Asked and Answered

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

Q. Our firm is an 18-attorney firm based in San Diego. We are considering hiring our first legal administrator and have interviewed several candidates and have narrowed our search down to two candidates. One candidate has a strong financial background and has worked as a director of administration in several very large firms - 200 plus attorneys. The other candidate has a strong HR background, a weaker financial background, and has worked as a firm administrator in two different law firms - a 30 attorney firm and a 20 attorney firm. We like both candidates. Which candidate would you lean toward?

The United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit is accepting applications from all qualified applicants for the position of Federal Public Defender for the Southern District of Illinois headquartered at East St. Louis. The appointment is for four years at a current salary of $160,300.

The ways in which we are delivering legal services are evolving like never before. To stay on top of these changes, we as a profession must create dialogue. That’s how the inception of The Future is Now: Legal Services 2.016 came to be.

On April 6th, ISBA will co-sponsor a conference with the ABA Commission on the Future of Legal Services, the Chicago Bar Association, and the Illinois Supreme Court Commission on Professionalism. The event will take place at the Chase Bank Auditorium in Chicago from 2-5:15 p.m. with a reception immediately following.

The conference will feature several leaders in the legal profession from in and outside of the state, including ISBA President-Elect Vincent F. Cornelius, ISBA Past President Tim Eaton, LegalZoom General Counsel Chas Rampenthal, Washington State Bar Association Executive Director Paula Littlewood, and several more.

The event is free and attendees are eligible to receive three hours of professional responsibility CLE in Illinois. However, seating is limited, so register early. You won’t want to miss it out on this conversation.

We hope to see you there.

The Illinois Bar Foundation (IBF), the charitable arm of the Illinois State Bar Association, has received a cy pres award of approximately $11,000 as recommended by McGuire Law, P.C., in Chicago.                 

The donation represents the remaining funds from a class action settlement the firm won in 2015, Murray et al v. Bill Me Later, Inc. (Northern District of Ill., Case No. 12CVO4789), according to Myles McGuire, principal at the firm.

“We chose the Illinois Bar Foundation because of its fine work helping ensure that all Illinois residents receive access to justice,” he said. “Their efforts to support other lawyers who have fallen on hard times financially also figured in to our decision. They were a natural choice.”

The Illinois State Bar Association’s Lawyer Finder Service provides referrals to local lawyers Mondays through Fridays. The Service makes referrals in a number of areas of law. For the month of February 2016, there were 897 referrals. ISBA helped people in need of legal services find lawyers in the following areas:

ISBA leaders met with law school deans Thursday at the Chicago Office to address the important issues raised in the Report and Recommendation of the Special Committee on the Impact of Current Law School Curriculum on the Future of the Practice of Law in Illinois.

Through this collaborative effort, the ISBA hopes to refine and expand the Report’s recommendations. The ultimate goal is to identify realistic ways that legal educators and the practicing bar can work together to ensure that future generations of Illinois lawyers are fully prepared to represent the interests of clients.

ISBA President Umberto Davi said, “The adoption of this Report is an important step as we strive to begin a discussion with Illinois’ law schools about improving the skills of those entering the practice of law.”

"What can you do to protect yourself from potential clients who come into your office, indicate they want to hire you, and then change their mind?" Barbara Bell of Libertyville asked recently on the ISBA main discussion group. "Do any of you charge a consultation fee?"

She got a range of responses. At one end of the spectrum was Carl Draper of Springfield, who says there are no free consultations in his practice. "I have a set fee that is a very fair price to the client, so I get compensated for my time since appointments are rarely shorter than an hour," he said. "I try to give good advice for the amount of information provided in advance and often get retained to do further work."

On the other side is Michael Poulos of Evanston, who says, "I almost never charge a consultation fee. If the potential client has a case that makes sense, wants to hire me, and has the money, great. Otherwise I chalk it up to goodwill and 'marketing.' That potential client who did not hire me has been known to send a good client my way at some future date."

Read more responses in the March Illinois Bar Journal. And find out more about ISBA discussion groups, many of which are open to all members.

Chief Justice Rita B. Garman and the Illinois Supreme Court have announced the appointment of Quincy attorney Amy C. Lannerd as a Circuit Judge in the Eighth Judicial Circuit.

Ms. Lannerd was appointed Wednesday to fill the at-large vacancy created by the retirement of Judge William O. Mays, Jr. Her appointment takes effect April 12, 2016, and terminates December 3, 2018, when the position is filled by the 2018 General Election.

Asked and Answered

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

Q. I am the owner of an estate planning firm in Oklahoma City. I have four associates that work for me in addition to two billable paralegals and three staff support members. I am looking for ways to improve our business development and marketing. The majority of our business comes from past client referrals and referrals from employees and friends. We spend a considerable amount on advertising which includes our website, print ads, collateral materials, newsletters, etc. We would like to do more to increase client business. I would appreciate your thoughts?