ISBA President James McCluskey today was named an associate judge of the Eighteenth Judicial Circuit.

McCluskey, a founding member of the law firm Momkus McCluskey, LLC, in Lisle, is a commercial litigator who has handled 60 jury trials and built one of DuPage County’s largest law firms.

Long active in the ISBA, he is a member of the Board of Governors and previously served as a member of the Assembly and was chairman of its Agenda Committee. He has served on the ISBA Civil Practice & Procedure Section Council and its Allerton House Committee.

In honor of its 50th anniversary, the Special Olympics will return to the city where it was founded in part by Illinois Supreme Court Justice Anne Burke.

Burke launched the Special Olympics while working for the Chicago Park District on July 20, 1968. It was first held at Chicago’s Soldier Field.

Now, the Special Olympics has grown into the largest sporting event for children and adults with intellectual disabilities, with nearly 5 million Special Olympians representing 172 countries.  

Asked and Answered 

By John W. Olmstead, MBA, Ph.D, CMC

Q. I am a partner in a four-attorney law firm in a small town south of Waco, Texas. We have two partners and two associates. Our practice is limited to elder law, estate planning, and estate administration. The practice was formed 30 years ago by the two partners. The firm has built a strong brand, does a significant amount of business in several other counties, and is doing well financially. Our main problem is that we are overwhelmed with work and we need to hire an additional attorney. We have interviewed an attorney with some limited experience in small business corporate work and estate planning. However, most of his experience is in personal injury plaintiff, criminal, and family law. If he joins our firm, he wants to continue to develop these practice areas as well as bring his personal injury, criminal, and family law cases with him. Bringing him on board could solve our lawyer staffing issue as well as increase our business. Should we bring him on board?

The Illinois State Bar Association is seeking candidates for vacant seats on the Board of Governors.

The election of Anna Krolikowska as ISBA third vice-president created a vacancy for the Under 37 Cook County seat. There is also a vacancy in Area 4 (Circuits 10, 14, and 15).

The Board will fill the vacant positions at its July 20 meeting. Both terms will be for one year and begin immediately.

A high-quality reproduction of a famous Abraham Lincoln photograph was unveiled June 25 at a ceremony at the Wayne County Courthouse.

The photograph was taken in Springfield by well-known photographer Alexander Hesler for Lincoln’s 1860 presidential campaign. It is considered to be one of the best taken of Lincoln during his pre-presidential years.

The permanent installation is made possible by donations from the Illinois Judges Association (IJA), the Illinois State Bar Association (ISBA) and their respective foundations – the Illinois Judges Foundation and the Illinois Bar Foundation. 

Effective July 1, a new Illinois Supreme Court Rule requires the following language to be added to all civil summons:

“E-filing is now mandatory for documents in civil cases with limited exemptions. To e-file, you must first create an account with an e-filing service provider. Visit https://efile.illinoiscourts.gov/service-providers.htm to learn more and to select a service provider. If you need additional help or have trouble e-filing, visit http://www.illinoiscourts.gov/FAQ/gethelp.asp.”

The ISBA Springfield and Chicago offices will be closed for the holiday beginning Wednesday, July 4. They will reopen on Friday, July 6. During this time, members can expect the following:

• E-Clips will not be delivered for the duration of this period.
• Illinois Lawyer Now Weekly will not be delivered on Thursday, July 5. Instead, it will be delivered on Friday, July 6.

All business and e-newsletter distribution will resume as usual on Friday, July 6.

More than nine out of every 10 consumers use reviews to make decisions. Nearly as many trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations. Regarding the legal profession, of the 58 million people who sought a lawyer in 2012, more than 75 percent used online resources in their search.

Good online reviews can be a great thing for your firm; they essentially translate into cheap and effective advertising. But what happens when a negative review of your services lands online? How do you react? Should you react at all?