Drive Cash Flow and Grow Revenue With LawPay

Posted on April 21, 2021 by Rhys Saunders

Giving your clients the ability to pay for your services online is a simple, secure, and proven way to get money in the door and boost your firm's bottom line.

Right now, our member benefit partners at LawPay have a limited-time offer for ISBA members that's ending soon. Sign up by April 30 and receive a $100 processing credit plus three months no monthly fee.

CLE: Why Attorneys Strike Out—Professionalism in Baseball and the Legal Profession

Posted on April 20, 2021 by Rhys Saunders

On September 13, 2020, Alec Mills of the Chicago Cubs found himself pitching a no-hitter game. Although it was a tense time for the pitcher, he knew that the unwritten rules of baseball would prevent any ninth-inning batter from bunting the ball and ruining his chance to make baseball history.

Unfortunately, the same sense of professionalism and civility are oftentimes lacking within the legal community, even though these traits are the mainstays of our profession and the foundation upon which lawyers practice law.

Last Day to Vote in ISBA Election Is April 30

Posted on April 19, 2021 by Rhys Saunders

Voting is now underway in the 2021 ISBA Election

Ballots for the ISBA Election were distributed March 29 by our election provider Election America.  All members of the Association (except non-lawyer members) with dues paid by March 1, 2021 are eligible to vote. 

The deadline for voting is April 30, 2021 at 4:30 p.m. The canvass of the Election will be available on or before May 7, 2021.

What Is So Special About a Bond Review?

Posted on April 19, 2021 by Rhys Saunders

While cash bail may be going away in Illinois, other pretrial release requirements remain. In his April Illinois Bar Journal article, “What Is So Special About a Bond Review?,” Jarrad Woodson reinforces why a bond review may set the tone and control pressure points of your client’s case from the very beginning. If your clients cannot afford their bail, or if bail is denied, the burden of getting them out of custody will always be present. Even if your client is waiting the case out from home, the conditions of bond could be so oppressive they make your client a prisoner there as well. Therefore, arguing effectively at the bond review stage is crucial. Your client already went through bond court, so why ask for a bond review? Ideally, Woodson notes, officials at the bond-court level do their best to work together for a fair initial bond, but sometimes this does not happen. The bond court churns and turns cases quickly. Important information about a defendant can get misplaced. This is where the beauty of bond reviews come in: You get another chance.

2021 ISBA Election Underway: Last Day to Request Paper Ballot is April 15

Posted on April 14, 2021 by Rhys Saunders

Voting is now underway in the 2021 ISBA Election. The last day to request a paper ballot is April 15, 2021.

ISBA's election provider Election America emailed e-ballots to members with valid email addresses on March 29. All members of the Association (except non-lawyer members) with dues paid by March 1, 2021 are eligible to vote. The deadline for voting is April 30, 2021 at 4:30 p.m. 

The ISBA Is Accepting Submissions for the Annual Lincoln Award Legal Writing Contest

Posted on April 14, 2021 by Rhys Saunders

The Illinois State Bar Association invites Young Lawyers Division (YLD) attorney members to establish yourselves as experts in your practice area and compete for your share of $3,500 in prize money by entering the Annual Lincoln Award Legal Writing Contest.

Submissions should be useful, practical articles on topics important to practicing lawyers. Submissions will be considered for publication in the Illinois Bar Journal.

CLE: Securities Fraud—Fundamental Concepts

Posted on April 14, 2021 by Rhys Saunders

Learn the fundamental concepts of securities fraud with this online program from 9 until 11 a.m. on Thursday, May 6 that examines a number of important topics. Attorneys with basic practice experience who attend this seminar will better understand: when securities fraud occurs; who is liable for securities fraud (the entity, the entities affiliates, service professionals, or someone else); how to safeguard against claims of securities fraud during a securities transactions; the basic considerations for claims pursuant to Rule 10b-5; considerations under the Illinois Securities Act; what it means to “make a misrepresentation” in connection with the “sale of securities”; and the issuer, attorney, and broker liability and remedies for investors.