[caption id="attachment_17174" align="alignright" width="150" caption="Jerold Solovy"][/caption]
Former Jenner & Block chairman Jerold Solovy passed away Wednesday at the age of 80.
Illinois Supreme Court Chief Justice Thomas L. Kilbride issued this statement on Solovy's passing:
“We’ve lost one of the finest lawyers in the history of Illinois. If you say that, where do you stop the accolades.”
Solovy began his career at Jenner in 1955 after graduating from Harvard Law. He became chairman in 1990 and was known for championing pro bono cases.
Solovy also chaired the "Solovy Commission," which cleaned up the Cook County justice system after Operation Greylord.
Read more about it in the Chicago Sun-Times, Chicago Tribune and Crain's Chicago Business. The Tribune also published an article on Solovy's legacy in 2007.
Practice News
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January 19, 2011 |
Practice News
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January 19, 2011 |
Practice News
Asked and Answered By John W. Olmstead, MBA, Ph.D, CMC Q. Our firm is in its second generation. While we are proud that we have been in business for over 60 years we also believe we need to re-examine our practice and embrace changes that may be needed for the firm to move forward and remain competitive. We are a 16 attorney firm located in Wisconsin. We have 12 partners and four associates. A. More and more law firms are re-examining their business models and approaches and running the practice as a business.
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January 14, 2011 |
Practice News
Judges, legislators and workers in the state's Department of Management Services have come under fire in Florida for the new 1st District Court of Appeals Courthouse in Tallahassee. The $50 million courthouse features African mahogany wood, granite countertops on desks and a 60-inch TV in the exercise room. There are also 15 kitchens - one for each judge. Click here to check out the new courthouse.
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January 13, 2011 |
Practice News
Asked and Answered By John W. Olmstead, MBA, Ph.D, CMC Q. Our firm is conducting a planning retreat next month. We have had retreats in past years that have focused on "touchy feely" programs for the attending partners. This year we really want to focus on a strategy and plan for the future. What do you see as primary changes and challenges ahead for law firms and lawyers? A. The internet as well as advances in information technology has and will continue to be the key driver forcing change in the legal marketplace as well as other segments and our daily lives as well. Being the king of the hill or the biggest is not the strategic advantage that it once was. The internet is leveling the playing field in many industries as well as law firms. There are new opportunities and new competitors. Consider the following:
- Everything is being commoditized. More practice areas are moving down the value curve and prices are becoming more price sensitive.
- Disintermediation of traditional delivery channels. The internet provides new access to information and is eliminating the middleman. It is impacting how we shop, bank, conduct business, and pay our credit cards and taxes.
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January 12, 2011 |
Practice News
Your corporate client, LocalCorp, wants to borrow money. The lender needs certain assurances about LocalCorp before making the loan -- assurances supplied by you in the form of an opinion letter to the lender. Opinions provided to someone other than your client -- third-party opinions -- are important grease for the wheels of commerce. But "[l]awyers issuing these opinions encounter the risk of being sued...when fraud or other improper action by a transaction party [e.g., LocalCorp] arises after the transaction closes," writes Anthony J. Jacob in the latest issue of the ISBA's Corporations, Securities & Business Law newsletter. Fortunately, Anthony has prepared a handy checklist of things to consider before issuing a third-party opinion.
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January 12, 2011 |
Member Services | Practice News
Join ISBA members for a group admission at the U.S. Supreme Court on Monday, June 6, 2011. Only 40 out of 50 a few more spots are available so sign up now! For an application for admission, event and hotel reservation form, contact Janet Sosin, jsosin@isba.org, or (800) 678-4009 or (312) 726-8775. Applicants will be placed on the list on a first come basis. A special group rate is available at the Willard InterContinental Hotel for the admittee, family and guests. Planned Events:
- Reception Sunday, June 5, 6:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. at the Willard InterContinental Hotel for admittees and guests
- Group Admission to the U. S. Supreme Court, Monday, June 6
- Continental Breakfast at the U. S. Supreme Court for admittees and guests
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January 12, 2011 |
Practice News
January 12, 2011 The Illinois State Bar Association applauds the General Assembly's action to end the death penalty in Illinois. ISBA supported abolition because application of the death penalty in Illinois has been demonstrated to be flawed. There is no margin for error when imposing the death penalty. We urge Governor Quinn to sign the abolition bill into law. Mark D. Hassakis, President Illinois State Bar Association
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January 12, 2011 |
Practice News
The Illinois Supreme Court announced Tuesday that Thomas E. Griffith, Jr., an attorney for 25 years, has been appointed a circuit judge in the Sixth Judicial Circuit. Mr. Griffith was appointed to fill the Circuit Court vacancy created by the November 3, 2010 retirement of Judge Theodore E. Paine. The appointment is effective February 4, 2011 and will expire December 3, 2012. Justice Rita B. Garman recommended the appointment of Mr. Griffith after a review process by a special citizen screening committee. The committee unanimously recommended Mr. Griffith to fill the at-large circuit court vacancy. Mr. Griffith graduated cum laude from Millikin University with a B.A. degree in History. He received his juris doctor degree from Tulsa University Law School in 1985. Before his appointment to the bench, Mr. Griffith worked for 23 years as a partner with the law firm of Erickson, Davis, Murphy, Johnson, Griffith & Walsh, Ltd. in Decatur. From 1985 to 1987, Mr. Griffith served as Macon County assistant state’s attorney. He has been a member of the Capital Litigation Trial Bar since September 2002. A resident of Decatur, Mr. Griffith is married with four children. The Sixth Judicial Circuit is comprised of six counties: Champaign, DeWitt, Douglas, Macon, Moultrie and Piatt.
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January 11, 2011 |
Practice News
The full Illinois Senate passed a ban on the death penalty today on a vote of 32-25. It now heads to Gov. Quinn's desk. The measure passed the Senate Judiciary Committee 7-4 earlier today. It passed the House last week. Read more in the Chicago Tribune and Springfield State Journal-Register
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January 7, 2011 |
Practice News
U.S. Senator Dick Durbin today announced the formation of a bipartisan screening committee to assist in selecting Federal District Court Judges for the Northern District of Illinois. There are currently three vacant judgeships in the Northern District, and the immediate task of the screening committee is to review applications and make recommendations to Durbin for filling current and future vacancies. Applications for these positions are available on Senator Durbin’s website. The deadline for submission of completed applications is Monday, Jan. 31. The screening committee will be comprised of 10 distinguished Illinoisans drawn from various aspects of the legal profession including former judges, prominent litigators, bar association leaders, and former prosecutors and defenders. Dick Devine, former Cook County State’s Attorney and current partner at the law firm of Meckler Bulger Tilson Marick & Pearson LLP, will chair the committee. (A complete list and short bios of all panel members is included below.) “Making recommendations to the White House on judicial nominees is one of the most important jobs I have as a U.S. Senator, and I am particularly pleased that these outstanding Illinoisans have agreed to advise me in selecting the best possible candidates to recommend to President Obama,” said Durbin.
