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 September 2019 there were more than 700 referrals given.
Here are the results for September 2019:
Join us from 1 until 3 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 22, for a live webcast focused on mediation. Most cases settle and many settle through mediation. But it's not always easy and, at times, the parties can be very far apart—so far apart that it feels like an impasse. Don’t give up hope. A skilled mediator can often bridge that chasm between the parties. What are the strategies for bridging that chasm? Hear from two highly successful professional mediators as they discuss their strategies for closing the divide between parties. And consider settling the next case you think is at an impasse.
The Illinois Judicial Conference (IJC) has announced its three-year strategic agenda for the Illinois judicial branch.
The IJC has created a mission statement, vision statement, and core values for the branch, along with strategic goals and strategies designed to achieve them. The agenda will serve as a guide for the future of the branch as it begins the implementation phase.
Campaign season for the 2020 Illinois State Bar Association election begins today, October 1, for open leadership seats of third vice president and one seat each for the following Board of Governors seats: Area 3 (Circuits 12, 13, 16, 21, and 23), Area 4 (Circuits 10, 14 and 15), Under Age 37 – Cook County, and Under Age 37 Outside Cook County (Circuits 1-23).
The Illinois Supreme Court on Sept. 26 amended Rules 206, 212, 306, 308, 315, and 342. All changes go into effect Oct. 1.
Amended Rule 206 makes it explicitly clear that a “party has the right to use the video recording of a deposition or any part thereof in lieu of reading from a stenographic transcript of the deposition.”
Amended Rule 212 states that discovery depositions may be used “as a former statement, pursuant to Illinois Rule of Evidence 801(d)(2).”
Join us online from noon until 1 p.m. on Oct. 17 for “Copyright of Architectural Drawings.” Get the background knowledge you need regarding how the Copyright Act was changed to include protection for architectural designs. Intellectual property lawyers, construction law attorneys, and new lawyers with basic practice experience who may have clients in need of copyright advice won’t want to miss this online program that explores the history of the Architectural Works Copyright Protection Act of 1990 and examines a number of important cases that followed the Copyright Act amendment.
ISBA members believe the greatest threat to the legal profession is competition from nonlawyer legal services. But when asked to identify the biggest threat to their own practice, members said the unwillingness or inability of clients to pay. The two assertions are arguably correlated: Clients who struggle to pay may look for cheaper alternatives next time. The findings are among many thought-provoking results from the 2019 Economic, Marketing, and Business Health Survey conducted this spring by Readex Research on behalf of the ISBA’s Standing Committee on the Future of Legal Services. The purpose of the survey is to “better understand the current economic climate [and] marketing and business practices among ISBA members … in private practice.” More than 800 private-practicing members completed the survey, which is summarized in October’s Illinois Bar Journal.
Join us Oct. 16-17 for a two-day program that is designed to help attorneys who are appointed to represent children. Under Illinois Supreme Court Rule 906(c), an attorney should receive 10 hours of education every two years in: child developments; roles of guardians ad litem and child representatives; ethics in child custody cases; relevant substantive state, federal, and case law in custody and visitation matters; and family dynamics, including substance abuse, domestic abuse, and mental health issues. Topics for this seminar include: how to become a guardian ad litem and what the work entails; understanding the differences between a guardian ad litem, child representative, and attorney for the child; guardian ad litem appointments; child development and issues in family law matters; Illinois Supreme Court rules, Illinois caselaw, and statutory update; the ethical dilemmas facing guardian ad litems and child representatives; domestic violence issues; and how DCFS procedures relate to family law cases.
Land of Lincoln Legal Aid, a non-profit organization that provides free legal services to low-income individuals in central and southern Illinois, is seeking a staff attorney at the Northern Regional Office in Springfield.
The position includes representing senior citizens in civil cases and transactional matters involving critical legal needs in a 12-county service area. It also requires travel to senior centers on a regular basis and participation in community legal education and outreach.
