I was reviewing my notes from Stephen King’s On Writing that I wanted to share with you. I recently read On Writing and found that I liked King and that he really cares about his craft. (Not that anyone who sells millions of books needs my approval.) Some random advice from On Writing that might be helpful to you. (You can buy this book new for under $10.)
“I’m convinced that fear is at the root of most bad writing.”
“Timid writers like the passive voice because it is safe. They also think it sounds authoritative.” Hmm… why write, “I have a dream” when you can write, “A dream was had by me”?
“I believe that the road to hell is paved with adverbs.” His analogy is that adverbs are like dandelions—a few are nice but not an entire field of them.
Practice News
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December 30, 2009 |
Practice News
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December 30, 2009 |
Practice News
Asked and Answered By John W. Olmstead, MBA, Ph.D, CMC
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December 29, 2009 |
Practice News
"Like you, I’ve been hearing about RSS feeds and seeing the little RSS icon (looks kind of like a satellite signal) for several years but never took the time figure out exactly what they are or what they can do," Trent Bush writes in the latest ISBA Standing Committee on Legal Technology newsletter. "However, I recently dove in and have added several feeds to my MyYahoo homepage and I am now a huge fan. In this article, I’ll give you an introduction to RSS feeds and explain how easy they are to use." Read more.
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December 29, 2009 |
Practice News
[caption id="attachment_6908" align="alignright" width="150" caption="Terrence J. Lavin"][/caption] The Illinois Supreme Court has named ISBA Past President Terrence J. Lavin to fill an interim vacancy on the 1st District Appellate Court, effective Feb. 1, 2010. The vacancy will be created by the retirement of Justice John P. Tully on Dec. 31. "I'm obviously delighted," Lavin said. "It's something I've always wanted and never thought would present itself." Lavin earned a degree in journalism in 1977 from the University of Illinois and his law degree from Chicago-Kent College of Law in 1983. He clerked at Corboy & Demetrio during law school and started his own practice in 1992 - which he has with some regret begun to wind down. "I just had a meeting with a client and had to tell her she'll need to find another lawyer," he said. "I will miss not being there to fight for her and for the others I represent." Lavin's appointment runs through Dec. 3, 2012. "I look forward to having the opportunity to learn more about the law," Lavin said. "We practice in such specialized areas and I have practiced in such a specialized area. This will keep the brain exercised. I look forward to putting on the robe and going to the other side of the bench."
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December 29, 2009 |
Practice News
Did you know that you can print up to 20 cases at a time? 1. Add documents to your print queue. Add documents to your print queue one of two ways. From the results page: Each case on your results list has a Print Queue icon to the left of the screen. The Print Queue icon looks like a printer with a plus sign on it. Click on the Print Queue icon to add a case to your queue. When the case has been added, the plus sign on the icon will turn into a minus sign. While browsing a case: Click on the Add to My Print Queue link at the top right of the screen. 2. Review your queue. To review your print queue, select View Print Queue from the Print menu. To remove the case from your print queue, click on the icon again. 3. Print. Once you have made your formatting selections, click the Print/Save button. The cases listed on your print queue will begin downloading as a single document on your computer. Open the file using the appropriate program (e.g. MS Word, Adobe Acrobat, Word Perfect) and then print the document by selecting Print from the File menu. Questions? Call us at 1-866-773-2782 (7AM-7PM Central Mon-Fri) or e-mail support@fastcase.com.
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December 28, 2009 |
Practice News
Struggling to stay on top of the new Illinois criminal, juvenile, and traffic laws? Steve Baker put together a very helpful summary of house bills from the 96th General Assembly for the latest ISBA Criminal Justice newsletter, complete with Steve's comments and organized by bill number.
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December 28, 2009 |
Practice News
I’m not sure if there is any huge difference as long as you are consistent. The Associated Press Stylebook recommends that you should spell out one through nine and use numerals for 10 and above. Garner’s Redbook recommends that you should spell out one through ten and use numerals for 11 and above. One exception is to spell out the first word in a sentence.
