigation, real estate transactions and litigation. Ms. Maas has completed both Divorce and Family Mediation Training and Supreme Court Rule 900 Training.  She has been approved by the Fifteenth Judicial Circuit to serve in the capacity of a Guardian Ad Litem, Child Representative or Attorney For Child, as well as to serve as Mediator to families in need. Smith, Hahn, Morrow & Floscki P.C. has offices in Oregon at 129 S. Fourth Street and in Byron at 131 W. Second Street. The Oregon office can be reached at (815) 732 - 6124 and the Byron office at (815) 234 - 5454.
  • September 8, 2009
    Breaking legal news for Tuesday, September 8

    Central Illinois

    Chicago area

    Northern Illinois

    Southern Illinois

  • September 4, 2009
    Courthouse tours: La Salle County Courthouse
    • [caption id="attachment_3779" align="alignright" width="225" caption="The La Salle County Courthouse was finished in 1883."][/caption] Address: 119 W. Madison, Ottawa
    • Entrance: Front of the building
    • Hours: Mon-Fri 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m.
    • Year built: 1883
    • Judicial Circuit: 13th (Bureau, Grundy)
    Click here to view the photo tour View previous courthouse tours:
  • September 1, 2009 | ISBA News
    Illinois Bar Foundation announces grant recipients
    The Illinois Bar Foundation, the charitable affiliate of the Illinois State Bar Association (ISBA), has announced the recipients of its new grants totaling $304,965 awarded to 32 law-related nonprofit organizations, including: Chicago
    • Apna Ghar, Inc., $7,500
    • Cabrini Green Legal Aid, $15,000
    • CARPLS, $25,000
    • Center for Conflict Resolution, $5,000
    • Center on Halsted, $5,000
    • Chicago Legal Advocacy for Incarcerated Mothers, $8,000
    • Chicago Volunteer Legal Services Foundation, $15,000
    • Equip for Equality, $20,000
    • Family Rescue, $7,500
    • Illinois Coalition for Equal Justice, $10,000
    • Illinois Equal Justice Foundation, $5,000
    • Illinois Legal Aid Online, $20,000
    • Lawyers’ Committee for Better Housing, $7,500
    • Legal Aid Bureau of Metropolitan Family Services, $10,000
    • Public Interest Law Initiative, $15,000
    • Sargent Shriver National Center on Poverty Law, $5,000
    Elsewhere in Illinois
    • CASA of Franklin County, Benton, $2,500
    • CASA of Jefferson County, Mt. Vernon, $2,000
    • CASA of McHenry County, Woodstock, $2,000
    • Center for Prevention of Abuse, Peoria, $5,000
    • Children’s Advocacy Centers of Illinois, Springfield, $13,465
    • Macon County CASA, Decatur, $5,000
    • Prairie State Legal Services, Inc., Rockford, $15,000
    • St. Clair County CASA, Belleville, $10,000
    • Dove Domestic Violence Program, Decatur, $10,000
    • Life Span, Des Plaines, $10,000
    • Catholic Urban Programs/Neighborhood Law Office, East St.
  • August 31, 2009 | Member Services
    Last chance to take the 2009 ISBA Membership Survey and enter our prize giveaway
    We've already heard from over 2,000 ISBA lawyer members ... have we heard from you? If you have not yet taken the 2009 ISBA Membership Survey, today is your last chance to do so! All ISBA lawyer members are invited to take the survey.  Please refer to the survey e-mail sent to you on August 26th for the link to the survey.  (If you have questions about the survey, or need assistance accessing the survey, please contact Ann Boucher, Membership Coordinator, at 800.252.8908.) We want to know what you think about the various programs and benefits the ISBA offers its members and how we could be serving you better.  Your responses will help guide the ISBA's future direction and services.  This is your chance to be heard and we are listening! After you have completed the survey, we will enter your name in a drawing for one of the following prizes if you choose to provide your contact information* at the end of the survey:
    • Four (4) members will win an iPod Nano loaded with up to six (6) MCLE/PMCLE hours of FastCLE programs of their choosing. (Valued at up to $330)
    • One (1) member will win the grand prize, including one (1) free year of membership in the ISBA plus an iPod Nano loaded with up to six (6) MCLE/PMCLE hours of FastCLE programs of their choosing. (Valued at up to $650, depending on membership category)
    To take the survey, please open up the follow-up e-mail sent to you on August 26th and click on the link provided within the e-mail.
  • August 24, 2009
    Breaking legal news for Monday, August 24

