The ISBA Board of Governors voted at its July 21 meeting to ask the Illinois Supreme Court not to require self-represented litigants to use the e-filing system that launches in January until the impact of mandatory e-filing on nonlawyers can be studied and addressed. Speaking on behalf of the proposal, Board member Angelica Wawrzynek of Mattoon noted that no other mandatory e-filing state requires pro se litigants to file cases electronically and that two-thirds of civil cases filed outside Cook County in 2015 included at least one self-represented litigant.

In other action, the Board

● agreed to join the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers in filing an amicus brief in In re the Marriage of Goesel, 2017 IL App (3d) 150101. The ISBA/AAML brief will support the court’s ruling that earned and paid legal fees are not available for disgorgement as part of an interim fee award under the Illinois Marriage and Dissolution of Marriage Act;

● approved an ethics opinion stating that an in-house lawyer may provide legal services to multiple subsidiaries of the same corporate parent as long as doing so doesn’t otherwise violate the Illinois Rules of Professional Conduct;

● voted to support an ABA resolution that urges states and units of local government to adopt a policy of trapping, neutering, vaccinating, and returning stray cats to the community;

Save up to 45 percent on Tim McGraw and Faith Hill's show, Soul2Soul: The World Tour, in Chicago, taking place on September 1 in Rosemont. 

These offers are provided to you through the Illinois State Bar Association’s Member Marketplace.

Want to sign up? It's free and easy: 
1. Visit www.ticketsatwork.com
2. Use your company code: ISBA
3. Read and follow the easy steps on our site, and once registered you can access all tickets, events, hotels and more online for free.

Do you advise clients on the liability considerations involving real estate or business operations? Then you won’t want to miss this opportunity to hear from a seasoned environmental law attorney as he discusses environmental due diligence under the new administration. Attorneys with all levels of practice experience who attend this online seminar on September 14, 2017 will better understand: how to manage the risks associated with environmental considerations; the role of the government in these cases; the doctrine of caveat empter and its role under the administration; how tort liability and environmental law intersect; statutory environmental cleanup liability under state and federal law; and how the new Administration’s proposed changes to environmental liability and regulations might affect your client.

The seminar is presented by the ISBA Real Estate Law Section and qualifies for 0.75 hour MCLE credit.

Click here for more information and to register.

The ISBA Board of Governors met on Friday, July 21. At the meeting, the Board filled one vacancy on the Board of Governors in Area VIII and two vacant Assembly seats in Cook County. The results of the elections to fill these leadership positions are below.

Board of Governors

• Area VIII (Circuits 3 & 20): Perry Browder, Alton

Assembly

• 18th Circuit: Richard Veenstra, Wheaton
• Cook County (Two-Year Term): Jill O'Brien, Chicago
• Cook County (One-Year Term): Evan Schanerberger, Chicago

What's the experience like at your law firm for the people who matter most - your clients? Isn't it time you asked them?

Many firms and attorneys don't take the time and effort to map clients' journeys through the firm, with the goal of ensuring that they reach their destination as efficiently and effectively as possible.

"I've learned to ask a very simple question that drives this point home: 'How easy are you to do business with?'" says Josh Kubicki, Cincinnati-based chief strategy officer at Seyfarth Shaw LLP. "You may be one hell of a lawyer, but you may be a pain-in-the-you-know-what to do business with, from billing, to reaching you, to communicating, to you using words clients understand. If you're able to make that easier for your clients, you'll be able to capture value."

Kubicki discussed client mapping as part of his presentation at the Illinois Supreme Court Commission on Professionalism's The Future Is Now: Legal Services 2.017 conference in Chicago in May (see http://bit.ly/2tfrOUv).

The process of journey mapping isn't that difficult but requires an ongoing, step-by-step commitment, Kubicki says. First, an attorney or firm needs to take a step back and think about all the different touchpoints - people, processes, and tools - they use in delivering service, he says. Find out how to remove pain points and improve service for your clients in the August Illinois Bar Journal.

Once you have updated your IllinoisLawyerFinder profile by adding a photo or uploading an article, you can directly link to it from your website or blog using a badge. Doing so can help potential clients verify who you are and make it easier for them to book appointments online. This video will walk you through the process of sharing your profile.

Asked and Answered

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

Q. I am a solo practitioner in upstate New York. I am 66-years-old, looking to retire, and trying to figure out what to do with my practice. My practice is a general practice and there is just me and one secretary. I welcome your suggestions.

We recently launched our new member benefit, Practice HQ. Organized by the lifecycle of a law practice, this one-stop microsite houses together high-quality practice information in one place.

The Illinois State Bar Association is launching a new member group, the Privacy and Information Security Section. The new section was proposed by Ari Scharg, a partner at Edelson PC in Chicago, and approved by the ISBA Board of Governors.

The Privacy and Information Security Section was created in recognition that the field of privacy law is evolving at an exponential rate.

“It is rare, in this day and age, to find an area of the law that is in its infancy.  But with the rapid developments of new technologies and society’s evolving sensitivity to privacy issues, we find ourselves in the midst of exciting times” said Scharg, who will serve as the section’s chair. “Courts and legislators are grappling with complex issues ranging from how to define privacy harms to what types of information are subject to privacy concerns.  We are seeing case law nudge these issues along on a monthly, if not weekly, basis.”

The section will serve as a comprehensive resource for lawyers who practice in or are interested in the privacy and information security space to learn about information sharing practices. It will also provide a forum to discuss global developments and emerging technologies that will disrupt current business practices; learn best practices and debate issues; and review, monitor, and propose relevant legislation.

Section membership will be free for the 2017-2018 bar year. 

If you are interested in learning more about this section, joining for free, or nominating yourself for the section council, view the Privacy and Information Security Law page.