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December 28, 2009 |
Practice News
[caption id="attachment_6868" align="alignright" width="240" caption="Mick Henderson"][/caption] The Illinois Supreme Court has appointed R. Michael ("Mick") Henderson to serve as a Vice-Chairperson of the Attorney Registration & Disciplinary Commission (ARDC). His appointment is effective on January 1, 2010. Mr. Henderson is of counsel to the firm of Quinn, Johnston, Henderson, Pretorius & Cerulo, located in Peoria and Springfield. He is a well-respected trial and appellate lawyer who defends product liability claims (including automotive, aviation, agricultural, consumer and industrial issues), professional negligence matters (including physician and attorney malpractice), and defamation actions. He also handles commercial and business litigation cases. Mr. Henderson's appointment marks the first time in ARDC history that the Court has appointed a Vice-Chairperson. He has long served the ARDC with distinction, first being appointed a Commissioner on January 1, 2003, to complete the term of the Honorable Tobias G. Barry. The ARDC is composed of seven members, three of whom are non-lawyers. Attorney Benedict Schwarz II of West Dundee is the Commission Chairperson. Speaking of the appointment of Mr. Henderson as Vice Chairman, Mr. Schwarz noted: Mick has contributed much to the public and to the legal profession through his experience with the Illinois State Bar Association and the Clients' Security Fund. His sage and thoughtful advice is always appreciated by the Commissioners and he is highly regarded throughout the state. Mr. Henderson is a Past President of the Peoria County Bar Association, a Past-President of the Illinois Association of Defense Trial Counsel, a member of the Illinois State Bar Association Board of Governors from 1988 to 1994, a former Secretary of the Illinois State Bar Association, a member of the Illinois Bar Foundation Board of Directors for several years, and the President of the Lawyers Trust Fund of Illinois from 1997 to 1999. He served as the Chair of the Illinois Coalition for Equal Justice in 2004-05. Mr. Henderson was inducted as a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers in 1998. He is a member of the American Bar Foundation, the Society of Trial Lawyers, the American College of Barristers, the Defense Research Institute, the Abraham Lincoln American Inn of Court and the International Association of Defense Counsel. In 2002, he received the Fellows Award for Distinguished Service to Law and Society from the Illinois Bar Foundation. Mr. Henderson received his undergraduate degree from the University of Illinois and earned his Juris Doctor from the Loyola University School of Law in Chicago.
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December 28, 2009 |
Practice News
[caption id="attachment_6863" align="alignright" width="200" caption="James Mendillo"][/caption] The Illinois Supreme Court has appointed James R. Mendillo of Belleville to serve as a Commissioner of the Attorney Registration & Disciplinary Commission (ARDC). The ARDC is the Supreme Court agency that investigates allegations of lawyer wrongdoing in Illinois. His appointment is effective on January 1, 2010. Mr. Mendillo is a partner in the Belleville firm of Freeark, Harvey, Mendillo, Dennis, Wuller, Cain & Murphy, PC. He is licensed to practice law in both Illinois and Missouri. A trial attorney, Mr. Mendillo has substantial experience in the following types of cases: automobile; employment discrimination; construction accidents; insurance and bad faith; products liability; railroad grade crossings; Fair Credit Reporting Act; legal, dental, and medical malpractice; federal tort claims; and domestic relations. He represents both plaintiffs and defendants. A past President of the St. Clair County Bar Association, he is also a member of the Bar Association of Metropolitan St. Louis, the St. Clair County and Illinois State Bar Associations, the Missouri Bar Association, the Illinois and American Trial Lawyer Associations. He is AV rated by Martindale-Hubbell and is a listed mediator with U.S.A.& M. in St. Louis, Missouri. The new Commissioner earned his undergraduate degree from the University of New Haven and received a Juris Doctor from the Washington University Law School. He was a note editor of the Washington University Law Quarterly. After his admission to the bar, he was a staff law clerk under Chief Judges Marion Mathis and William Webster in the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit before joining his current law firm in 1974.
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December 28, 2009 |
Practice News
Cynthia Cobbs, Director of the Administrative Office of the Illinois Courts, has announced that the Third Judicial Circuit Judges voted to select Dean E. Sweet as an associate judge of the Third Judicial Circuit. Mr. Sweet received his undergraduate degree in 1973 from Eastern Illinois University and his Juris Doctor in 1976 from St. Louis University. Mr. Sweet is currently engaged in solo practice in Wood River.
