Recent plea-bargaining related decisions in the U.S. and Illinois Supreme Courts have complicated the landscape for ineffective-assistance-of-counsel claims brought in the state. With various tests for ineffective assistance now in tension, questions may become more difficult to resolve when such tests can be applied to the same case. In his March 2019 Illinois Bar Journal article, “Would’ve, Could’ve, Should’ve: Ineffective Assistance of Counsel and Plea Bargaining in Illinois,” Nate Niemann traces the developments leading to the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Lee v. United States and the Illinois Supreme Court’s in People v. Brown.

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 February 2019 there were more than 600 referrals given.

Here are the results for February 2019:

Attorney Andreas Liewald discusses the limits of guardianship for a person diagnosed with a mental illness and under what conditions guardianship is appropriate.  

The Illinois Equal Justice Foundation (IEJF) has awarded grants totaling $2,485,794 to 37 Illinois civil legal aid providers.

Grants were made possible with funding from the state appropriation for civil legal aid as well as settlement funds awarded to the IEJF by former Attorney General Lisa Madigan. Eighteen grants were funded by the state appropriation.

Asked and Answered 

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

Q. We have an 18-attorney firm in Portland, Oregon. I was recently hired as the firm administrator. This is my first law firm. My previous employment was with a small manufacturing and distribution company. I have read some articles that discussed the importance of managing inventory in a law practice. Does a law firm even have inventory? I would appreciate your comments.

A. Inventory (or pipeline) management is a term used in the management consulting profession to refer to the process by which you continually evaluate your active opportunities (prospective clients to booked clients) for their balance of quality and quantity. The goal is to continually stay on top of the overall health, which is a full pipeline. Pipeline management allows client relationship managers to more accurately forecast fee revenues, better staff and manage client engagements, and close more client business.

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 victims of domestic violence in a variety of matters, including but not limited to orders of protection, civil no stalking orders, and divorces. The position also includes representation of low-income persons in routine and complex housing and consumer litigation and expungement cases, as well as participation in community legal education and outreach. 

Don’t miss this opportunity to enhance your legal knowledge and improve your legal expertise to successfully represent clients in these select practice areas. Attorneys in the areas of general practice, personal injury, and civil litigation at intermediate levels of practice experience who attend this seminar on March 29 in Chicago will better understand the issues that arise in these respective areas of practice:

Closing a law firm can be a daunting task.

There are many considerations attorneys must take into account, and the process itself takes time due to obligations to protect client information as well as the interest of the clients.

Effective Jan. 1, 2019, Illinois employers are required to reimburse employees for expenses incurred while performing their jobs. This new requirement is an amendment to the Illinois Wage Payment and Collection Act. Failure to comply with the new law can result in damages equal to the reimbursement amount, a 2-percent penalty for each month the expenses were not paid, and attorneys’ fees and costs incurred by the employee. In her article, “To Pay or Not to Pay: Should You Reimburse Your Employee’s Expenses?,” business and employment law attorney Helen Bloch provides practical takeaways and advice for ensuring you and your clients are complying with the new requirement.