What better way to start the New Year than by evaluating the way you communicate with clients?
A recent American Bar Association study reported that 17 percent of all malpractice claims are the result of a poor attorney-client relationship, and nearly 75 percent of all grievances filed against lawyers are the result of poor communication.
In the spring, members of the ISBA will elect a third vice president, 11 seats on the Board of Governors, 45 seats on the Assembly in Cook County, and 88 seats on the Assembly outside Cook County.
One board seat is open in each of the following Areas: Area 2 (Circuits 17, 19 and 22), Area 4 (circuits 10, 14, and 15), Area 5 (Circuits 5, 6 and 11), Area 7 (Circuits 1, 2 and 4), Under Age 37 in Cook County, and Under Age 37 outside Cook County. Additionally, five seats are open in Cook County.
The Fellows of the Illinois Bar Foundation (IBF) will honor state Rep. Steven Andersson, a partner at Mickey, Wilson, Weiler, Renzi and Andersson, P.C., during a Kane County Fellows reception Jan. 22 at Riverside Receptions, 35 N. River Lane, Geneva, Illinois.
Tickets are $40 per person and can be purchased online.
For 25 years, the ISBA Agricultural Law Section has been providing top-notch and timely continuing legal education seminars for Illinois attorneys – and it’s that time again. Join us Feb. 1, 2019 in Bloomington for this full-day seminar that updates you on a number of important agricultural law issues. Learn how agriculture law affects other practice areas, including: real estate, trusts and estates, business advice, general practice, and state/federal tax. Attorneys with intermediate practice experience who attend this seminar will better understand: how the past year’s federal estate tax cases have impacted the agricultural community; how the 2018 federal and state income tax changes are affecting agricultural producers; which federal and state income tax changes to be concerned about in 2019; how your clients might be affected by the Clean Water Act and Endangered Species Act; the record-keeping requirements for agents, trustees, executors, and other fiduciary agents; how to negotiate and draft solar array options and easement agreements; and how to appeal an adverse wetlands determination.
Michael Alkaraki, an attorney at Leahy & Hoste, LLC, discusses how to handle a mediation.
Asked and Answered
By John W. Olmstead, MBA, Ph.D, CMC
Q. Our firm is an eight-attorney firm in Cincinnati, Ohio. We have been together for 14 years. There are four partners and four associates in the firm. Over the years we have traditionally had a year-end attorney planning retreat with limited success. This year we have decided that we want to dedicate the entire time to developing a strategic plan for the firm. What can we do to ensure that our strategic plan leads to actual implementation?
Don’t miss the ISBA’s annual Federal Tax Conference on Feb. 1, 2019, in Chicago or via live webcast. The conference features a wealth of information and updates for tax lawyers, business law attorneys, and trusts and estates practitioners. Attorneys with basic practice experience who attend this conference will obtain a better understanding of: the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, including changes affecting 2018 tax returns; the updates in corporate tax and partnership tax, including new code Section 199A; the new developments affecting non-profit organizations and tax exempt entities; the cases and rulings influencing estate and gift tax planning; the ethical issues for Illinois tax attorneys; recent tax scams and frauds; and the tax issues that can arise with Bitcoin and virtual currencies.
The Illinois Supreme Court has announced the appointments of nine Illinois judges.
The appointments are as follows:
A state’s legal standard for determining fault is a key factor in determining whether to file a motion to apply foreign law or a motion to dismiss under the doctrine of forum non conveniens. In December’s Illinois Bar Journal, Cameron Turner and Sean Phillips examine such choices regarding asbestos cases in Illinois. Illinois is a well-known epicenter of asbestos litigation, having earned a reputation for allowing cases unconnected to the state to proceed through its system. Onlookers and clients, particularly those new to asbestos litigation and unaware of its broader scope, often express disbelief and frustration at the legitimacy of such a system. Such reactions are fair, and related questions certainly are valid. Illinois does, after all, have statutes in place that allow for the transfer of cases to appropriate forums when any particular forum is improper or inconvenient. It also seems logical, on its face, to lessen the impact of sometimes-harsh Illinois law by looking to the law of a state with a stronger connection to the case when that state's law is more favorable. This rings true even if a defendant chooses to forgo pursuing a forum non conveniens argument.
