Behind the Curtain

Posted on April 1, 2024 by Celeste Antoinette Niemann

 Log onto ISBA Central and search for “banks” and “POA.” Results will be populated with many discussions of attorneys who are problem-solving a bank’s rejection of a client’s power of attorney. As noted in the Illinois Bar Journal’s April cover story, “Behind the Curtain,” one prevailing theme of these discussions is that solving this problem is harder than it should be. In response to these and other conversations, the ISBA’s Trusts and Estates Section sponsored a CLE program last November to tackle the sometimes-fraught relationship between clients who want to protect and manage the assets of loved ones and banks standing in the way.

Navigating Restrictions and Transparency Requirements of Foreign Investments in U.S. Land - Part 1

ISBA Members: Use your 15 hours of Free CLE credits to order this program –
just use the green button next to the “Add to Cart” button below!
Presented by the ISBA International & Immigration Law Section
Co-Sponsored by the ISBA Agricultural Law Section and ISBA Real Estate Law Section


1.0 hour MCLE credit


Original Program Date: Wednesday, March 27, 2024
Accreditation Expiration Date: ­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­April 10, 2026 (You must certify completion and save your certificate before this date to get MCLE credit)


According to the Agricultural Foreign Investment Disclosure Act, nearly 41 million acres of land is own (partially or fully) by foreign entitles. Current federal law does not regulate this land aside from requiring foreign buyers to register with the USDA. Don’t miss this in-depth discussion on the federal and state rules regulating foreign ownership of U.S. land, including the reporting requirements of foreign investments in U.S. businesses and agriculture. Real estate lawyers, agricultural law attorneys, business advice and financial planning practitioners, and international/immigration counsel with intermediate practice experience who attend this online seminar will better understand:
  • Illinois reporting requirements for foreign-owned land;
  • The Illinois legislative proposals seeking to restrict foreign investments in land located within the state;
  • Which surrounding states currently restrict foreign investments in land; and
  • The Corporate Transparency Act reporting requirements for certain foreign entities.

Program Coordinator/Moderator:
Angela Peters, Buffalo Grove Law Offices, Arlington Heights

Program Speaker:
Harrison Pittman, Director, National Agricultural Law Center (NALC), Arkansas


Pricing Information

  • Please Note: You must attend the entire program in order to earn MCLE credit for this seminar.
  • ISBA sponsoring section members get a $10 registration discount (which is automatically calculated in your cart when you log in to register).
  • Fees:
    • ISBA Member Price of $35 is displayed below when you login and program is eligible for Free CLE member benefit.
    • Non-Member Price $70
    • New Attorney Member (within the first five years of practice) - $25
    • Law Students – Free

Making Word Work for You: Default Settings and Customizations

ISBA Members: Use your 15 hours of Free CLE credits to order this program –
just use the green button next to the “Add to Cart” button below!
ISBA’s Practice Toolbox Series
Presented by the Illinois State Bar Association


1.0 hour MCLE credit, including 1.0 hour Professional Responsibility MCLE credit in the following category: Professionalism, Civility, Legal Ethics, or Sexual Harassment Prevention credit


Original Program Date: Tuesday, March 26, 2024
Accreditation Expiration Date: ­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­April 15, 2026 (You must certify completion and save your certificate before this date to get MCLE credit)


Is Microsoft Word causing unnecessary stress and frustration? Learn how to conquer everything from fixing your default settings and customizing the interface to de-corrupting documents in this highly applicable course!


