ISBA Director of Legislative Affairs Jim Covington reviews bills in Springfield of interest to ISBA members. In this episode he covers Civil litigation and settlements (Senate Bill 1912), Required liability coverage for drivers (Senate Bill 1898), Motion to dismiss or quash (Senate Bill 1500), Consumer Reciprocal Attorney’s Fees Act (Senate Bill 1901) and UM arbitration (Senate Bill 1636). More information on the bill is available below the video.
Practice News
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February 21, 2013 |
Practice News
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February 21, 2013 |
Practice News
Michael J. Tardy, Director of the Administrative Office of the Illinois Courts, announced Wednesday that the circuit judges of the 20th Judicial Circuit voted to select Joseph D. Christ and Christopher T. Kolker as associate judges of the 20th Judicial Circuit. As no candidate received a majority of votes to fill the third vacancy, a runoff is necessary.
Mr. Christ received his undergraduate degrees in 1986 from Illinois State University in Normal and his Juris Doctor in 1993 from the Cooley Law School in Lansing, Michigan. Mr. Christ is currently affiliated with the St. Clair County State's Attorney's Office in Belleville.
Mr. Kolker received his undergraduate degree in 1989 from Arizona State University in Tempe, Arizona and his Juris Doctor in 1998 from Southern Illinois University in Carbondale. Mr. Kolker is currently engaged in practice with the Kolker Law Offices, P.C., in Belleville.
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February 21, 2013 |
Practice News
Asked and Answered
By John W. Olmstead, MBA, Ph.D, CMC
Q. I am the founder and owner of a law firm in downtown Cincinnati, Ohio. I have three other attorneys and 4 staff members. We represent primarily business and civic organizations. Our fee revenues are around $735,000 per year and I take home $175,000 to $200,000 from the practice. I am looking to sell the practice to either the associates in the firm or another law firm. Do you have any idea what my firm might be worth?
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February 20, 2013 |
Practice News
All Illinois judges running for retention, as well as candidates for Illinois judicial offices who are running in the March 18 primary election, have been rated by Illinois State Bar Association evaluations committees, or in a poll of lawyers conducted by the ISBA. Results were made available today at www.isba.org/YouBeTheJudge.
In Cook County, an ISBA Judicial Evaluations committee used the results of a questionnaire, background investigations, and in-person interviews to rate candidates for all judicial offices. Candidates for the Appellate and Supreme Court outside Cook County were also evaluated using this process.
In counties outside Cook, the ISBA conducted an advisory poll of members in the circuit or district from which a candidate seeks election or retention. Licensed lawyers who are not members of the ISBA may request a ballot. The poll reflects the opinion of those lawyers who choose to respond, and not the opinion of the ISBA. -
February 14, 2013 |
Practice News
The ABA Law Student Division desperately needs 77 more lawyers and judges to serve as oral argument judges for the 2012-13 St. Louis Regional National Appellate Advocacy Competition (NAAC). This moot court competition will be held at the Thomas F. Eagleton Courthouse (111 South 10th Street, St. Louis, MO 63102).
The rounds take place in the late afternoon on Thursday and Friday, February 21-22 and all day on Saturday, February 23. Judges may serve multiple rounds if they desire.
- Round 1 – Thursday, February 21 (3:30 pm - 7:45 pm) 14 judges needed
- Round 2 – Friday, February 22 (3:30 pm - 7:45 pm) 27 judges needed
- Round 3 – Saturday, February 23 (8:30 am - 12:45 pm) 23 judges needed
- Round 4 – Saturday, February 23 (1:00 pm - 3:30 pm) 7 judges needed
- Round 5 – Saturday, February 23 (3:30 pm - 6:00 pm) 6 judges needed
Lawyers and judges are asked to visit https://abanet.qualtrics.com/SE/?SID=SV_enhnuayY4bWNU5T and enter their contact information and round selection on that form.
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February 14, 2013 |
Practice News
ISBA Director of Legislative Affairs Jim Covington reviews bills in Springfield of interest to ISBA members. In this episode he covers UM and UIM arbitration (Senate Bill 1636), Short-term guardian (Senate Bill 1565), Illinois Wage Payment and Collection Act (Senate Bill 1568) and Mortgage foreclosure (Senate Bill 1602). More information on the bill is available below the video.
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February 13, 2013 |
Practice News
Chief Justice Thomas L. Kilbride announced Wednesday that a pilot project established last year to allow electronic filing of documents with the Illinois Supreme Court has been expanded to include the option for all documents in cases on the Court's general docket to be filed with the Supreme Court electronically. The expansion also includes the electronic filing of documents concerning attorney disciplinary matters before the Court.The pilot project, approved by the Supreme Court in January 2012, allowed the Illinois Attorney General, the State Appellate Defender's Office and the Office of the Illinois State's Attorneys Appellate Prosecutor to digitally file motions, briefs and related documents with the Clerk of the Court through a secure password system designed and operated by a third-party vendor.
Now the pilot project expands to give the option for more persons registered with the third-party vendor, including pro se litigants and attorneys licensed in other jurisdictions appearing in a specific case, to file documents electronically. This move could eventually result in the savings of tens of thousands of pages of paper documents.
1 comment (Most recent February 14, 2013) -
February 13, 2013 |
Practice News
Chief Judge Frank H. Easterbrook announced that the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit has reappointed Northern Illinois Bankruptcy Judge Carol Doyle to another 14-year term when her current term expires on July 26, 2013. Chief Judge Easterbrook commented that the bar and the public were extensively surveyed and the results were that Judge Doyle is rated as an excellent judge.
Judge Doyle was initially sworn in as a bankruptcy judge in 1999. She earned her undergraduate degree from the University of Iowa and her law degree from Loyola University in Chicago. Prior to her appointment as a bankruptcy judge, she was a lawyer with the Chicago law firm of Sidley and Austin. She is the immediate past Chief Bankruptcy Judge for the Northern District of Illinois. -
February 13, 2013 |
Practice News
Asked and Answered
By John W. Olmstead, MBA, Ph.D, CMC
Q. Our firm - St. Louis, Missouri - handles personal injury cases on a contingency fee basis. All 6 attorneys practice in this area and we do no work on any other type of fee or billing arrangement. During the last couple of years cash flow has been tough, we have lost some cases, and we are looking for ideas on what we should be doing differently. We would appreciate any ideas that you may have.
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February 7, 2013 |
Practice News
Our panel of leading appellate attorneys review Thursday's Illinois Supreme Court opinions in the criminal cases People v. Wilmington, People v. Jackson and People v. Grant.
CRIMINAL
People v. Wilmington
By Jay Wiegman, Office of the State Appellate Defender