Last year, Chicago criminal defense lawyer Beau Brindley was tried in federal court for improperly coaching witnesses, having been charged with 21 criminal counts tied to that practice. He was acquitted by a judge who among other things remembered his own "exhaustive preparation" of witnesses when he was a practicing lawyer. (See The Beau Brindley case: Witness preparation v. coaching, LawPulse, November 2015 Journal.)

The case underscores the dilemma lawyers face in preparing witnesses. On the one hand, they owe it to their clients to thoroughly prep witnesses for what can be make-or-break testimony. On the other, they owe an ethical - indeed, a legal - duty to be truthful and not to present false evidence.

Ethical preparation starts with counseling the witness to tell the truth, but it doesn't end there. Properly preparing witnesses for a deposition or trial also means not putting words in their mouths, discouraging them from guessing or speculating, returning to the scene of the crime or accident if necessary to refresh their memories, and more, all while ensuring that enough time is left to cover all those bases beforehand.

Illinois State Bar Association and Go Next are pleased to present wonderful travel opportunities available to you, your family and friends. Take advantage of the great savings and conveniences when traveling with Go Next. On many of our programs, you can select from daily optional excursions or experience these destinations on your own.

Because of the exceptional price and limited space, we encourage you to make your reservation as soon as possible. If have any questions or need additional information, please call 800-842-9023, email us or visit the Go Next website.

Download the current schedule of vacations at http://www.isba.org/sites/default/files/membership/441_ISBA_2016_2017_TPF_ALL.pdf

The names of 13 new associate judges, selected in a vote of Cook County Circuit Court judges, were announced Tuesday by Michael J. Tardy, Director of the Administrative Office of the Illinois Courts.

Ballots listing the names of 26 finalists, chosen from 283 candidates, were distributed to 249 circuit judges. Ballots were due April 15, 2016.

The Alliance of Bar Associations and the Chicago Bar Association evaluated the candidates. Each candidate was interviewed by a nine member nominating committee, comprised of Chief Judge Timothy C. Evans of the Cook County Circuit Court and eight presiding judges.

Ballots were distributed to all eligible voters* on March 28, 2016. ISBA's election provider VR Election Services (VRES) emailed e-ballots to members with valid email addresses and mailed paper ballots to members without valid email addresses on Monday, March 28, 2016. Voting ends at 4:30 PM CT Friday, April 29. 

If you have not received your e-ballot, please ask your Information Technology (IT) person to check the email spam folder under the suffix "vres.us" to see if your e-ballot is there. IT can adjust the spam filter settings to allow the e-ballot to reach you. If your e-ballot is not in your spam folder, please contact VRES at 800-218-4026 or custserv@vres.us.

Your e-ballot will contain instructions on how to cast your vote electronically. If you prefer to vote by paper ballot, you may request one by contacting VRES at 800-218-4026 or custserv@vres.us. The last day to request a paper ballot was Friday, April 15.

All eligible voters* may vote for Third Vice President. Those with ISBA addresses that fall in one of the following districts/circuits are also eligible to vote in their respective Board of Governors race. Candidate bios can be viewed in the March Illinois Bar Journal.

Cook County: First Judicial District Board of Governors

Judicial Circuits 1-23: Under Age 37 outside Cook County Board of Governors.

Women Leaders: A Discussion on Employment, Labor & Inclusion will be held on Wednesday, May 4 from 3-5:45 p.m. at Kirland & Ellis, 300 N. LaSalle in Chicago. A reception will follow from 5:45-6:45 p.m. This event is being put on by the Women's Bar Association of Illinois in collaboration with the National Association of Minority & Women Owned Law Firms. The ISBA is serving as an Invited Organization.

Registration and more information is available at https://wbaillinois.org/events/womenleaders/

Registration is now open for the 140th ISBA Annual Meeting. Join us at our new convenient location in Rosemont, IL for three days packed with learning and networking opportunities.

We're offering 2 tracks of Solo and Small Firm Practice Institute programming, focusing on Transforming Your Practice with Technology and Establishing Your New Solo/Small Firm Practice.

We're also rolling out the red carpet for today's new lawyers. Come Friday to hear from The Good Wife's legal technical advisor and stay for an afternoon of improv with our Young Lawyers Division, followed by an all-night party celebrating the profession. 

It's the best ideas merged into one exciting conference, with more than 16 hours of CLE, 58 business meetings, an exhibit hall, and the Chicago Catz Band. It's Annual:Redone, with #moreCLEmoreFUN.

View the schedule at www.isba.org/annual/schedule

Register at www.isba.org/annual/registration

The Illinois Supreme Court has appointed Jacob H. Jost as the new Reporter of Decisions, a position that ensures opinions issued by the Supreme and Appellate courts are published with accurate case citations and proper style.

Mr. Jost's appointment took effect April 1, 2016. He replaces Urbana resident Amy L. Tomaszewski, who served in the role for two years. Mr. Jost joins the Court's staff from Chief Justice Rita B. Garman's office, where he had worked as a judicial law clerk since 2013.

Join us in Lombard on May 13, 2016 for a comprehensive look at how to handle complicated lien priority and construction escrow matters involving new construction with this informative full-day seminar that uses a fact pattern scenario (based on an actual case) as the backdrop for each presentation! Real estate attorneys, construction law practitioners, and lawyers working in the commercial banking/collections/bankruptcy areas who attend this seminar will better understand: the issues and concerns that can arise with the original development contracts and general real estate purchase contracts; the requirements involved in financing a construction project; the red flags to look for in construction, escrow procedures and disbursements, and related title insurance matters; how mechanics’ liens affect the developer, builder, lender, real estate purchaser, and subcontractor; how mechanics’ lien foreclosure and builder’s bankruptcy impacts a construction project; and changes in the law that substantially affect construction-related issues. The seminar is presented by the ISBA Real Estate Law Section and co-sponsored by the ISBA Construction Law Section and ISBA Commercial Banking, Collections, and Bankruptcy Section. It qualifies for 6.25 hours MCLE credit.