As financial exploitation of the elderly becomes a growing social concern, estate planners have a responsibility to address the issue. In their April Illinois Bar Journal article, “It’s Not All About Death and Taxes: Preventing Elder Financial Exploitation Through Estate Planning,” Darcy J. Chamberlin and Janna S. Dutton review trust and estate issues involved in exploitation of the elderly and suggest provisions that can be used to protect clients whose quality of judgment may be declining. Chamberlin and Dutton look beyond our role as document creators and provide practical guidance on how best to protect our impaired clients from con artists, bad trustees, and untrustworthy relatives.

Join us for this in-depth seminar April 24 in Chicago or via live webcast that examines a number of guardianship issues that apply to the education setting, as well as issues involving adult and minor guardianships. Education law attorneys, special needs practitioners, family law attorneys, and educators with all levels of practice experience who attend this seminar will better understand: how discipline issues should be handled, including the procedural issues for special education students; alternatives to expulsion; the creation and specific issues surrounding guardianships; and understanding the client relationship in education law cases.

The U.S. Attorney's Office Southern District of Illinois is accepting applications for assistant United States attorney openings in its Criminal Division in Benton and Fairview Heights.

Applicants must possess a J.D. degree, be an active member of the bar (any jurisdiction), and have at least one year of post-J.D. legal experience. U.S. citizenship is required.

Preferred qualifications include admission to the Illinois bar and three years of post-J.D. litigation experience.

The Illinois Supreme Court has appointed John L. McGehee as a resident circuit judge in the Fourteenth Judicial Circuit.

McGehee was appointed to fill the vacancy created by the retirement of the Hon. Lori R. Lefstein on Jan. 30. The appointment is effective May 1, and will conclude Dec. 6, 2020, when the position will be filled by the November 2020 General Election.

The Illinois Supreme Court handed down one opinion on Thursday, April 4. In Piccioli v. The Board of Trustees of the Teachers’ Retirement System et al., the court ruled that a union lobbyist qualified for a public pension under a repealed law by spending one day as a substitute teacher.

Piccioli v. The Board of Trustees of the Teachers’ Retirement System et al.

By Michael T. Reagan, Law Offices of Michael T. Reagan

The ISBA is excited to announce the rebranding of our website blog, which will now be called The Bar News. Formerly known as Illinois Lawyer Now, the blog will continue to provide members with ISBA updates, photo galleries, ARDC rulings, breaking legal news, CLE offerings, member benefits, and more.

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 March 2019 there were more than 800 referrals given.

Here are the results for March 2019:

Asked and Answered 

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

Q. I am the owner of a three-attorney personal injury practice in Columbia, South Carolina, and I am contemplating retiring in seven years. I have an associate on board to whom I would like to sell my practice during the next seven years. How do I go about valuing my practice and determining how much I should ask for?

A. A few of the various methods used solely or in combination with other methods for valuing a law firm include:

Competence, excellence, and diversity are not pejorative terms or concepts. Illinois lawyers practicing in the 21st century need to know how to communicate with a new generation of clients, lawyers, colleagues, and associates, while maintaining relevancy in the practice. Real estate attorneys and general practitioners with basic to intermediate practice experience who attend this full-day seminar on April 24 in Naperville will better understand: how to start or expand your practice to include residential or commercial real estate; how to work effectively with a broad scope of clients and staff; how to create a diverse and inclusive law firm; how to protect your client from future litigation; how to recognize and refer a colleague in need; and the essentials of both commercial and residential real estate practices.

The Fellows of the Illinois Bar Foundation thank our latest new and upgraded Fellows for their commitment to supporting the mission of the Illinois Bar Foundation. Funds from the Fellows program make a direct impact on the lives of those in need, including our colleagues and their families during times of crisis and those who cannot otherwise afford legal representation. Fellows’ pledges are payable over 10 years and start at just $100 per year, or less than $9 per month.