Program Speaker:
Will McCoy, Affinity Consulting Group
About the Speaker: Will works in the document automation department at Affinity and helps clients automate complex documents using HotDocs Advance. Will also provides support and training in Microsoft Word. Will graduated from Grove City College with a degree in mathematics and concentration in actuarial science before earning his law degree from The Ohio State University. He gained experience in litigation, real estate, estate planning, and probate law before joining Affinity to focus on his passion for using technology to make work more efficient. Will’s favorite part of his job is helping clients work better by utilizing technology to optimize their systems. His superpower is applying abstract thinking and complex analysis to find innovative ways to improve systems.
Pricing Information
  • Please Note: You must attend the entire program in order to earn MCLE credit for this seminar.
  • ISBA sponsoring section members get a $10 registration discount (which is automatically calculated in your cart when you log in to register).
  • Fees:
    • ISBA Member Price of $35 is displayed below when you login and program is eligible for Free CLE member benefit.
    • New Attorney Member (within the first five years of practice) - $25
    • Law Students – Free

The Nuts and Bolts of Juvenile Transfer Hearings: Kids in Adult Court

ISBA Members: Use your 15 hours of Free CLE credits to order this program –
just use the green button next to the “Add to Cart” button below!
Presented by the ISBA Child Law Section
Co-Sponsored by the ISBA Mental Health Law Section and the ISBA Criminal Justice Section
2.0 hours MCLE credit


Original Program Date: Tuesday, June 14, 2022
MCLE Accreditation Extension Period: ­­­­­­­March 29, 2024 - March 28, 2026 (You must certify completion and save your certificate before this date to get MCLE credit)


Don’t miss this introductory look at juvenile transfer hearings and how to best represent your adolescent client throughout the process. Child law attorneys, mental health lawyers, and criminal justice practitioners with basic practice experience who attend this online seminar will better understand:
  • The strategies to address adolescent brain development and the impact of trauma on youth;
  • The 2.0 hours MCLE credit statutory and case law surrounding transfer hearings;
  • How to advocate for youth to remain under juvenile court jurisdiction;
  • How to use experts when preparing and developing arguments regarding youth transfer; and
  • The judge’s perspective in evaluating transfer decisions.

Program Coordinators:
Josette C. Allen, Smart Law LLC, Lisle
Hallie M. Bezner, Bezner Law, Oak Park
Elizabeth (Betsy) Clarke, Juvenile Justice Initiative of Illinois, Evanston
Scott F. Main, Illinois Juvenile Defender Resource Center, Chicago
Bridgett L. Schott, Lee County State's Attorney's Office, Dixon


Program Moderator:
Scott F. Main, Illinois Juvenile Defender Resource Center, Chicago


Case Law, Statutes, and Issue Preservation: An Introduction
Salome N. Kiwara-Wilson, Office of the State Appellate Defender, Springfield

Adolescent Brain Development and Impact of Trauma on Youth
Dr. Eugene Griffin(ret.), Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago

Resources for Youth in the Illinois Department of Juvenile Justice
Robert Vickery, Deputy Director of Programs, Illinois Department of Juvenile Justice, Chicago

Perspectives from the Bench
Hon. Stuart P. Katz, Circuit Court of Cook County, Chicago


Pricing Information

  • Please Note: You must attend the entire program in order to earn MCLE credit for this seminar.
  • ISBA sponsoring section members get a $10 registration discount (which is automatically calculated in your cart when you log in to register).
  • Fees:
    • ISBA Member Price of $70 is displayed below when you login and program is eligible for Free CLE member benefit
    • Non-Member Price $140
    • New Attorney Member (within the first five years of practice) - $25
    • Law Students - Free

Gain the Edge!® Negotiation Strategies for Lawyers

Posted on March 28, 2024 by Celeste Antoinette Niemann

Learn advanced negotiation skills from a national expert and renowned instructor! You negotiate every day. In fact, your ability to effectively negotiate may be the most critical skill you possess, yet most negotiate instinctively or intuitively. This Master Series seminar trains you to approach negotiations with a strategic mindset, allowing you to become a more effective lawyer. And make no mistake – no matter how much you’ve negotiated, you can still learn. Adding that one new tactic may be the difference between winning and walking away empty-handed.

