Illinois Supreme Court Justice Thomas L. Kilbride has announced an application process for appointment to an upcoming Circuit Court vacancy in the Ninth Judicial Circuit.The vacancy will be created by Circuit Judge Steven R. Bordner's retirement, which takes effect August 20, 2015. Judge Bordner has been a judge since 1995 and has served in each of the six counties of the Ninth Circuit. He is currently assigned to the Fulton County Courthouse in Lewistown.

In addition to the comprehensive family-law overhaul embodied in SB 57, the General Assembly also passed and sent to the governor HB 1531, a rewrite of the Parentage Act of 1984. The new Parentage Act of 2015 brings Illinois law in line with cultural and family-dynamic changes over the last 30 year. In particular, the language of the current Act is not gender-neutral and may be unconstitutional now that Illinois recognizes same-sex marriage. As with SB 57, the governor has not yet acted on the bill.According to Oak Brook family law attorney Margaret Bennett, the Parentage Act of 2015 is a "two parent" statute that extends equal rights and responsibilities to both parents, regardless of gender. It also guarantees the right of every child to the physical, mental, emotional, and financial support of his or her parents. Making the statute gender-neutral fulfils the requirements of the Equal Protection Clause of the Illinois Constitution, Bennett says.

Asked and AnsweredBy John W. Olmstead, MBA, Ph.D, CMCQ. I have a quick question on a recent column of yours that appeared on last week's blog and in an ISBA email.You refer to the following:“One to one and a half times the owner's average earnings for the past five years is typical." Does this mean the total firm revenues or the amount the owner attorney received as income? I thought I have seen that multiplier to be on total firm revenue.

The United States Attorney for the Central District of Illinois is currently seeking qualified applicants for a position as Assistant United States Attorney (AUSA) in the Criminal/Appellate Division for our Peoria, IL location, which is one of four branch offices in the district. AUSAs in the Criminal Division supervise the investigation of and prosecute federal offenses involving among other things, financial fraud, hate crimes, identity theft, economic crimes, firearms trafficking, counterfeiting, program fraud, immigration violations, drug trafficking, violent crimes, domestic terrorism, bank robbery, human trafficking, child exploitation, transportation of stolen goods, prisoner litigation and public corruption.This position will also have a focus on appellate work. The duties of this position will also include handling all aspects of appeals before the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals, including writing appellate briefs and, arguing cases.