Asked and Answered
By John W. Olmstead, MBA, Ph.D, CMC
Q. I am a relatively new attorney. I graduated three years ago from John Marshall Law School in Chicago. After law school I started with a small firm in the northern suburbs. Now with three years under my belt I am considering starting my own firm. I would appreciate your suggestions on how to get started.
The Illinois State Bar Association and the Illinois Judges Association are pleased to invite you to celebrate the profession and consider issues of mutual interest to the bench and bar during our annual Midyear Meeting (and joint meeting with the Illinois Judges Association).
December 8-10, 2016
The Sheraton Grand Chicago
301 East North Water Street, Chicago, Illinois
The Illinois Supreme Court announced today that Justice Lloyd A. Karmeier will be its next Chief Justice. Justice Karmeier was unanimously elected to the office by his fellow justices and will serve a three-year term commencing October 26, 2016. He succeeds Rita B. Garman, whose tenure as Chief Justice ends October 25, 2016. An installation ceremony honoring Justice Karmeier’s election as Chief Justice will be held at
the Supreme Court Building in Springfield on Monday, October 31. Justice Garman will
administer the oath of office.
Justice Karmeier will be this State’s 120th Chief Justice and the second person from Washington County to hold that office. Justice Byron O. House, for whom Justice Karmeier served as a law clerk, was the first.
“I appreciate the confidence shown by the other members of the court in electing me to this position,” said Justice Karmeier. “Since joining the court in 2004, I have had the privilege of serving under five different chief justices, all of whom have done an outstanding job. I will do my very best to live up to the high standard they have set.”
Governor Bruce Rauner has appointed ISBA member Mauro Glorioso to be the new Chairman of the State of Illinois Property Tax Appeal Board (PTAB).
Glorioso has been a member of the statewide five member board for eight years and was recently appointed its Chairman. Board members are appointed by the Governor with the advice and consent of the Senate. The Senate confirmed Glorioso’s appointment by a vote of 52-0.
“I am honored by Governor Rauner’s confidence in me to serve the Citizens of the State of Illinois as the Chairman of the PTAB," Glorioso said. "The PTAB exists to insure that the Taxpayers of the State have an avenue of relief to make certain that their real property assessments are fair and uniform.”
The PTAB provides that taxpayer service through the Administrative Law Process and does not charge to file cases at its offices. Cases are then assigned to administrative law judges (ALJ) to be heard and considered. A written decision is prepared which is reviewed by the board. The Board’s charge is to determine the correct assessed value of the property under consideration. It does not determine tax bills. Appeals can be made to the PTAB only after a board of review determination from any county in Illinois. Prior to becoming a board member, Glorioso served as an ALJ at the agency for eight years.
The Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund (IMRF) is requesting proposals to provide general legal services to IMRF from law firms that qualify under Illinois law as businesses owned by minorities, females, or persons with a disability.
The RFP is available on the IMRF website at https://www.imrf.org/rfps
Proposals must be received no later than end of business day on October 7, 2016.
Illinois Attorney Robert Markoff discusses how to avoid a sheriff's levy sale and enhance property values at forced sales.
The Catholic Lawyers Guild of Chicago cordially invites you, your family and other guests to attend the 82nd Annual Votive Mass of the Holy Spirit, traditionally known as the Red Mass.
A reception following the Red Mass will be held at Loyola University, 111 E. Pearson, 16th Floor. Judge Virginia M. Kendall will be honored as the 2016 Catholic Lawyer of the Year and James J. Convery will receive the Catholic Lawyers Guild Special Service Award. Cost for the reception is $75. RSVP at www.chicagoredmass.org.
These offers are provided to you by Illinois State Bar Association.
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On July 4, 2016, the Urbana police arrested Bryton Mellott for burning the American flag. The day before, Mellott had posted a picture of himself burning the flag on Facebook, adding the hashtag #ArrestMe.
The post received attention across social media, including some threats directed at Mellott. In a statement to the News-Gazette, the Urbana police said that because some of the threatening comments mentioned Mellott's employer, Mellott was taken into custody for his own protection and that of others (see http://www.news-gazette.com/news/local/2016-07-05/update-urbana-flag-burner-wont-be-charged.html).
The decision was made to arrest him under Illinois's flag desecration statute (720 ILCS 5/49-1). But flag burning is protected speech under the First Amendment. In Texas v. Johnson, 491 U.S. 397 (1989), the Supreme Court held that Texas' similar flag desecration law was an unconstitutional prior restraint on speech, albeit potentially unpopular speech.
