"The definition of income for child support purposes is somewhat murky, but in a recent Illinois Supreme Court decision, In re Marriage of McGrath, 2012 IL 112792, family law practitioners got the final word on whether money regularly withdrawn from savings accounts can be considered income. According to the Illinois Supreme Court, it cannot."So write Marilyn Longwell and Aurelija Juska in the latest ISBA Family Law newsletter. Read their analysis.
ISBA members, sign up to receive The Bar News' biweekly e-newsletter by emailing emailpreferences@isba.org
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July 5, 2012
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July 5, 2012
The ISBA/JTF Law and Leadership Institute's Carbondale program visited St. Louis and the law firm of Husch Blackwell and a corporate office of AT&T on Wednesday, June 27. The Carbondale program is being hosted at the Southern Illinois University School of Law. -
June 27, 2012
A recent flurry of posts on an ISBA discussion group revealed what might be one of the best-kept secrets in Illinois: Where there’s a will, there’s a way to store it without keeping it in your office and assuming the attendant risk and responsibility.Pursuant to statute, the Illinois Secretary of State’s office maintains a “deposit of wills,” in which any Illinois attorney can file a will into archival storage for a fee of $15, writes Adam Lasker in the July Illinois Bar Journal. Find out more.2 comments (Most recent July 2, 2012)
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June 27, 2012 |
Practice News
Asked and AnsweredBy John W. Olmstead, MBA, Ph.D, CMCQ. Our firm is a 42 lawyer firm in downtown Chicago. We have 22 equity partners. Five years ago we decided to allocate a significant portion of our marketing budget to branding the firm. In that regard we cannibalized the marketing budget to the extent that very little was left for individual marketing. Now we have many unhappy campers. Some of the partners are advocating scrapping the firm-level effort and going back to our past practices of "long ranger" individual marketing. What are your thoughts regarding firm branding? Should we continue our efforts in this regard?A. In today's climate it takes both - a firm brand and individual attorney brands. Since I don't have all the details concerning your situation - it is difficult for me to generalize. However, based upon what I am seeing in the competitive landscape I believe that the firm was correct in deciding to invest in enhancing the firm's image and brand. However, personal attorney brands are important as well. I am often advised by law firm clients that they hire the lawyer - not the law firm. While this is only partially true, it bring home the importance of individual branding. Often lawyers think they can push off their business development responsibilities to "the firm" and go back to practicing law. This is simply not the case. Marketing and business development must occur at the firm, practice group and individual lawyer levels. Resources must be allocated to each.
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June 26, 2012 |
Practice News
ISBA President John E. Thies wrote a letter to the editor (below) in response to the Chicago Tribune article last Friday on the difficult legal job market and high debt load facing recent law school graduates. President Thies has made examining the impact of high debt load on the future delivery of legal services a key theme during his presidential year. Dear Editor:As suggested by your Friday article about the grim picture facing law school graduates, these are difficult times for recent law grads and the law schools that gave them their diplomas. The current employment statistics and debt amounts for new lawyers are simply unsustainable. At the Illinois State Bar Association, we place a great priority on making sure that the members of our profession – through a variety of practice settings - can continue to meet the legal needs of the citizens of this state. Especially in difficult economic times, the process of meeting legal needs is frustrated by, among other things, the unhealthy (and costly) zeal with which American law schools race to maximize their respective U.S. News & World Report ranking, sometimes with terrible (and predictable) consequences. We need to focus on lowering the cost of legal education, ensuring that we continue to have bright students interested in obtaining their JDs, and having “practice ready” lawyers from the moment they leave law school.1 comment (Most recent June 29, 2012)
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June 26, 2012 |
CLE
Learn to overcome the challenges of admitting Facebook profile information into evidence with this informative webcast!Join us from the comfort of your home or office at noon on July 17th for this fun and engaging mock evidentiary hearing set around an employment lawsuit in which the defendant is moving for the admission of the plaintiff's Facebook account information to defend against the plaintiff’s breach of employment contract claim. The program opens with a brief overview of the factual and procedural context for the hearing, followed by the speakers serving as plaintiff counsel, witness, expert witness, defense counsel, forensic expert, and judge. The program closes with an analysis of the various challenges in admitting Facebook profiles into evidence. Litigators, employment lawyers, and civil practitioners with advanced practice experience will benefit from this information presented throughout this live webcast.The program ispresented by the ISBA Standing Committee on Legal Technology and qualifies for 1.0 hour MCLE credit.Click here for more information and to register.
