Illinois employers are learning their way around the state's new concealed carry law, which will kick off in earnest when the state police begin issuing permits in a few months.
Practice News
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August 22, 2013 |
Practice News
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August 22, 2013 |
Practice News
The Circuit Court of Cook County is proud to announce the opening of The Cook County Elder Justice Center (CCEJC), an innovative elder-friendly facility that is designed to help elderly citizens navigate the Cook County Court system.The CCEJC is part of the Circuit Court’s Elder Law and Miscellaneous Remedies Division. The CCEJC is conveniently located and easily accessible on the lower level of the Richard J. Daley Center, Room CL-16.
The unique purpose of the CCEJC is to serve as a resource center for citizens of Cook County who are aged 60 and older. The CCEJC will provide information and support needed to help older adults avoid becoming victims of abuse, neglect and financial exploitation. The CCEJC will also provide referrals to the appropriate legal and social service agencies.
- Opening Date: September 3, 2013
- Hours: Monday through Friday - 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
- Location: 50 West Washington Street, Room CL-16
- Telephone: (312) 603-9233
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August 21, 2013 |
People | Practice News
Recognized for Her Tireless Work on Behalf of Kids in Trouble with the Law
Elizabeth “Betsy” Clarke, president of the Illinois-based Juvenile Justice Initiative, was recognized recently for her tenacious work on behalf of young people in trouble with the law. Clarke is the second recipient of the Beth Arnovits Gutsy Advocate for Youth Award, which is given annually by the National Juvenile Justice Network to individuals who advocate for youth justice and juvenile justice reform and who embody "the tenacity, vision, fearlessness and wisdom of Beth Arnovits."
“Betsy Clarke was a natural choice for the Gutsy Youth Advocate award,” said Sarah Bryer, director of the National Juvenile Justice Network. “You only have to look at her longstanding commitment to the field of juvenile justice reform, her support of and engagement in national level reform work, and her tremendous success as an advocate for her vision for change on both the local and national levels… She’s done amazing things.”
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August 21, 2013 |
Practice News
Asked and Answered
By John W. Olmstead, MBA, Ph.D, CMC
Q. I am the managing partner of an eight attorney firm in Central Illinois. We have five partners and three associates. Over the years we have had problems retaining associates. While we believe we provide adequate feedback to our associates regarding our expectations about their performance, several of my partners believe we can do better. I would appreciate your thoughts and suggestions.
A. One of the most frequent complains I hear during interviews with associates in law firms of all sizes is lack of specific detailed feedback, unclear or non-existent expectations concerning their performance and future career progression, and vague informal performance reviews.
Here are a few suggestions:
1. Institute a system where associates, especially when they are new, have a chance to work with all of the partners in the firm.
2. As managing partner solicit feedback from your partners and meet monthly with each associate and discuss their performance during their first two years of employment with the firm.
3. Annually conduct formal performance reviews with each associate. Before the review obtain specific feedback from each of the partners and have each partner complete a written review of each associate using the associate performance rating form. Ask each associate to conduct a self-evaluation using the firm's associate performance rating form and then conduct a detailed review with each associate. The review should be detailed and specific and should be developmental with specific goals and timelines established. Document the review in the associate performance rating form.
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August 19, 2013 |
Practice News
Illinois Supreme Court Justice Mary Jane Theis announced on Monday an application process for a vacancy in the Ninth Judicial Subcircuit of Cook County.
The vacancy is created by the upcoming retirement of Judge Allen S. Goldberg on September 6. Judge Goldberg has been a Circuit judge in Cook County since 1992.
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August 16, 2013 |
Practice News
Under the leadership of Chief Justice Thomas L. Kilbride, the Illinois Supreme Court established the Access to Justice Commission in June 2012 with the goal of removing barriers and increasing the ease of interacting with courts by persons who can’t afford lawyers to represent their interests and needs.
