The Illinois Supreme Court has appointed Bernard M. Judge of Chicago to serve as a Commissioner of the Attorney Registration & Disciplinary Commission (ARDC). The ARDC is the Supreme Court agency that has administrative authority over more than 90,000 Illinois lawyers and investigates allegations of attorney misconduct. The order of appointment, dated April 12, 2012, is effective immediately.Mr. Judge is a nationally respected newspaper executive who has served in management positions at the Chicago Tribune, the Chicago Sun-Times andthe Chicago Daily Law Bulletin. He began his career as a reporter for the City New Bureau of Chicago in 1965. Soon thereafter, he joined the Tribuneand covered state and federal courts and wrote about state government and politics. He became the Tribune’sCity Editor in 1974 and Assistant Managing Editor in 1979. Two investigative reporting projects he directed as City Editor won the Pulitzer Prize. Mr. Judge served as Editor and General Manager of the City News Bureau in 1983-1984, before he joined the Sun-Times as metropolitan editor and later as associate editor. In 1988, he was hired by the Law Bulletin Publishing Company as editor and vice president of Chicago Daily Law Bulletin, and became the Law Bulletin’s publisher in 2001. He also served as the editor and publisher of the Chicago Lawyer magazine. Mr. Judge retired in July 2007 and, since that time, has been a non-lawyer Hearing Board officer for the ARDC, serving as a trial judge in lawyer disciplinary cases.
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April 13, 2012 |
Practice News
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April 12, 2012 |
Practice News
ISBA Assistant Director of Legislative Affairs Melinda Bentley reviews bills in Springfield of interest to ISBA members. This week she covers three of the 13 rights in the House Joint Resolution Constitutional Amendment 29 (Crime Victim’s Rights) and the House Bill 5434 (Debtors’ Rights Act of 2012). More information on each bill is available below the video.House Joint Resolution Constitutional Amendment 29: Outlines 13 specific rights for crime victims. Three of them are highlighted here:1. The right to refuse to disclose to the defendant information that is privileged or confidential by law, as determined by the court with jurisdiction over the matter;2. The right to be heard at any post-arraignment court proceedings where a right of the victim is at issue, and any court proceeding involving a post-arraignment release decision, plea, or sentencing matter;3. The right to have access to information in a report related to any aspect of the defendant’s sentence when that information is available to the defendant.
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April 12, 2012
The latest ISBA Bench & Bar newsletter features a description of recent supreme court initiatives and rule changes -- e-filing, cameras in the courts, electronic-instead-of-print publishing of official opinions, etc. -- written by someone who should know. Read Justice Karmeier's review.
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April 12, 2012 |
Practice News
The ISBA ethics opinion database is online and organized by year, subject and a general search.ISBA Professional Conduct Advisory Opinion No. 12-09, March 2012Digest: A lawyer not admitted in Illinois may not primarily practice in this state, physically or through a virtual office, even if the co-owner of the law firm is a lawyer, licensed in Illinois, who has direct supervision of the non-admitted lawyer on matters involving Illinois clients.References: Illinois Rules of Professional Conduct 5.5, 7.1, 8.5(a)ABA Report of the Commission on Multijurisdictional Practice (2002)Illinois Supreme Court Rule 721(a)(4)Ohio Sup. Ct., Bd. of Comm’rs on Grievances & Discipline, Opinion 2011-2FactsTwo attorneys wish to establish a law practice owned 50/50 between them. One is licensed only in Illinois, one is licensed only in State X.Both live and primarily work in Illinois. However, the attorney licensed in State X makes frequent visits to State X for networking and to cultivate a client base there. The attorneys agree that the Illinois-licensed attorney will have direct supervision and ultimate authority over matters involving Illinois clients, although the State X-licensed attorney will interact with Illinois clients and dispense legal advice to them from time to time.
