Asked and AnsweredBy John W. Olmstead, MBA, Ph.D, CMCQ. I am the managing partner of an eight attorney firm in Central Illinois. We have five partners and three associates. Over the years we have had problems retaining associates. While we believe we provide adequate feedback to our associates regarding our expectations about their performance, several of my partners believe we can do better. I would appreciate your thoughts and suggestions.A. One of the most frequent complains I hear during interviews with associates in law firms of all sizes is lack of specific detailed feedback, unclear or non-existent expectations concerning their performance and future career progression, and vague informal performance reviews.Here are a few suggestions:1. Institute a system where associates, especially when they are new, have a chance to work with all of the partners in the firm.2. As managing partner solicit feedback from your partners and meet monthly with each associate and discuss their performance during their first two years of employment with the firm.3. Annually conduct formal performance reviews with each associate. Before the review obtain specific feedback from each of the partners and have each partner complete a written review of each associate using the associate performance rating form. Ask each associate to conduct a self-evaluation using the firm's associate performance rating form and then conduct a detailed review with each associate. The review should be detailed and specific and should be developmental with specific goals and timelines established. Document the review in the associate performance rating form.

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Illinois Supreme Court Justice Mary Jane Theis announced on Monday an application process for a vacancy in the Ninth Judicial Subcircuit of Cook County.The vacancy is created by the upcoming retirement of Judge Allen S. Goldberg on September 6. Judge Goldberg has been a Circuit judge in Cook County since 1992.

Under the leadership of Chief Justice Thomas L. Kilbride, the Illinois Supreme Court established the Access to Justice Commission in June 2012 with the goal of removing barriers and increasing the ease of interacting with courts by persons who can’t afford lawyers to represent their interests and needs.