Asked and Answered
By John W. Olmstead, MBA, Ph.D, CMC
Q. I am a solo attorney in upstate New York. My practice is limited to estate planning, estate administration, and elder law. I have just hired my first associate and am trying to get a sense of the number of billable hours I should expect her to produce. Your comments would be appreciated.
The Illinois State Bar Association invites YLD members to share their hard-won knowledge, and maybe win $2,000 in prize money by entering the Annual Lincoln Award Legal Writing Contest.
We're looking for useful, practical articles on topics important to practicing lawyers. The highest scores will go to manuscripts that Illinois lawyers can use in their practices, written in a no-nonsense, plain-English style.
If you're an ISBA lawyer member under age 36 as of July 1, 2015 or admitted to the bar fewer than five years as of that date, you're eligible to compete for a share of the $3,500 in Lincoln Award prize money and a handsome plaque for your office. And even if you don't win, yours may be among the many Lincoln Award entries to appear in the Illinois Bar Journal.
The deadline for filing a notice to enter the contest is July 15, 2015; use our online form. A brief outline of the article must be submitted on or before August 15, 2015; email the outline to Jean Fenski at jfenski@isba.org. The final deadline for manuscripts is noon Thursday, October 1, 2015; manuscripts should be emailed by noon to Jean Fenski at jfenski@isba.org.
The contest is sponsored by and for members of the Young Lawyers Division. A distinguished panel of judges will evaluate the entries. Please read the contest rules at http://www.isba.org/ibj/lincolnwritingaward
The Lawyers' Assistance Program (LAP) will host a volunteer training on Friday, June 26 from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at Loyola University School of Law & the University of Illinois at Springfield.
The purpose of this training is to:
There is no charge for the training, but goodwill donations are accepted to help defray lunch costs. Limited space - registration required.
To register call the LAP office at 312-726-6607 or email at bmclaughlin@illinoislap.org.
Justice Mary Jane Theis and the Illinois Supreme Court on Monday announced the appointment of veteran Oak Park attorney William B. Sullivan as Cook County Circuit Judge in the Eleventh Judicial Subcircuit.
Mr. Sullivan, a longtime resident of the Eleventh Subcircuit, was appointed by the Court to fill the vacancy created by the retirement of Judge Susan Zwick. The appointment takes effect June 11, 2015 and will terminate Dec. 5, 2016, when the position is filled by the 2016 General Election.
Don’t miss this opportunity to update your knowledge on a number of key criminal law areas, including pre-trial motions, pleas of guilty, jury selection, and more. Criminal defense attorneys, general practitioners, assistant state’s attorneys, and assistant public defenders with all levels of practice experience who attend this seminar in Collinsville on May 1, 2015 will better understand: how successful attorneys use strong opening/closing arguments and direct/cross examinations to convince the judge and jury of their client’s innocence; the new amendments moving through the Illinois legislature; the pre-trial issues that can arise in your next criminal court case; how to properly present plea agreements and avoid claims of ineffective assistance of counsel; how Sixth Amendment law continues to be impacted as a result of Crawford v. Washington; how to develop good relationships with your clients; the importance of successful jury selection; how to properly preserve your trial and/or hearing for appeal; and much more!
The seminar is presented by the ISBA Criminal Law Section and co-sponsored by the Southern Illinois University School of Law. It qualifies for 6.0 hours MCLE credit, including 2.25 hours Professional Responsibility MCLE credit (subject to approval).
The Village of Chatham, Illinois, is seeking outside counsel to serve as its Village Attorney. Interested attorneys/law firms should submit a letter of interest, resume(s) and firm brochure outlining the candidates municipal law experience and retainer/fee proposal. Please send 10 copies of requested documents. Responses should be sent to Jill Butler at the Village of Chatham, 116 Mulberry, Chatham, IL 62629. The submission deadline is May 12, 2015.
McLean County attorney Mike McElvain and McLean County Judge Elizabeth Robb (Ret.) will be honored by the Fellows of the Illinois Bar Foundation at a reception Thursday, April 30 from 5 to 6:30 pm at McLean County Museum of History (Old Courthouse), 200 N. Main St., in Bloomington.
The Illinois Bar Foundation, the charitable arm of the Illinois State Bar Association, is honoring attorney McElvain and Judge Robb for their professionalism and commitment to assist the legal profession in serving the public.
The mission of the Illinois Bar Foundation is to ensure meaningful access to the justice system, especially for those with limited means, and to assist lawyers who have fallen upon hard times.
Individual tickets are $35 per person. For more information or to purchase tickets, call (312) 726-6072 or visit http://goo.gl/hr0lY2. The Illinois Bar Foundation is located at 20 S. Clark St., Suite 910, Chicago, IL 60603. Information also is available at www.illinoisbarfoundation.org.