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April 12, 2012
The ISBA sponsored a panel on Careers in International and Immigration Law at Southern Illinois University School of Law in Carbodale. Participants included Erin Doyle (moderator), ISBA Board member Prof. Mark E. Wojcik, Prof. Cindy Buys, ISBA Past President Mark D. Hassikas and Section Council Member Tejas Shah
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April 11, 2012 |
Practice News
Asked and AnsweredBy John W. Olmstead, MBA, Ph.D, CMCQ. I am managing director of a 45 attorney firm in Pittsburg. Due to changes in our client industries, shrinking demand and competition from both regional and national law firms, we are starting to work on our first strategic plan. I have been hearing a lot about competitive intelligence. Should this be part of our planning process?A. Competitive intelligence is a popular term being used to describe information gathering (secondary research) on your clients, client industries, prospective or target clients, competitors, geographic markets, emerging practice areas, etc. Its goals are to provide actionable intelligence that provides a competitive edge. It reduces risk and identifies opportunities.All strategic plans should contain a secondary research (competitive intelligence) component. Research objectives might focus on one or all of the following: 1. Identify prospects 2. Spot litigation activity for current and prospective clients 3. Identify emerging litigation issues and trends 4. Improve the quality of your client proposals 5. Identify lateral candidates 6. Identify potential acquisition and merger partners 7. Identify emerging client and industry needs 8. Identify emerging new practice areas 9. Explore expansion into new geographic locationsClick here for articles on other topicsClick here for our archive blog on strategies
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April 10, 2012 |
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 March 2012, ISBA helped people in need of legal services find lawyers in the following areas:Administrative Law - 13Animal Law - 2Bankruptcy - 13Business Law - 7 Civil Disputes - 63Civil Rights - 25Collection - 27Consumer Protection - 8Contracts - 12Criminal Law - 75Education Law - 15Elder law - 7Employment Law - 64Estate/Probate Law - 34Family - 149 Government Benefits - 15Health Law - 8Immigration - 4Insurance Disputes - 8Intellectual Property - 3Miscellaneous - 5 Municipal Law - 7 Personal Injury - 90 Real Estate - 60Social Security - 18 Tax - 3Workers Compensation - 10These numbers do not include additional referrals made through the online Lawyer Finder service.
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April 9, 2012 |
Events
ISBA member Sam Amirante will be signing copies of his book, "John Wayne Gacy: Defending a Monster" on May 10 from 5:30-7 p.m. at Beef and Brandy, 127 S. State in Chicago. This event is sponsored by Phi Alpha Delta law fraternity.Sam, ex Public Defender, retired judge, husband, father, and leader of his own private law firm practice, shares “the story behind the story” at this gathering. Mark your calendars and come after work to join the world’s largest legal fraternity as Sam shares stories with fellow barristers and personalizes an inscription for your very own copy of his book.Many of us have known Sam for years and have enjoyed his wit, perceptions, and conviviality as practicing lawyers. Now his book has achieved national acclaim and great reviews. The book chronicles the efforts by Sam to defend the same rights of every American accused of a crime. He answers the question of "How could you defend that monster?" with candor and honesty, shedding a different insightful light on a lawyer's most difficult duty. Here’s your chance to meet and enjoy the man behind the story and claim your copy of this book.This event is free and no RSVP is required. Questions? Contact Charlie McCarthy at charlie@mccarthy.net or (630) 571-4126
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April 6, 2012 |
ISBA News
Illinois State Bar Association President John G. Locallo lectured a law school class, discussed cameras in the courts with the news media, and toured tornado damage on a visit this week to southern Illinois.Locallo met with Saline County lawyers for lunch in Harrisburg on Wednesday. Harrisburg was hard hit by the “Leap Day tornado” on Feb. 29, that took seven lives and destroyed a significant section of the city. He also took a tour of area storm damage.On Thursday, President Locallo took time to lecture SIU School of Law Dean Cynthia Fountaine’s class on starting and keeping a law practice. He also met other students during a reception hosted by the law school.Click here to watch a television report on President Locallo’s comments on cameras in the courts.
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April 5, 2012 |
Practice News
Wilson v. County of CookBy Michael T. Reagan, The Law Offices of Michael T. ReaganThe circuit and appellate courts had rejected plaintiffs' constitutional challenges to the Cook County ordinance banning assault weapons. While the plaintiffs' petition for leave to appeal was pending in the Illinois Supreme Court, the Supreme Court of the United States filed its decision in McDonald v. City of Chicago, 130 S.Ct. 3020 (2010). The Illinois Supreme Court entered a supervisory order directing the appellate court to vacate its prior judgment and to reconsider the appeal in light of McDonald.