    Central Illinois

    Chicago area

    Southern Illinois

    State

    Nation

  • August 24, 2009 | Member Services
    Membership Mondays

    What Your Dues Dollars Bring You

    Reminder: Dues payments are due by Monday, August 31. If you have already paid your dues, THANK YOU!   If you have not yet paid, you can do so online or by phone (call Ann at 800-252-8908); Visa, MasterCard, Discover or American Express are all accepted.  Members can also pay through our flexible automatic dues installment program, Membership Made Easy, which allows payments to be broken up into easily affordable increments. As our membership renewal campaign comes to a close, we'd like to remind you of all the exciting programs and services the ISBA provides its members.  By renewing your membership you can: Practice more affordably. The ISBA provides members with free online legal research through Fastcase, which contains a comprehensive 50-state and federal caselaw database, including IL statutes and IL-based federal district court cases.
  • August 24, 2009 | Member Services
    $100 off ISBA Mutual for Solo and Small Firm attendees
    Receive a $100 premium credit on your next policy renewal with ISBA Mutual for every member of your firm who attends the ISBA's 5th Annual Solo and Small Firm Conference. Click here to register for the conference, Oct. 22-24, 2009. There is an early bird discount for those who register by August 28, 2009. There are no separate forms to fill out or submit to obtain your premium credit. All you have to do is attend the conference and your premium credit will automatically be applied on your next renewal. We believe that the ISBA Solo and Small Firm Conference offers useful up to date practice information that may help those attending avoid malpractice pitfalls. The premium credit for the Solo and Small Firm Conference applies to the 2009 conference only and may not be applicable to conferences in future years. Please note that this is a premium credit on the renewal of your professional liability insurance policy with ISBA Mutual, not a discount on the registration fee. You will be receiving the brochure to register for the 13th Annual Risk Management Conference in early September. As usual, you will also qualify for a $100 premium credit on your next renewal by attending this conference. Attend both the ISBA 5th Annual Solo and Small Firm Conference and the 13th Annual ISBA Mutual Risk Management Conference and you will receive $200 in premium credit on your next renewal. The dates for the Risk Management Conference this year are:
    • October 6, Collinsville
    • October 7, Bloomington
    • October 8, Oak Brook
    • October 9, Chicago
  • August 21, 2009
    Courthouse tours: 3rd Appellate Court Building and Washington Park
    • [caption id="attachment_3578" align="alignright" width="300" caption="The 3rd Appellate Court Building at 1004 Columbus in Ottawa serves 21 counties."][/caption] Address: 1004 Columbus, Ottawa
    • Entrance: Front of the building
    • Year built: 1860
    • Cost: $230,000 (wings added in 1877)
    • Counties served (21): Bureau, Fulton, Grundy, Hancock, Henderson, Henry, Iroquois, Kankakee, Knox, LaSalle, Marshall, McDonough, Mercer, Putnam, Peoria, Putnam, Rock Island, Stark, Tazewell, Whiteside, Will
    • Historic: Part of the Washington Park Historic District that includes Washington Park, site of the 1st Lincoln-Douglas debate on Aug.
  • August 20, 2009
    Breaking legal news for Thursday, August 20

    Central Illinois

    Chicago area

    Northern Illinois

    Southern Illinois

    This post is updated with breaking news throughout the day.