Practice News
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September 29, 2010 |
Practice News
The Illinois Supreme Court announced today that Michael C. Jansz received a majority of the votes cast by the circuit judges in the Thirteenth Judicial Circuit and is appointed to the office of associate judge. Mr. Jansz received his undergraduate degree in 1985 from the Loras College in Dubuque, Iowa and his Juris Doctor in 1988 from Northern Illinois University in DeKalb. Mr.Jansz is currently a partner with Herbolsheimer, Lannon, Henson, Duncan & Reagan in Ottawa, Illinois.
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September 29, 2010 |
Practice News
By John W. Olmstead, MBA, Ph.D, CMC For the past five weeks I have been discussing the characteristics of successful law firms and introduced the following basic building blocks that successful firms typically have in place:
- Partner Relations
- Leadership
- Firm Management
- Partner Compensation
- Planning
- Client Service
- Marketing
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September 27, 2010 |
Practice News
The Illinois Supreme Court has approved the Illinois Rules of Evidence in codified form aimed at expediting the trial process and improving the administration of justice in Illinois courts. "The Illinois State Bar Association strongly supported codification of the rules of evidence and welcomes the action of the Supreme Court," said John E. Thies, 2nd Vice President, Illinois State Bar Association. "Codification of evidentiary law from the multiple sources where it now resides will be a significant benefit to the practicing bar, and also a convenience for the judiciary. Legal research should be simpler, and codification may also result in a more unified application of evidentiary rules. We applaud the Court and Chief Justice Fitzgerald for undertaking this important task." Click here to read or print the Rules of Evidence.
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September 24, 2010 |
Practice News
While reading the local newspaper this morning, I read this sentence in a piece about the new Mercedes hybrid car. “Mercedes, [which has focused on strong, fuel-efficient diesel engines to maximize mileage but doesn’t offer a diesel-powered S-Class model in the United States,] is late coming into the hybrid car segment.” The text inside the brackets is a perfect example of what is called an embedded clause. It’s a chunk of text that separates the working parts of the sentence—the noun and verb. You're separating the actor from the action. Readers get lost hacking their way through the embedded clause to understand that Mercedes got in the hybrid market late. Solution? Richard C. Wydick’s recommendation is to take the embedded clause and make it a separate sentence. Is this easier to understand? “Mercedes is late coming into the hybrid car segment. In the past it has focused on strong, fuel-efficient diesel engines to maximize mileage but doesn’t offer a diesel-powered S-Class model in the United States.”
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September 23, 2010 |
Practice News
A panel of leading appellate lawyers reflect on today's Illinois Supreme Court opinions in civil cases West American Insurance v. Yorkville National Bank, Hurlbert v. Charles, Hubble v. Bi-State Development Agency, K. Miller Contruction Company Inc. v. McGinnis and Irwin Industrial Tool Co. v. The Department of Revenue and criminal cases People v. Miller and People v. Clendenin.
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September 22, 2010 |
Practice News
The Illinois Supreme Court has announced the filing of disciplinary orders involving a number of licensed lawyers. Sanctions were imposed because the lawyers engaged in professional misconduct by violating state ethics law. More information on each case is available at the ARDC website.
DISBARRED
- William Charles Chesbrough, Elgin
- Alan Samuel Cohen, St. Louis
- Joseph Patrick Collins, Chicago
- C. Wayne K. Davis, St. Louis
- Kelly Christine Garland, Chicago
- Thaddeus James Hunt, Chicago
- Brainerd William LaTourette III, St. Louis
- James A. Reskin, Louisville, Ky.
- Kenneth Alan Runes, Mount Prospect
- Lawrence Scott Wick, Ft. Walton Beach, Fla.
- Bradford Thomas Yaker, Bingham Farms, Mich.
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September 22, 2010 |
Practice News
The Illinois Supreme Court has appointed Alan D. Tucker as Resident Circuit Judge of Mason County, Eighth Judicial Circuit. Tucker replaces the Hon. Thomas L. Brownfield, who is retiring from judicial service on Oct. 15, 2010. Tucker's appointment is effective Nov. 1, 2010 and terminates on Dec. 6, 2010.
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September 22, 2010 |
Practice News
The first annual National Pro Bono Celebration took place in the fall of 2009. The ABA Standing Committee on Pro Bono and Public Service has scheduled the second annual Pro Bono Week for October 24 through October 30, 2010. The ISBA Standing Committee on Delivery of Legal Services is asking individual lawyers, law schools, and bar associations throughout Illinois to participate in this coordinated, national effort.
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September 22, 2010 |
Practice News
The following tribute to Joseph R. Bartylak appeared in the NLADA Update, Vol. 12, Number 12, September 3, 2010.
Joe Bartylak, long time former executive director of Land of Lincoln Legal Assistance Foundation (LLLAF) and a national leader in the legal services community, died on August 26, 2010. Bartylak led the Project Advocacy Group (merged with NLADA in 1999) in the mid-1980s during tenuous times when the existence of federal funding for legal services was under attack and many legal aid programs were fighting to survive. Joe was essential to the efforts to preserve the Legal Services Corporation from its many hostile attacks during the decade of the 1980's.
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September 22, 2010 |
Practice News
Asked and Answered By John W. Olmstead, MBA, Ph.D, CMC For the past four weeks I have been discussing the characteristics of successful law firms and introduced the following basic building blocks that successful firms typically have in place:
- Partner Relations
- Leadership
- Firm Management
- Partner Compensation
- Planning
- Client Service
- Marketing