"Veterans Court" and "Military Legal Rights" aired on Illinois Law in May and June. Appearing on these programs were moderator Nancy McKenna and panelists Jason Vail, Frand Grenard, Mark Kammerer and the Hon. Lawrence Flood.
"Veterans Court"
"Military Legal Rights"
The Supreme Court of Illinois has announced the disbarment of two lawyers and the suspension of 14 others in the filing of lawyer disciplinary orders entered this morning. Sanctions were imposed because the lawyers engaged in professional misconduct by violating state ethics law. All information is provided by the Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission.
ISBA Director of Legislative Affairs Jim Covington reviews bills in Springfield of interest to ISBA members. This week he covers House Bill 5434 (Post-judgement collection of debts), House Bill 3972 (Cell phones and driving), House Bill 3636 (Mechanics' Lien Act), House Bill 5823 (Health Care Services Lien Act). More information on each bill is available below the video.
Asked and Answered
By John W. Olmstead, MBA, Ph.D, CMC
Q. Four years ago our 45 attorney firm developed and launched a strategic business plan. While we have implemented a few action items and achieved a few goals - overall our success has been dismal. What can we do to improve our success?
The General Assembly is grappling with a $2.7 billion Medicaid funding gap in the as of yet unpublished "SMART" bill. One of the pieces in it may be a reversal of the Medicaid eligibility rules in the compromise last fall between the Department of Healthcare and Family Services' and the Joint Committee on Administrative Rules. An excellent and comprehensive summary of that compromise may be found here in the January 2012 Illinois Bar Journal (by Diana Law and William Siebers). Some of these changes may include the following: (1) A home held in a trust, even an individual’s personal revocable living trust, shall no longer be considered homestead property. (2) People over the age of 65 can no longer participate in a federally created OBRA Pooled Trust. (3) A healthy spouse still living at home will receive only the minimum resource allowance instead of the maximum allowance as previously approved by JCAR. Whatever action the General Assembly may take on this issue will occur in the next ten days, and we'll try to keep you informed to the extent we can.
Justice Rita B. Garman of the Supreme Court of Illinois has begun an application process for a Circuit Court vacancy in the Sixth Judicial Circuit. The vacancy will be created by the retirement of Judge John P. Shonkwiler on July 31, 2012. Judge Shonkwiler has been a resident circuit judge since 1974.
Under the Illinois Constitution, judicial vacancies are filled by Supreme Court appointment. The application process will lead to final Court approval. The applicants will undergo an evaluation and screening process.
Notice of the vacancy has been posted in courthouses throughout the Circuit. The application form and instructions may be obtained by visiting the Illinois Supreme Court’s website at www.state.il.us/court and follow the instructions on the “Latest News” scroller announcing the Sixth Judicial Circuit vacancy. Original applications must be submitted via mail to:
No electronic or facsimile applications will be accepted.
Deadline for submission of applications is Tuesday, June 12, 2012. The person appointed to fill the vacancy will serve until the position is filled by election in November, 2014. To be eligible for consideration for appointment, the applicant must be a lawyer licensed to practice law in Illinois.
The Sixth Judicial Circuit is comprised of Champaign, DeWitt, Douglas, Macon, Moultrie and Piatt counties.
In today's competitive environment, you need tech tools to help youincrease your bottom line, serve clients better, and reduce your risk of malpractice or ethics missteps.The ISBA has developed partnerships with tech vendors in key areas to help you make wise choices and, in many cases, provide you with discounted services.
Visit ISBA's PracticeTech Resources page to learn more about these essential practice-management tech tools. Our current line-up includes:
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Practice management softwareto help you track time and billing, manage documents, avoid conflicts, meet make-or-break deadlines, and more, all at a price you can afford. Clio is a 100% web-based practice management system designed specifically for solo and small firm attorneys. ISBA members receive a 10% lifetime discount on their Clio subscriptions, a free 30-day trial, free data migrations, unlimited access to Clio’s live customer support, and unlimited access to live and recorded training.
www.corevault.com/isba (1-866-981-5946)
The blogosphere is full of information about discovery practices – particularly e-discovery. However, none is more creative and inspired than a piece authored by Mark Herrmann, Vice President and Chief Counsel-Litigation at Aon, and posted at Above the Law, Inside Straight: Why Are Elections Like E-Discovery?
With a more straightforward bent is the article by James Grosee and posted at Lawyerist.com surveying recent decisions determining the discoverability of Facebook posts, warning in the title: Private Facebook Pages May Be Discoverable.
One of the best sources of academic information these days is SSRN, Social Studies Research Network. A number of professors, including law professors, post their academic articles at this cooperative resource site. One such article, dealing with discovery issues is When Staying Discovery Stays Justice: Analyzing Motions to Stay Discovery When a Motion to Dismiss is Pending, by Professor Kevin Lynch, which appears in the Wake Forest Law Review. It is also referenced at Civil Procedure and Federal Courts Blog, one of the many helpful web pages in the Law Professors Blog Network.
ISBA Director of Legislative Affairs Jim Covington reviews bills in Springfield of interest to ISBA members. This week he covers Senate Bill 2894 (Probate fees), Senate Bill 2569 (Child support and dissipaation of assets), House Bill 4081 (One-party consent wiretapping), Senate Bill 3792 (Mechanics Lien Act) and Senate Bill 3823 (Sanctions for visitation violations). More information on each bill is available below the video.
Harold G. Belsheim, II, 63, of O'Fallon, Ill., born July 4, 1948, in Fort Dodge, Iowa, passed away peacefully on Monday, April 9, 2012, at his home in O'Fallon.
Mr. Belsheim was a partner in the law firm of Belsheim & Bruckert, L.L.C., O'Fallon, Ill.
He earned a bachelor of arts degree from Concordia College in Fort Wayne, Ind., an MBA from Washington University in St. Louis, Mo., and his Juris Doctor (J.D.) from Washington University School of Law in St. Louis, Mo. He had been practicing law in Missouri and Southwestern Illinois for more than 30 years. Mr. Belsheim practiced specifically in the areas of municipal law, real estate law, large-tract commercial development, and business law.
Mr. Belsheim was a member of the Illinois State Bar Association, Missouri Bar Association, St. Clair County and St. Louis Metropolitan Bar Associations, Illinois Municipal League, the Illinois Tax Increment Association, and the Southwestern Illinois Council of Mayors.
Mr. Belsheim also served on the Board of Trustees at McKendree University, Lebanon, Ill. He was a former alderman for the City of O'Fallon, vice chair of the St. Clair County GOP, and a Republican precinct committeeman for Precinct 16 in St. Clair County, Ill.
While his work was very important to him and brought him much satisfaction, spending time with his wife and family was paramount. He enjoyed hiking, biking, golfing, and being outdoors. He was a private pilot and spent many hours in the skies. His faith in Jesus Christ was strong and unwavering.