Chicago lawyers Alexandra Lee Newman and Yelena Shagall won first place in the 2012 Lincoln Award Legal Writing Contest, sponsored by and open to members of the ISBA Young Lawyers Division. Their article "The 'Cat's Paw' Theory of Employer Liability in the Illinois Federal Courts after Staub v. Proctor Hospital," will appear in the February Illinois Bar Journal.Second place winner was Nicholas P. Cholis of Chicago, who wrote "After Ervin: How Combined Actions Will Impact Wage and Hour Class Litigation in Illinois." Third place went to Anne M. Skrodzki of Burr Ridge for "Voluntary Dismissal in Multi-Count Complaints:  Application of the Hudson Decision Remains Difficult for Courts and Practitioners."The first place winners each received $1,000 (splitting the first place prize of $2,000). The second place prize is $1,000 and the third place winner won $500. Plaques will be presented to all four winners at the ISBA Annual Meeting in June.Twenty-eight manuscripts were submitted in the 2012 contest. The contest judges were Justice Mary W. McDade, Peoria, of the Illinois Appellate Court, Third District; Cook County Judge Mary R. Minella; Professor A. Bryan Endres, Urbana, who teaches agricultural law at the University of Illinois; Brent D. Holmes, a Mattoon lawyer and former IBJ editor-in-chief; and past Lincoln Award winner Travis J. Ketterman, Geneva.

Asked and AnsweredBy John W. Olmstead, MBA, Ph.D, CMCQ. I am an associate in a 6 attorney firm in Cleveland, Ohio. I have been a practicing attorney for four years and have been with my present firm since law school. I am considering starting my own firm. What is your advice for someone like me starting up a practice on a shoestring?A. I receive at least 10 calls a week from attorneys that are in solo practice or are the sole owner of a small law firm with similar concerns and frustrations. However, there tends to be different needs and challenges depending which phase of development the firm is in. Here are a few survival tips for the first phase:Phase I – Solo StartupIn this phase it is all about you. More than likely initially you will not have office staff. If you are a new attorney right out of law school you must learn your trade and develop competencies in lawyering and client service. Your first priority will be to supplement your law school education with nuts and bolts practice skills – and you will have to do it quickly. Since you won’t have a senior partner in your firm to mentor and train you – you will have to reach out to resources outside of your firm. You will not have an accountability partner in your firm. Your second priority will be getting clients. You will have to actively marketing and promote yourself and your practice. Funds may be limited so your largest marketing investment will be your non-billable time devoted to marketing and client development activities. Finally, your third priority will be getting paid by your clients. Self-discipline and exceptional time management and time keeping skills are critical success factors.

“Recent Decisions of the U.S. Supreme Court” will air on Chicago Access Network Television, Channel 21 in Chicago, at 10 p.m. as follows: Part I will air on Tuesday, Jan. 17, and Part II will air on Tuesday, Jan. 24.Appearing on the shows are program moderator John T. Theis, a Chicago lawyer; Cecil J. Hunt II, a professor at The John Marshall Law School; Michele M. Jochner, judicial law clerk to Justice Charles A. Freeman of the Illinois Supreme Court; and Hon. Leonard Murray, an associate judge in the Circuit Court of Cook County.Illinois Law is a cable production of the Illinois State Bar Association and can also be viewed online at iln.isba.org/blog/illinois-law-video.

The Judicial Council of the Seventh Circuit is seeking applicants for a bankruptcy judge position for the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, Western Division headquartered in Rockford. An applicant must also be willing to travel to other courts in the circuit to handle cases as need arises. Interested applicants may obtain an application from the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit website at www.ca7.uscourts.gov.Persons interested in applying for this position should send their applications to: