ISBA members can choose from a range of programs including life, major medical, dental, vision, catastrophe major medical, long term care, and disability insurance programs administered by Mercer Health & Benefits Administration LLC.ISBA Health Insurance options are available for individuals and small groups, including PPO's and HSA Qualified Medical Plans from well-respected carriers such as Blue Cross / Blue Shield, Humana, Unicare, Celtic and others. For more information, contact Mercer at (800)-321-1998 or for online quotes visit http://isba.healthinsurance.comFor information on a plan other than medical insurance, contact Mercer at (800)-503-9230 or on the web at http://www.personal-plans.com/isbaNEW! Members can enroll for health insurance under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) through GetInsured, powered by Mercer Marketplace*. Explore ACA-compliant plans in your area with the company that administers public health insurance exchanges. Compare available plans confidently and conveniently in minutes to secure a solution that strikes the best balance between coverage and affordability. ISBA members pay no additional cost to take advantage of this service.Specify what you need in health care coverage and receive a list of all plans that are scored for: overall suitability, monthly cost, estimated out-of-pocket expense (deductibles/copays), which services are covered, and which doctors participate.
ISBA members, sign up to receive The Bar News' biweekly e-newsletter by emailing emailpreferences@isba.org
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December 3, 2014 |
ISBA News | Member Services
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December 3, 2014 |
Events | ISBA News
Bringing the Courtroom to the ClassroomThis innovative program is designed to bring civics education about the legal system and courts in Illinois to students throughout the State.Judges and lawyers are now being invited to make presentations together. Complimentary training of 45-60 minutes is required and will next be provided and videotaped on Thursday, December 11, 2014, at 3 p.m. at the Chicago Regional Office of the ISBA, at 20 S. Clark Street, 9th Floor, Chicago, Illinois, by Judges Clare McWilliams, Eileen O'Neill Burke, and Mike Chmiel.Space is limited – to reserve a spot, please email kfurr@isba.org.
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December 3, 2014 |
Practice News
Asked and AnsweredBy John W. Olmstead, MBA, Ph.D, CMCQ. I am the managing partner of a nine-attorney firm in Cincinnati. We have four equity partners and five associates. Partners are compensated on the basis of their ownership shares which are currently 25% each. In the past the system worked well - but now we are having problems. The two senior partners are working and contributing less and are taking out half of the compensation which is causing dissatisfaction and division within the firm. We have been discussing alternative approaches. Should we consider a system total focused on individual partner performance and production - an eat-what-you kill if you will?A. I agree that personal production and performance should have a relationship and a tie to compensation. However, a move to a total eat-what-you-kill system might be a drastic first-step move. Eat-what-you-kill approaches can often destroy teamwork in firms that desire to be team-based firms. For firms that want to be lone ranger firms eat-what-you-kill is fine.
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December 2, 2014 |
CLE
Join us in Chicago on December 12, 2014 as Carole Levitt and Mark Rosch – two internationally recognized Internet trainers and authors of seven American Bar Association Law Practice Division books – shows us how to practice on a budget! Attorneys with all levels of practice experience who attend this program will better understand: how to jumpstart your legal research by using free and low cost online resources and Fastcase; what the ISBA Fastcase plan includes and how to use it; how two new federal government websites can help you conduct your legal research while staying on budget; how to start running your office on a budget by using Google’s Cloud Gmail and Calendar Business apps, share your calendar, and make phone calls free of charge and how ethics affects the way you practice in the Cloud; and much more! This Master Series seminar qualifies for 3.0 hours MCLE credit, including 3.0 hours Professional Responsibility MCLE credit (subject to approval).Click here for more information and to register.
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December 2, 2014 |
ISBA News | Member Services
The Illinois State Bar Association’s Lawyer Finder Service provides referrals to local lawyers Mondays through Fridays. The Service makes referrals in a number of areas of law. For the month of November 2014, ISBA helped people in need of legal services find lawyers in the following areas:Here are the results for November 2014:783 phone referrals made by Lawyer Finder staffMost requested areas of law: Family (139), Criminal Law (119), Civil Disputes (85), Real Estate (76), Personal Injury (72), Employment Law (53) and Civil Rights (42).18,278 visits to IllinoisLawyerFinder.com (16,419 unique visitors)Want to be part of the ISBA Lawyer Finder Service? Call (800) 252-8908 and ask for the Legal Department, or visit www.illinoislawyerfinder.comClients should call (800) 922-8757.
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December 2, 2014 |
Events | ISBA News
Please join us at the ISBA/YLD Annual Holiday Party and show your support for the IBF/ YLD Children's Assistance Fund, a 501(c)(3) charitable entity. Initially created to assist with the opening of children's waiting rooms in courthouses across the State of Illinois, the IBF/YLD Children's Assistance Fund has since grown, and now provides funding to organizations across the State of Illinois that provide legal assistance to children, maintain children's waiting rooms in courthouses, work to reduce recidivism of juveniles, and/or work to reduce the incidents of domestic violence in families with children.WHEN: Friday, December 5, 2014, 6 p.m.-10 p.m.WHERE: Duffy's Tavern and Grille, 420½ W. Diversey, Chicago, IllinoisWHAT: Open Bar, Warm Appetizers, and Live Band!COST: $50 per person for tickets purchased at the door the evening of the event.
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December 2, 2014 |
Practice News | ISBA News
By E. Alex Espinoza, Equal Justice Works/AmeriCorps, Veterans Legal Corps - Legal Fellow, U.S. Army Reserve Each Veteran’s Day, our nation pauses to thank our 19.6 million living veterans. As an Iraq War veteran, I can attest to the awkwardness of responding to “thank you for your service.” At best, veterans don’t know how to respond. A response of “you’re welcome” seems too self-serving. At worst, “thank you for your service” is considered only lip service; a required response similar to “gesundheit” or “bless you” after a sneeze.1 comment (Most recent December 4, 2014)
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December 2, 2014 |
ISBA News
By Umberto S. Davi, ISBA President-ElectLooking for a chance to lead? To grow? To make a difference in the Illinois State Bar Association and the legal profession? Then consider nominating yourself for one of our many section councils and committees for 2015-16.As president-elect, it's my privilege to make appointments to section councils and committees for the coming fiscal year. These small but influential groups are the lifeblood of the ISBA. They produce newsletters and CLE programs, propose legislation, and help ISBA serve its members in countless ways.
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December 1, 2014 |
Practice News
Michael J. Tardy, Director of the Administrative Office of the Illinois Courts, announced today that the Twelfth Judicial Circuit judges voted to select Jessica Colon-Sayre as an associate judge of the Twelfth Judicial Circuit.Ms. Colon-Sayre received her undergraduate degree in 1996 from DePaul University in Chicago, Illinois, and her Juris Doctor in 2001 from The John Marshall Law School in Chicago. Ms. Colon-Sayre is currently affiliated with the Will County State's Attorney's Office in Joliet.
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December 1, 2014 |
ISBA News | Events
Join judges and lawyers from across the state to conduct the business of the bench and bar and celebrate professional achievements. Highlights include an Opening Reception, a luncheon presentation by Attorney General of the United States Eric H. Holder, Jr., and an evening celebration honoring the Justices of the Supreme Court of Illinois. Additional programs and business meetings will be held throughout the conference. All this camaraderie takes place at the Sheraton Chicago Hotel & Towers, steps away from the holiday pageantry Chicago offers during this time of year. Advance registration ends Dec. 5. Find out more and register at www.isba.org/jointmeeting