(L-R) Shira Truitt, The Truitt Law Firm, LLC; Carol Jones, Jill M. Metz & Associates; ISBA Board of Governors Member Ava George Stewart; ISBA Third Vice President Anna Krolikowska; Masah SamForay, The Foray Firm; and Annemarie Kill, Avery | Kill, LLC. Several ISBA leaders recently attended a CLE event focused on personal branding for female attorneys. "Advancing Your Firm: Personal Branding for the Female Lawyer" was held Nov. 1 at the ISBA Regional Office in Chicago. The half-day seminar detailed traditional and modern business branding and ethical marketing strategies for reaching diverse populations. 

Discover how to find, utilize, and confront expert witnesses during your next case. Expert witnesses play a valuable role by offering unbiased evidence that helps prove something important to the case. Regardless of their expert knowledge and independent opinions, though, they are oftentimes discredited as an expert or shown that their opinion is not without bias by opposing counsel. Civil litigators, workers’ compensation lawyers, and administrative law attorneys – and any other practice areas where retained experts are required or encountered – with all levels of practice experience who attend this seminar on Dec. 12 will better understand: how to find an expert for your next case; how to prepare your expert for trial; how to present your expert for the deposition or direct examination; and how to confront the opposing counsel’s witness during the cross-examination.

At the Dec. 8 meeting of the ISBA Assembly, four at-large delegates to the ABA House of Delegates will be elected, two from Cook County and two from outside Cook County. The nominees for these positions must be members of the ISBA in good standing from the appropriate area. The elected delegates will serve for two-year terms commencing June 2019 at the close of the ISBA Annual Meeting. The delegates will join the ISBA delegation in August 2019 at the ABA Annual Meeting in San Francisco. Nominations must be made in writing by at least 20 ISBA members in good standing from the appropriate area.  Nominations must be filed with the office of the Executive Director not later than Monday, Nov. 19. 

The Illinois Supreme Court handed down one opinion on Thursday, Nov. 1. The supreme court upheld the dismissal of a man’s post-conviction petition in an armed robbery case. People v. Dupree By Kerry J. Bryson, Office of the State Appellate Defender Torrence DuPree was charged with, and convicted of, two counts of armed robbery for an incident in 2010. Evidence at trial was that two men drove to an apartment complex to sell marijuana to a third. During the transaction, a hooded man approached the seller’s vehicle, displayed a weapon, and took money and a backpack. No physical evidence linked DuPree to the offense, but the prosepective marijuana purchaser identified him as the offender. Also, one of the vehicle’s occupants identified DuPree in a photo array, stating that he was 70 percent certain of the identification. That witness also described the offender as being at least 6 feet tall, but DuPree was only 5 feet, 8 inches tall. The vehicle’s driver did not testify at trial.