The U.S. Attorney's Office Central District of Illinois is accepting applications for an assistant United States attorney opening in its Criminal Division.
Applicants must possess a J.D. degree, be an active member of the bar (any jurisdiction), and have at least one year post-J.D. legal experience. U.S. citizenship is required.
Admission to the Illinois bar is not required but is preferred. Criminal prosecution experience is preferred.
Improve your trial skills in this “learn-by-doing” program that covers all phases of trial work from both a plaintiff/prosecutor and defendant’s viewpoint in both civil and criminal cases. Through this course, you will learn and practice new trial techniques that are most effective and consistent with the Illinois Rules of Evidence and the Federal Rules of Evidence. Each session is audio-video taped so you can see and hear the improvements in your voice, manner, and trial technique. The course has been proven to be of value whether your practice includes trying jury and non-jury cases, administrative hearings, arbitrations, or even mediations. The course is taught and coordinated by Scott Lane and Fred Lane. Please note: As he did last semester, Scott Lane will continue in his role as the primary instructor during the fall semester.
The Illinois Bar Foundation, the fundraising arm of the Illinois State Bar Association, will hold its 20th annual black-tie Gala fundraiser on Friday, October 19, at the Four Seasons Hotel, 120 E. Delaware Place, Chicago.
During the event, Tyrone C. Fahner, a partner at Mayer Brown, will receive the foundation’s 2018 Distinguished Award for Excellence. Fahner is a former Illinois attorney general and has served as director of the Illinois Department of Law Enforcement and as an assistant United States attorney.
Lisa M. Nyuli, partner at Ariano Hardy Ritt Nyuli Richmond Lytle & Goettel P.C., discusses how to plan in advance of a sudden disability or death.
The Jersey County Courthouse received a reproduction of a famous Abraham Lincoln photograph today.
The ceremony was part of a statewide campaign to place a framed copy of the famed photograph in a courthouse in each of Illinois’ 102 counties in commemoration of the state’s bicentennial.
The photograph was taken in Springfield by well-known photographer Alexander Hesler on June 3, 1860, for Lincoln’s 1860 presidential campaign. Printed on canvas, the image of the beardless Lincoln is encased in a richly stained wood frame and measures 30-inches wide by 40-inches tall.
Asked and Answered
By John W. Olmstead, MBA, Ph.D, CMC
Q. I am the owner of a six-attorney litigation firm in the San Francisco Bay area. I am 60 years old and starting to consider gradually transferring my interest to associates in the firm. I have heard other attorneys mention that I should get some goodwill out of my practice. I would appreciate your thoughts.
A. Many law firm owners prefer to leave a legacy and keep the firm "within the family." They transition the firm to non-equity partners or associates in the firm at a discounted value, and buy-in as an incentive to stay on with the firm.
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 June 2018 there were more than 900 referrals given.
Here are the results for June 2018:
Leaders of an organization discuss a proposed policy at a meeting, but ultimately decide against it. Later, an incident occurs that may have been prevented had that policy been put in place and the organization is sued for dismissing the proposed policy. An article in July’s Illinois Bar Journal discusses the implications of Glisson v. Indiana Department of Corrections, which held that a municipality and private contractors may be liable for failing to adopt a policy that was considered, but not implemented. The Glisson case may have a profound impact on Section 1983 actions.
Chicago attorney Sandra Crawford discusses what collaborative law practice is, what kinds of cases the model is used to resolve, and what you should ask your lawyer if you're interested in using collaborative law practice to resolve your matter.
Asked and Answered
By John W. Olmstead, MBA, Ph.D, CMC
Q. I am the owner of a real estate practice in Rockford. I have two offices – one in Rockford and the other in Chicago. I started my practice 20 years ago and have had my associate for the past five years. He works in the Chicago office and I work in the Rockford office. Prior to this associate I had two other associates that did not work out. My present associate has 14 years’ experience and worked in three other law firms. I am not happy with his performance. The legal assistant that works with him has advised me that he often does not come into the office until 10 a.m. and often leaves in the middle of the day. Clients have complained that he does not return phone calls or emails. His production is low – his annual billable hours have never been above 1,200 hours. I am paying him a salary of $98,000. I have had numerous conversations with him about these issues to no avail. Frankly, I am sick of it – I don’t trust him and things need to change. What should be my next step?