Fair Debt Collection Practices Act Basics and Update

ISBA Members: Use your 15 hours of Free CLE credits to order this program –
just use the green button next to the “Add to Cart” button below!
Presented by the ISBA Commercial Banking, Collections & Bankruptcy Section


2.0 hours MCLE credit


Original Program Date: Wednesday, March 20, 2024
Accreditation Expiration Date: ­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­March 28, 2026 (You must certify completion and save your certificate before this date to get MCLE credit)


Don’t miss this in-depth overview of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA), including the purpose of the statute and the type of debt it covers. Commercial banking and bankruptcy attorneys, general practitioners, and civil practice lawyers with basic to intermediate practice experience who attend this online program will better understand:
  • The major types of activities the FDCPA regulates;
  • The class action considerations specific to the statute;
  • The recognized defenses attorneys can use to help their clients;
  • The important cases that may have impacted regulation; and
  • The recent changes made to the statute when it was modernized with the enactment of the FDCPA’s implementing regulation.

Program Coordinator:
Samuel H. Levine, Downey & Lenkov LLC, Chicago
Margaret Manetti, Manetti Aguilera Seiler LLC, Bannockburn

Program Chat Moderator:
Margaret Manetti, Manetti Aguilera Seiler LLC, Bannockburn

Program Speakers:
Simon A. Fleischmann, Locke Lord LLP, Chicago
Louis J. Manetti Jr., Locke Lord LLP, Chicago


Pricing Information

  • Please Note: You must attend the entire program in order to earn MCLE credit for this seminar.
  • ISBA sponsoring section members get a $10 registration discount (which is automatically calculated in your cart when you log in to register).
  • Fees:
    • ISBA Member Price of $70 is displayed below when you login and program is eligible for Free CLE member benefit.
    • Non-Member Price $140
    • New Attorney Member (within the first five years of practice) - $25
    • Law Students – Free

Time Management Series: Get Organized! Fight the Paper - Organize Your Digital Matter File

ISBA Members: Use your 15 hours of Free CLE credits to order this program –
just use the green button next to the “Add to Cart” button below!
Master Series presented by the Illinois State Bar Association


1.0 hour MCLE credit, including 1.0 hour Professional Responsibility MCLE credit in the following category: Professionalism, Civility or Legal Ethics credit


Original Program Date: Wednesday, March 20, 2024
Accreditation Expiration Date: ­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­April 2, 2026 (You must certify completion and save your certificate before this date to get MCLE credit)


To efficiently process daily tasks & emails, you must be organized! In modern times, that means you must have a digital matter/case file that is complete and organized. In other words, to find answers to questions and to solve problems for clients, we must be able to efficiently find answers and information. Emails can’t be stuck in users’ inboxes. Some documents can’t be in one place, and other documents in another place. We also need effective and secure remote access when working from the road or home. In this seminar, learn how to centralize & securely maintain paperless files!

Program Speaker:
Paul Unger, Affinity Consulting, Ohio
About the Speaker:
Paul is a national speaker and author. He coaches lawyers how to be more efficient with time management by offering customized workshops. When he isn’t speaking or writing, he is usually performing technology assessments throughout the United States and Canada. Paul began his career working for the Governor of Ohio, and then went on to law school. He practiced law for six years, specializing in litigation and bankruptcy, before starting a legal technology consulting company with partner Barron Henley in 2000. Paul’s superpowers are cleaning up messes and turning digital chaos into well-organized machines. His favorite part of his job is helping people get organized and focused so they can find more enjoyment in their lives and jobs.

Pricing Information

  • Please Note: You must attend the entire program in order to earn MCLE credit for this seminar.
  • ISBA sponsoring section members get a $10 registration discount (which is automatically calculated in your cart when you log in to register).
  • Fees:
    • ISBA Member Price of $35 is displayed below when you login and program is eligible for Free CLE member benefit.
    • New Attorney Member (within the first five years of practice) - $25
    • Law Students – Free