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  • May 4, 2016 | Practice News
    Illinois Supreme Court announces recommendations to advance pretrial services in Cook County

    The Illinois Supreme Court has announced that all 40 recommendations proposed in a report issued two years ago following a comprehensive review of pretrial services in Cook County have been addressed with the commitment of ensuring the sustainability of the changes.

    Through the work and monitoring of the report's recommendations by the Supreme Court's Administrative Office of the Illinois Courts (AOIC), and a partnership among elected officials in Cook County's criminal justice system, progress has been made in improving the county's pretrial services.

  • May 4, 2016 | Practice News
    Best Practice: How to structure law firm management team

    Asked and Answered

    By John W. Olmstead, MBA, Ph.D, CMC

    Q. I am the founder and managing partner of a 27-attorney firm in Dallas, Texas. I own 90% of the stock in the firm. I have a three member management committee that serves as a sounding board, a firm administrator, and several people in accounting that work for the firm administrator. We are anticipating hiring a marketing director and are trying to think our way through how to structure this new position as well as future management positions down the road. I would appreciate any thoughts that you may have.

  • May 3, 2016 | Practice News
    518 new attorneys admitted to practice in Illinois

    Justices of the Illinois Supreme Court administered the attorney’s oath to 518 new attorneys on Thursday, May 5 at five separate locations across the state.

    The largest group, 327, were admitted in the First Judicial District during three ceremonies at James R. Thompson Center Assembly Hall, located at 100 W. Randolph St., in Chicago. The ceremonies were at 9 a.m., 11:30 a.m., and 2:30 p.m. View photos from the 1st District ceremony at http://iln.isba.org/gallery/1037/1st-district-admission-ceremony,-may-2016. Photos from the other admission ceremonies will be available Monday.

  • May 3, 2016 | Practice News
    Kinzer appointed circuit judge in 21st Circuit

    The Illinois Supreme Court has appointed the Hon. James B. Kinzer, associate judge of the 21st Circuit, to Resident Circuit Judge of Iroquois County, the 21st Circuit. This vacancy was created by the retirement of the Hon. Gordon Lee Lustfeldt. 

  • May 3, 2016 | Practice News
    Illinois Supreme Court invites governor, legislators to special evening session

    Chief Justice Rita B. Garman and the Illinois Supreme Court have invited Gov. Bruce Rauner and the entire state legislature to attend a special evening session of oral arguments.

    The session will be at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, May 17, 2016, at the Supreme Court Building in Springfield and will mark the second special evening session the Supreme Court has held in recent years.

    3 comments (Most recent May 17, 2016)
  • May 2, 2016 | Practice News
    CARPLS seeks volunteer attorneys

    CARPLS Legal Hotline in Chicago seeks volunteer hotline attorneys wanted to give advice to low-income clients in the areas of landlord/tenant, consumer debt, and family law.  Day and night shifts are available.  Malpractice insurance is provided.

    Daily shifts: Mondays - Fridays 9 a.m.-1 p.m. or 1 p.m.-5 p.m. A minimum commitment of 1 shift per week over a 10-week session is requested.  

    Evening shifts: Mondays or Wednesdays  5:30 p.m.–8 p.m. A minimum commitment of 36 hours over a one-year period is requested (about 1.5 shifts per month).  

    Registration for our May volunteer class is now open. For more information, contact Leslie Wallin at 312/421-4427 or lwallin@carpls.org or go to http://www.carpls.org/getinvolved/pro-bono-opportunities/

  • April 28, 2016 | Practice News
    ISBA Statehouse Review for April 28, 2016

    ISBA Director of Legislative Affairs Jim Covington reviews legislation in Springfield of interest to ISBA members. This week he covers The Parentage Act of 2015 (House Bill 4447), Income shares and child support (House Bill 3982), New filing fee (Senate Bill 3162), IMDMA cleanup (House Bill 1190), Trust law (Senate Bill 2842), Personal guardian (House Bill 5924), Revised Uniform Fiduciary Access to Digital Assets Act (House Bill 4648) and Land Trust Beneficiary Rights Act (House Bill 4697). More information on each bill is available below the video.

  • April 27, 2016 | Practice News
    Best Practice: How many hours should associates be billing?

    Asked and Answered

    By John W. Olmstead, MBA, Ph.D, CMC

    Q. I am the managing partner of a 12-lawyer insurance defense firm in Oklahoma City. We have four partners and eight associates. While we have grown over the last five or six years by adding associates, our profitability has remained flat. We feel that we are not getting the billable hours that we should out of our associates. What are other firms like ours getting out of their associates in terms of billable hours?

  • April 25, 2016 | Practice News
    Illinois Supreme Court to hear oral arguments at Benedictine University on May 19

    The Illinois Supreme Court will take its work on the road in May, when it will hear oral arguments at Benedictine University in Lisle.

    The one-day change of venue is part of the Court's and Chief Justice Rita B. Garman's initiative to bring the Court to the people it serves and its continuing goal for greater transparency in the judicial process.

    The Supreme Court will hear arguments in two cases starting at 10:30 a.m. on Thursday, May 19, 2016, in Benedictine University's Daniel L. Goodwin Hall of Business, located at 5700 College Road in Lisle.

    1 comment (Most recent April 28, 2016)
  • April 25, 2016 | Practice News
    Quick Takes for Your Practice: Unidentified funds in IOLTA accounts

    Attorney David Holtermann of the Lawyers Trust Fund of Illinois discusses recent rules changes to handling unidentified funds in IOLTA accounts.