1 comment (Most recent August 16, 2013) -
August 16, 2013 |
Practice News
Over the next two years, large numbers of Servicemembers will return home from deployment. Coming home from combat can present a difficult reintegration with family, friends and community. Many will face legal issues, increasing the overall demand for military legal assistance.
Help make military legal assistance available for returning Servicemembers.
Waves of returning Servicemembers will strain existing military legal assistance programs. Civilian attorneys can help meet the growing need by becoming a part of The Illinois Bar Association’s statewide effort to increase access to military legal assistance.
Help Servicemembers, Veterans and their Families resolve their legal issues.
More attorneys are needed to assist with:
- Family Law
- Finance/Banking
- Employment
- Health Care
- Immigration
- Elder Law
Learn more about how you can provide critical legal services to our returning Servicemembers.
To sign up please go to – http://militarylegalsupport.com
Follow us on Twitter - http://twitter.com/militarylegal
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August 15, 2013 |
Practice News
The United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Office of the Chief Counsel in Chicago, Illinois, is responsible for providing legal advice, training and services in cases related to the ICE mission in Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Missouri, and Wisconsin. The office represents the United States in immigration removal proceedings, and provides legal support to ICE components focusing on customs, worksite enforcement, employment law, and administrative law. Legal externs assist in the representation of the United States government in immigration removal proceedings.
Legal Extern Location: Chicago, Illinois
Application Materials: Resume, transcript, writing sample, and cover letter indicating dates when available. Applications should be submitted to occ-chi-applications@ice.dhs.gov. All electronically submitted documents must be in MSWord or Adobe Acrobat format.
Qualifications: First-year (second semester) and second-year law students. Previous or concurrent course work in immigration law helpful, but not necessary. Must be a U.S. citizen. Will be subject to a background investigation due to the sensitive nature of the work performed.
Application Deadline: For Spring of 2014: Applications will be accepted between August 15, and September 30, 2013.
Minimum Weeks Required: 10 weeks minimum, 15 - 20 hours per week.
Salary: Volunteer (without compensation).
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August 14, 2013 |
Practice News
"With the rapid rise and fall of the housing market, Illinois has seen tremendous growth in the number of mortgage rescue services being offered to consumers who are delinquent on their mortgage payments and/or are at risk of foreclosure. Unfortunately, fraudsters have used these services to cheat consumers out of money and ownership and equity in their home," Jennifer D. Franklin of SIU School of Law writes in her excellent article on the Mortgage Rescue Fraud Act. The piece appears in the latest ISBA Commercial Banking, Collections, and Bankruptcy newsletter.
What kind of scams? Well, there's the consultant scam, where "for a large upfront fee the distressed property 'consultant' promises to buy time for the consumer and save the home by negotiating deals with their lenders," Franklin writes. These so-called consultants "often take the consumer’s money and fail to perform any services, thus leaving the consumer worse off then before."
The article offers great advice about how to use the Act to help your consumer clients recover from fraud perpetrators. Read it.
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August 14, 2013 |
Practice News
Asked and Answered
By John W. Olmstead, MBA, Ph.D, CMC
Q. I am the managing partner of a 17-attorney law firm in downtown Chicago. We are a litigation boutique firm with a majority of our work in insurance defense. We have been in practice for 7 years. While we grew quickly during the early years - we have reached a plateau and growth has stalled. We are planning our first strategic planning retreat and hope to develop a long-range strategic plan. Do you have any suggestions?
A. Where most planning efforts fall short is in the implementation of the plan. The plan lays on the shelf and collects dust. I suggest that the plan be implemented through the firm's existing management structure, i.e., the managing partner, executive committee, the strategic planning committee, and practice area chairs.
Individual partners should be assigned responsibility and held accountable for the satisfactory implementation of each phase of the plan in accordance with an agreed-upon timetable. This should be done during the planning retreat session.
Status reports should be provided to the other partners in each phase of the plan in order to keep them apprised of the planning activities.
Suggest an online project management system (portal) be used to track progress.