Asked and Answered 

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

Q.  I am the founder, majority partner (80 percent), and managing partner of a 22-attorney firm in Phoenix, Arizona. The firm practice is focused in the area of healthcare. There are 12 equity partners, five non-equity partners, and five associates. I manage the firm as a benevolent dictator. I am becoming overwhelmed trying to manage the firm and practice law and I believe the firm is now at a size where others must become involved in managing the firm. I have been considering forming a committee of all the equity partners to manage the firm. Your thoughts are welcomed.

The ISBA Mutual Insurance Company has partnered with the Illinois Bar Foundation to create the ISBA Mutual Giving Circle. This program allows ISBA Mutual policyholders to donate all or part of their dividend to support the mission of the IBF. For more information on joining the ISBA Mutual Giving Circle, contact the Illinois Bar Foundation at (312) 726-6072 or IBFinfo@isba.org.

Congratulations on making it all the way through ISBA's Desk4Success Challenge!

We've shared a whole host of ideas this month covering everything from decluttering your office + mind to polishing your professional presence, and timesaving tech tips to office wellness. We hope you've found some new ideas to consider implementing in your own practice.

Here's the list of D4S posts from this month:

On July 1, 2017, a major change for calculating child support obligations takes effect. Last year, Public Act 99-764 was enacted. The legislation amended the Illinois Marriage and Dissolution of Marriage Act to replace the percentage guideline formula with the income shares model for calculating child support. This is a significant change that brings Illinois in line with 39 other states and the District of Columbia, which already use the income shares model.

Since 1984, Illinois has used the percentage guideline formula to determine child support. It arrives at the child support obligation by multiplying the payor's net income by a statutorily set percentage, which increases based on the number of children. This model is now considered outdated "because it does not reflect actual child rearing costs or allocate those costs between the parents." (Find out more more in the December 2016 IBJ at http://bit.ly/2qYq8Rr). Rather, the old formula required payors to simply pay a percentage of their net income regardless of the actual child rearing costs. Oak Brook attorney Margaret A. Bennett believes the old model often caused acrimony between divorcing parents because it is not always perceived as equitable and accurate.

The Illinois Supreme Court today announced amendments to the January 22, 2016 E-filing Order, with the goal of further facilitating the Illinois courts' statewide move to an electronic filing system. The amendments address court and vendor fees, incarcerated pro se litigants, migration of counties with stand-alone e-filing systems, a statewide remote access system, and criminal e-filing. (For more about mandatory e-filing, see the June Illinois Bar Journal.)

Court and Vendor Fees. Effective July 1, 2017, for the Illinois Supreme Court and Illinois Appellate Court, and effective January 1, 2018, for the circuit courts, no court or e-filing vendor shall charge the filer a transaction or user fee to e-file. The supreme court’s Electronic Filing Standards and Principles (Standards) were created to govern stand-alone e-filing systems in those jurisdictions approved to e-file. The Standards prohibited courts from collecting a fee (beyond the statutory civil filing fees) but allowed for an e-filing vendor to charge a transaction or use fee to the e-filer.

The Kendall County State's Attorney's Office is seeking a full-time assistant state's attorney in its civil division. The position requires a civil litigation background, working knowledge of real estate closings and zoning issues, contract review experience, and excellent research and writing abilities. Minimum of two to five years of civil practice experience with prior government experience preferred.

Resumes and supporting documents should be received no later than June 15, 2017. Salary commensurate with experience.

Please send cover letter, resume, writing samples, and reference to:

The Office of State's Attorney
Kendall County
807 West John Street
Yorkville, IL 60560
Telephone number: (630) 553-4157
Fax number: (630) 553-4204
E-mail: States_Attorney_Web_Email@co.kendall.il.us

The Kendall County State's Attorney's Office is an Equal Opportunity Employer

Being conscious of our own bias matters. Most of us are not aware that we harbor subconscious associations towards others based on characteristics such as gender, race, ethnicity, age, and appearance. Such attitudes and stereotypes find their way into law offices and courtrooms every day, often resulting in disparate treatment toward others, as well as to oneself. Only by becoming more aware of these “hidden” biases can we begin to correct them. Attorneys with all levels of practice experience who attend this online seminar on June 14, 2017 will be better prepared to: recognize implicit bias in themselves, their workplace, and the courtroom; learn how to ensure that one’s personal biases do not unfairly impact the outcome of the representation of clients; recognize the psychological dynamics in areas that affect lawyers in their everyday practices; learn from specific examples of how implicit bias and cultural awareness can be used to the advantage of clients, especially in  litigation; and much more!

The seminar is presented by the ISBA Standing Committee on Racial & Ethnic Minorities and the Law. It qualifies for 2.0 hours MCLE credit, including 2.0 hours Professional Responsibility MCLE credit.

Click here for more information and to register.

The winners of our May Member Appreciation Month Custom Consultation Contest met with Jeff Krause and Jennifer Ramovs of Affinity Consulting Group last week to get some expert advice on the practice management and technology areas with which they most needed help.

We sat down with Jeff and Jenn during a break between consultations to record their recap of the most commonly asked questions during the consultations and their corresponding advice.

Click to listen to the podcast.

Topics covered include:

• Business Development
• Efficiency (How To Do More With Less)
• What Software to Use for 'X'
• Mobility
• Document Management, Storage and Sharing

We'll be back with our final post tomorrow, recapping our month of Desk4Success challenges and a special bonus!

At ISBA Mutual, we love lawyers — and we're recognizing YOU throughout ISBA Member Appreciation Month. To show our appreciation, we are giving away 25 Goody Bags which includes a brief bag with supplies for when you are on the road. Make sure you enter to win!

Here is what you can expect to discover in your Goody Bag:

• Power Bank to Charge Your Phone
• USB Drive to Save Files
• The Fundamentals of Loss Prevention Handbook
• Supplies: Notepad, Pen & Post-It Cube

30 years ago, ISBA Mutual was created with a simple mission: to be a benefit to the members of the ISBA. In keeping with that mission ISBA Mutual is proud to sponsor Free Online CLE for all ISBA members, the ISBA Solo & Small Firm Institute Series, and much more. Learn more about ISBA Mutual.

Chances are good you already know someone using an alternative desk. Today we're taking a look at some of those options along with the health and productivity benefits they may provide.

Reasons to Consider Making a Change. It's no surprise to hear that sitting for the majority of the day is unhealthy. Factoring in the number of hours spent sitting at a desk with commute and couch potato time, Americans spend about 58 percent of their waking hours in a sitting position.

There's even a name for this sedentary lifestyle — sitting disease — and it carries with it numerous health implications including a higher risk of diabetes, cardiovascular disease and blood clots. For some, all this sitting is also a pain in the neck...and back, literally.

Which is why so many people are turning to creative ways to spend less time sitting at their desk.

Top 5 Alternatives to Sitting in Your Desk Chair. Interested in making a change? Here are a few options to consider...