The Hon. Richard Posner retired from the 7th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals in Chicago on Saturday, September 2. His decision to step down from the bench after 36 years was announced late last Friday. Now 78, Posner was appointed to the court by President Ronald Regan in 1981 and served as its chief judge from 1993 to 2000. 

Posner is well-known in the legal community as a prolific writer on and off of the bench. During his career, he wrote more than 3,300 opinions, as well as dozens of books and articles spanning many legal topics. He is one of the most widely cited appellate judges in the United States.

Cyberattacks are a very real threat in our modern world – and nobody is immune to being a target! Join us via the Internet on September 28, 2017 for a better understanding of (and appreciation for) the cybersecurity issues that threaten your clients every single day and how you can protect them. Attorneys with basic to intermediate practice experience who attend this online seminar will learn: the types of cyber threats that may impact your client; how cyber threats arise; how to use cyber insurance to mitigate against potential exposures; what is covered by cyber insurance policies; the legal and ethical obligations you and your client have regarding the safeguarding of electronically-stored information; and how to address a cyberattack if it occurs.

The program is presented by the ISBA Insurance Law Section and qualifies for 2.25 hours MCLE credit, including 0.75 hour Professional Responsibility MCLE credit (subject to approval).

Click here for more information and to register.

In this Order on the ARDC’s Motion for Summary Judgment, Ms. Akinlemibola was found guilty of contempt of court for engaging in the unauthorized practice of law, including by holding herself out to the public via a website that she was authorized to provide legal services. Ms. Akinlemibola was ordered to pay $5,000 to the Illinois Equal Justice Foundation. ARDC v. Grace Akinlemibola, Cook County No. 17 MC1-600006 (August 31, 2017).

Mark your calendars for September 21! The members of the State & Local Taxation (SALT) Section and the Young Lawyers Division (YLD) Section will be hosting a new member happy hour from 6-8 p.m. at The Godfrey Hotel's IO Rooftop Lounge in Chicago. This event, sponsored by SALT, is a great opportunity to socialize and network with your colleagues over refreshments and food.

Registration includes two drink tickets and appetizers. The event is complimentary, but due to limited space, registration is encouraged. 

Click here to register now, and please contact Kimi Jalali with any additional questions.

In the August Illinois Bar Journal, ISBA Director of Legislative Affairs Jim Covington summarizes legislation of particular interest to lawyers. In the weeks since the article first appeared, most of the bills described there have been acted on by Governor Rauner. Which did he sign? Which did he veto? Read the updated version, which includes links to the public acts and veto statements.

ISBA attended Chicago-Kent College of Law's student organization fair yesterday, August 29, to speak with current law students about the benefits of membership. Law students can become student members of ISBA for free for up to four years of law school, which includes access to Fastcase, E-Clips, the Illinois Bar Journal, and more.

With law schools ramping up for the fall semester, ISBA will be visiting other Chicago-area law schools in the upcoming weeks.

Asked and Answered

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

Q. I am a non-equity partner in a four-attorney personal injury plaintiff law firm in Newport Beach, California consisting of the firm owner, two associates, and myself. The owner is planning on retiring and has provided me with a proposal to sell me his practice. How do I determine whether this is an opportunity or a potential curse? Your advice would be appreciated.

In the employer-sponsored health plan environment, implementing the requirements of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) creates unique challenges. While HIPAA’s multitude of provisions may seem intuitive for health care providers, health plans may need to invoke a bit of creativity to account for realities like the storage of protected health information in an office environment and employees who perform roles for both the plan and the employer sponsor. However, with 2016 marking an all-time high for HIPAA enforcement cases and 2017 shaping up to be more of the same, it may be more important now than ever to address HIPAA compliance. Join us via the Internet on September 27, 2017 for a brief look at how HIPAA regulations apply to employer-sponsored health plans, and what these entities may consider when creating or updating their HIPAA compliance programs. Topics include: an in-depth look at the Privacy and Security Rules; best practices for implementing HIPAA in a health plan environment; breach reporting obligations under the Breach Notification Rule; an overview of the HIPAA enforcement landscape; and lessons learned from recent HIPAA enforcement cases.

The program is presented by the ISBA Employee Benefits Section and qualifies for 1.0 hour MCLE credit.

Click here for more information and to register.

Improve your trial skills in this “learn-by-doing” program that covers all phases of trial work from both a plaintiff/prosecutor and defendant’s viewpoint, in both civil and criminal cases. Through this course, you will learn and practice new trial techniques that are most effective and consistent with the Illinois Rules of Evidence and the Federal Rules of Evidence. Each session is audio-video taped so you can see and hear the improvements in your voice, manner, and trial technique.

This fall, you can expect to learn about topics including:

• The principles of communication, argument, and persuasion on behalf of the plaintiff/prosecutor and defendant
• Jury selection
• What makes a winning opening statement/closing argument 

The Trial Technique Institute consists of two semesters that run approximately four months each. Classes take place on Tuesday evenings from 5:15-6:45 p.m. at the Chicago Regional Office.

The program qualifies for a total of 54 hours MCLE credit, including 54* hours PMCLE credit (27 hours MCLE/27 hours PMCLE credit per semester). 

Click here to register and learn more

Detective Carl Walker of the O’Fallon Police Department was awarded the ISBA Law Enforcement Award on August 21 during an O’Fallon City Council meeting at City Hall. Third Vice President Dennis Orsey presented the award.

The ISBA Law Enforcement Award was created to recognize sworn law enforcement officers for conduct that promotes justice and to distinguish those individuals whose service to the public brings honor and respect to the entire criminal justice system. It recognizes those who excel in law enforcement.

Detective Walker, who was nominated for the award by Captain Kirk Brueggeman of the O’Fallon Police Department, will be acknowledged for his efforts to automate the information sharing process for the St. Clair County Investigative Professional Group using information technology.