- [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.
Northern Illinois
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August 21, 2009
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August 20, 2009
Central Illinois
- Former Metamora coach gets four years for sexual abuse of student, Peoria Journal Star
Chicago area
- Jury deliberating whether McHenry Co. cops framed murder suspect, Daily Herald
- "Most significant drug conspiracy" busted in Chicago, Chicago Sun-Times
Northern Illinois
- Divorce easier to get, stigma less prevalent, experts say, Quad-City Times
Southern Illinois
- Doctor sued for failing to provide safe place to sit, The Madison St. Clair Record
- Columbia service dog has his day in court, Belleville News-Democrat
- Jurors convict East St. Louis woman of giving fatal dose of morphine to niece, Belleville News-Democrat
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August 19, 2009 |
Member Services
The Illinois State Bar Association's Lawyer Finder Service provides referrals to local lawyers Mondays through Fridays. The Service makes referrals in a number of areas of law. For the month of July 2009, the ISBA helped people in need of legal services find lawyers in the following areas:
- Administrative Law 8
- Animal Law 3
- Bankruptcy 19
- Business Law 7
- Civil Disputes 89
- Civil Rights 22
- Collection 22
- Consumer Protection 21
- Contracts 8
- Criminal Law 74
- Education Law 10
- Elder law 2
- Employment Law 99
- Estate/Probate Law 26
- Family 111
- Government Benefits 4
- Health Law 2
- Immigration 2
- Insurance Disputes 9
- Intellectual Property 10
- Miscellaneous 2
- Municipal Law 4
- Personal Injury 92
- Real Estate 67
- Social Security 12
- Tax 7
- Workers Compensation 6
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August 19, 2009 |
Practice News
Public Act 96-583 was signed into law on Tuesday, August 18. It does four things affecting the award of attorney's fees in family law cases: (1) limits the presumption in favor of summary hearings to prejudgment cases, (2) tolls the deadline for filing a final petition for fees in some instances and permits a stipulated deferral of one year for such a filing, (3) eliminates the requirement that the attorney must file billing statements in court if he or she is seeking a consent judgment, (4) and expands the applicability for fee awards for hearings that are prompted by improper purposes. Effective January 1, 2010.
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August 18, 2009
Central Illinois
- Consent-decree plaintiffs' lawyers seek $1.26 million, Champaign News-Gazette
Chicago area
- School sued over swimmer's paralysis, Chicago Tribune
- Redbox wins partial victory in Universal suit, Chicago Business
Southern Illinois
- Stack to retire as judge in Madison County, Belleville News-Democrat
State
- Quinn signs bill strengthening ethics laws, Springfield State Journal-Register
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August 17, 2009 |
Practice News
Naperville lawyer, ISBA member, tech expert, and Solo and Small Firm Conference presenter Bryan Sims (aka The Connected Lawyer) says there are four must-have tools for sole practitioners: a smart phone, a laptop, a scanner, and a good backup system. “Unless you’re going to be tied to your office, you should have some sort of smart phone,” such as an iPhone, a BlackBerry, or a PalmPre, Sims told Helen Gunnarsson in an interview for the yet-to-be-released September Illinois Bar Journal. “You need something that will allow you to get your e-mail, look at documents, and otherwise get some work done when you’re out of the office.” As for laptops, Simms recommends buying a business class model directly from the manufacturer instead of the cheapest thing available. “If you’re using your computer for your law practice, you can’t afford to have it out of operation for a week,” he says. A scanner will help you create a paperless and a portable office. “I recommend that you keep all of your documents in .pdf format. If you want to keep the hard copy too, fine, but scan everything,” Sims says. Scanned documents are easy to manage and disseminate. Finally, you need a good backup system.
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August 17, 2009 |
Practice News
Governor Quinn has signed 543 new public acts into law. He will have another 200 to sign in the next 30 days. You may want to go to the General Assembly's homepage at www.ilga.gov and click on "public acts." It lists them in chronological order in the order he signs them. Some of these new public acts take effect the day he signs them and could affect your practice area.
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August 17, 2009 |
ISBA News
[gallery] Members of the Illinois State Bar Association staff worked the "Looking for Lincoln" tent on Sunday at the Illinois State Fair in Springfield and will be back again on Tuesday, August 18. The "Looking for Lincoln" tent also sponsored a re-enactment of the Lincoln-Douglas debates. Fair attendees can collect rubbings from all five Lincoln storyboard medallions and receive half-off an adult admission to the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum. The ISBA tent is located on the north east side in the Heartland area, near the "Dock Dogs" show on the outer perimeter. All fair attendees are invited to stop by.
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August 12, 2009 |
Practice News
Even during a three-year, round-the-clock renovation soon to be under way, the Everett McKinley Dirksen U.S. Courthouse, home of the nation's third largest federal district court, will remain open with normal hours for courts and government offices, the U.S. General Services Administration announced today. The phased construction, which begins in September, will be keyed to keeping the 30-story building open, along with its 57 courtrooms and 11 federal government offices. The renovation's major focus will be the replacement of the building's nearly 50-year-old heating and ventilation, fire alarm and lighting systems. Most work will be done at night and on weekends to limit disruptions. "The modernization of this architectural landmark designed by Mies van der Rohe exemplifies GSA's commitment to sustainable design," said GSA Acting Regional Administrator J. David Hood. "By making our public buildings higher-performing and more energy-efficient we maximize their value to the taxpayer. And with the benefits of new technology, we are renewing the future of this courthouse by building upon the creative energies that produced it and the stewardship that has preserved it." The building's largest tenant is the U.S. District Court for Northern Illinois with 40 judges and more than 400 employees. The courthouse is also the seat of the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals and the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for Northern Illinois. Other tenants include the U.S. Attorney, U.S. Marshals Service and the U.S. Trustees. Chief Judge James F. Holderman of the U.S. District Court for Northern Illinois acknowledged that the project will cause some disruption and inconvenience. He said, however, "We of the United States District Court, as tenants, look forward to working cooperatively with GSA to keep the disruption to a minimum and the courts running smoothly as GSA completes these necessary renovations."
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August 11, 2009 |
Member Services | Practice News
We've heard all the negatives, but now we want to hear the success stories and share them with ISBA members. For the premiere print issue of Illinois Lawyer Now Quarterly in September, we would like to feature how ISBA members are adapting their practices in light of the challenging economic climate.
- Have you succeeded in attracting new clients or growing your practice despite the downturn?
- Have you been able to cut your overhead while still maintaining the same level of service?
- Have you been successful in finding a new job despite the current economy?