Asked and Answered  By John W. Olmstead, MBA, Ph.D, CMC Q. I am the owner of a four-attorney estate planning firm in Charleston, West Virginia. I spend the majority of my time managing and developing the business, and very little time servicing clients. This has been intentional as I enjoy the business aspects of the practice more than providing legal services. I conduct comprehensive written and face-to-face performance reviews with my associates annually and in real time as needed. While the performance reviews include a performance rating category for client satisfaction, I have no real way of determining client satisfaction. Do you have any thoughts on how to measure this?

The Illinois Health Care Services Lien Act can complicate situations that involve injured patients, their insurance policies, hospital bills, and settlements. In November’s Illinois Bar Journal, Belleville attorney Daniel C. Katzman, who practices in the areas of personal injury, wrongful death, and medical/nursing home malpractice, provides an analysis of common scenarios involving the Lien Act and strategies for attorneys to pursue their injured client’s best interests. For example, the Lien Act does not require health-care providers to bill health-insurance companies. But providers may do so through a contract known as a provider agreement. The terms of provider agreements are negotiated by the parties and can vary on a case-to-case basis. In a provider agreement, a health-care provider agrees to accept full payment from a health-insurance company for any covered service rendered to the company's insured. While the provider may receive pennies on the dollar in reimbursement, provider agreements benefit both parties in the form of reduced rates in exchange for increased patient volume. When evaluating a health-care provider's obligations, an attorney should examine the provider agreement to determine whether a health-care provider is required to bill the health-insurance company.

The Illinois Supreme Court announced the filing of lawyer disciplinary orders on November 15, 2018. Sanctions were imposed because the lawyers engaged in professional misconduct by violating state ethics law.

Chief Justice Lloyd A. Karmeier and the Illinois Supreme Court announced today the appointments of Illinois judges to the newly formed Supreme Court Committee on Juvenile Courts. The Supreme Court Committee on Juvenile Courts is tasked with reviewing and making recommendations on matters affecting juvenile law and juvenile courts, including child protection and delinquency systems. The committee will review, analyze, and examine the impact of legislation and caselaw as it relates to juvenile law and procedures and any aspect of the juvenile court process.