At the Jan. 26 Board of Governors meeting in Rockford, the Board adopted two ethics opinions.

Opinion 18-01 considers whether the use of undisclosed "tracking" software (e.g., "web bugs," web beacons," or "spymail") in electronic communications with other lawyers or clients is ethically permissible. The opinion concludes that a lawyer may not use such software in e-mails or other electronic communications with other lawyers or clients in the course or representing a client without first obtaining the informed consent of each recipient to the use of such software. 

Update your knowledge on a number of important workers’ compensation issues with this full-day seminar in Chicago and O’Fallon on Feb. 19. Labor and employment attorneys and workers’ compensation practitioners attending this seminar will better understand how orthopedic injuries are diagnosed, evaluated, and treated in workers’ compensation claims; the 2017 appellate court decisions that have impacted workers’ compensation law; how to avoid ethical dilemmas in your practice; how to present effective oral arguments before the Illinois Workers’ Compensation Commission; integrating Medicare and workers’ compensation benefits; and how status as employee or independent contractor can affect employment benefits and liability.

Land of Lincoln Legal Assistance Foundation, Inc. (LOLLAF) seeks to hire a staff attorney at LOLLAF's Central (East St. Louis) and Western (Alton) regional offices. LOLLAF is a non-profit organization that provides free legal services to low-income individuals and groups in civil cases.  The program has a strong history of high quality and innovative advocacy for our clients.

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 January 2018 there were over 1,000 referrals given.

Here are the results for January 2018:

Mark your calendars for Saturday, March 17! The ISBA Standing Committee on Marketing & Communications would like to invite you to represent ISBA by marching in the St. Patrick's Day Parade in Chicago. The parade begins at noon.

Details for a central meeting location for all interested participants will be available soon. 

Contact Sara Anderson for additional information.

In Illinois – and across the country – the demand for legal services for low-income individuals and families far exceeds the supply. But individual attorneys, legal aid organizations, law firms, corporate law departments, and bar associations across the state are working to close the gap or mitigate its effects through pro bono and volunteer service.  

Karen A. Enright, partner at Costello, McMahon, Burke & Murphy, discusses five tips to prepare for and take a defendant doctor's deposition.

The Illinois Supreme Court handed down an opinion today in People v. Chairez. At issue in this case was the constitutionality of a section of the unlawful use of a weapon statute that prohibits an individual from carrying or possessing a firearm within 1000 feet of a public park. Kerry Bryson of the Office of the State Appellate Defender reviews the court's ruling.

People v. Chairez

Over the past several years, constitutional challenges to various provisions of the unlawful use of weapons (UUW) statute have made their way through the courts. Chairez involves another such challenge, specifically with regard to the provision prohibiting an individual from carrying or possessing a firearm within 1000 feet of a public park [720 ILCS 5/24-1 (a)(4), (c)(1.5)].

In 2013, Julio Chairez pled guilty to possessing a firearm within 1000 feet of a park in Aurora. Subsequently, Chairez filed a post-conviction petition arguing that the statute violated the second amendment and seeking to vacate his conviction. The circuit court agreed, and the case proceeded directly to the Illinois Supreme Court.

Don’t miss ISBA’s Illinois Animal Law Conference in Carbondale on February 9, 2018! Get the updates you need to affectively advise your clients on a number of important animal law topics. Family law attorneys, animal law practitioners, environmental law lawyers, agricultural law attorneys, and counsel for municipalities with all levels of practice experience who attend this seminar will better understand: what Hurricane Harvey and Irma have taught us about animals and natural disaster planning and recovery; the regulation of feral and community cats; what you need to know about assistance animals; how the Bad Newz Kennels case has affected animal laws; how to handle the family pet in marriage dissolution cases; the regulations affecting humane care, animal control, and dangerous/vicious dog proceedings; the developments in farm animal protection; the ethical issues to be aware of when handling an animal law case; and much more.

Asked and Answered

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

Q. Our firm is an eight-attorney estate planning firm in the Chicago area. Our firm has grown from two attorneys to our present size in four years. We have five partners and three associates. Firm management is currently handled by a managing partner. The partners have been discussing hiring a legal administrator. We were thinking of hiring someone with experience in managing law firms and a solid background in human resources and bookkeeping/accounting. One of our clients suggested that we hire someone with a strong academic background, such as an MBA or CPA who has served as the CEO of a mid-size corporation. What are your thoughts?