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June 26, 2012 |
Member Services
As an ISBA member you are eligible to save up to 20% on the materials you need most with FedEx Office® copy and print services. And now through May 2013 you can save up to 40%.* It’s the perfect time to save big on color copies, posters, signs, banners, direct mail services, and much more.Offer DetailsSave 40%* on core print and copy. Save 30%* on signs & banners and other services. Promotional pricing will expire on May 31, 2013, but you will continue to enjoy savings of 20% on core print and copy and 10% on other services. Standard exclusions apply.** If you are not already enrolled, go to enrolladvantage.fedex.com/4958 and use passcode 4JHFN9, or call 1-800-MEMBERS (1.800.636.2377, 8 a.m.–6 p.m. EST, M-F). Enrollment is free and there are no minimum requirements. If you already participate in the FedEx Advantage®shipping program, simply uncheck the FedEx Express and FedEx Ground shipping options when you begin the enrollment process. Once enrolled, simply present your discount card at FedEx Office locations or enter your 10-digit FedEx Office account number online to take advantage of these savings.If you are already enrolled with a FedEx Office account, you will need to enroll againin order to save up to 40%.* Follow the instructions above and be sure to provide your FedEx Office account number. *Special pricing is in effect for purchases made after 1/1/2012 and may be discontinued at any time without additional notice. Other standard Alliance contract exclusions apply.
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June 26, 2012
Several members of the Illinois State Bar Association’s Committee on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity marched in Chicago’s Pride Parade on June 24 alongside the ISBA’s mobile billboard, featuring a photo of Lincoln the lawyer with a message that reads: “Illinois has a history of some pretty good lawyers. We’re out to keep it that way.” Featuring nearly 200 floats or marching groups, the parade attracted an estimated 850,000 people who turned out to watch everyone from politicians to sequined disco dancers. -
June 25, 2012 |
Events
The Illinois State Bar Association Young Lawyers Division will host a golf outing on Wednesday, Aug. 1 at Cog Hill Golf and Country Club in Lemont.This event will benefit the IBF/YLD Children’s Assistance Fund. The $150 ticket includes golf, cart, concession stand ticket, cocktails, dinner and CLE program. Tickets to attend just the evening dinner are $50 each. Many sponsorship opportunities are available.Deadline to register is 4:30 pm, July 27th. Register at www.isba.org/sections/yld/golf For general inquiries, please contact George Schoenbeck, gschoenbeck@sosinarnold.com, Michael DiNatale, mdinatale@dinatalelaw.com or Jerry Napleton, jerrynapleton@gmail.com
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June 25, 2012 |
Practice News
When elephants fight, the grass trembles. — African Folk SayingFor the past several years, Illinois Attorney General ("IAG"), Lisa Madigan, and the State of Illinois have conducted a campaign against companies that purport to assist distressed homeowners and debtors in dealing with their debt situation.1 The primary weapons in the IAG's arsenal are two statutes: the Mortgage Rescue Fraud Act, 765 ILCS 940/1 et seq. (eff. Jan. 1, 2007) ("MRFA"); and, the Debt Settlement Consumer Protection Act, 225 ILCS 429/1 et seq. (eff. Aug. 3, 2010) ("DSCPA").Caught In The Cross-Fire Lawyers Run Afoul of The Illinois Attorney General Providing Debt Settlement ServicesBy Joseph R. Marconi 2These statutes aim to address the allegation that many of these companies do not provide actual relief to debtors but rather worsen their situation through undeserved and excessive fees (while making fraudulent or misleading claims in the process). Among other restrictions and requirements, the statutes limit fees, including the taking of "up front" fees. See, 765 ILCS 940/50(1); 225 ILCS 429/125(a) and (b).3 The IAG's office is aggressively pursuing actions based on two laws.