Practice News

Asked and Answered

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

Q. Our firm, a 17 attorney firm in St. Louis, Missouri, is having a major problem with client defections. We practice in the area of insurance defense exclusively. We have lost several insurance company clients and for those that we are working with - our case assignments are dwindling. Do you have any thoughts or suggestions?

Chief Justice Thomas L. Kilbride of the Illinois Supreme Court and Chief Judge Kathy Bradshaw Elliott of the 21st Judicial Circuit announced Friday that news cameras will be allowed in criminal trial courts in Kankakee County under a pilot program approved by the Supreme Court earlier this year. The 21st Circuit becomes the second circuit in Illinois approved by the Court for cameras in the courtroom and will join the 14th Judicial Circuit where extended media coverage has already been implemented under the experimental program.

"I am very pleased that Chief Judge Elliott has applied and has been approved by the Supreme Court to take part in the project," said Chief Justice Kilbride. "I'm informed that the Chief Judge has met with stakeholders in the courtrooms and that they, too, have expressed not only their interest but their enthusiasm for the program.

"The pilot program has been proceeding in the Quad Cities area with the cooperation of the media, judges, courtroom and county personnel for more than a month," said Chief Justice Kilbride."This will be another step to see if we can carefully balance the goals of greater openness and access with the guaranteed rights of defendants and parties to have fair proceedings."

The 21st Circuit is comprised of Kankakee and Iroquois counties, but for now Chief Judge Elliott asked that the experimental program proceed only in the criminal courts in Kankakee County to provide a model before it is expanded to other courtrooms in the circuit.

Asked and Answered

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

Q. Our practice is located in Memphis. We have three attorneys, 3 paralegals, and two staff members. We will generate $1,500,000 in legal fees this year. We plan on growing the firm and hope to break the $2.5 million barrier in three years. We have a very proactive marketing plan and program. What else do we need to think about?

A. Growth will involve more the marketing and getting more clients - particularly a firm your size. To generate this revenue you will have to add several revenue producers which could almost double your size. You will become a different firm. Instead of three attorneys - you may have six or seven unless your growth will occur by adding mostly paralegals. Even so, there will be more people. This will impact your physical facilities and physical plant, your systems, your IT infrastructure, approach to talent management, and how the firm is managed. Growth requires investment and puts strain on cash flow. So this needs to be planned for. If you don't have a strategic plan (see our blog under strategy section) I suggest that you consider developing one. A strategic plan will require you to think beyond the marketing plan and getting clients - and address all of the other issues that will impact the firm as you grow.

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Chief Justice Thomas L. Kilbride and Rock Island County Circuit Clerk Lisa Bierman announced Monday that Rock Island County joins three other Illinois counties in a pilot project to allow e-filing of an electronic trial record on appeal.

The Illinois Supreme Court Order authorized the Illinois Appellate Court in the Third Judicial District to begin a pilot project that will allow attorneys, parties and appellate justices to view, access and work from the official record of cases on appeal from Rock Island County.

Circuit Clerk Bierman said that utilizing the electronic transfer of record in Rock Island County will assist greatly in streamlining the workload in the clerk's office.

"I am very excited as we begin this project together with the Third District Appellate Court," Ms. Bierman said. "Being accepted as a part of this project for electronic transmission of appeals is going to be a way for the Rock Island County Circuit Clerk’s Office to save expenses, improve our time worked on ap-peals and introduce more technology into our office.

"We have always worked together with our Appellate Court and will continue to do so. I thank the Supreme Court Justices for giving us this opportunity."

Rock Island joins Adams County in the Fourth Judicial District along with DuPage and Ogle Counties in the Second Judicial District to electronically transfer and make electronically accessible the official court record of cases on appeal.