Don’t miss this opportunity to experience a family financial trial from start to finish! Join us in Grafton on October 8-9, 2015 as judges, experts, and experienced practitioners come together for this two-day nonstop action mock financial trial regarding maintenance, child support, college support, and asset division. An entire formal trial is conducted, including opening statements, witness examinations, and closing arguments. The witnesses include a business valuation expert and vocational expert whose complete reports are included in the materials. Each witness examination is followed by an interactive discussion in which the Assistant Judges review and comment on the rulings and testimony, along with audience discussion of the witness’s impact and case theory. Breaks and lunches will be set and witness testimony will be held over until court reconvenes as in an actual trial. The Court will rule at the close of the case. Family law attorneys with all levels of practice experience will benefit from the breadth and scope of the lessons demonstrated through this mock trial, including how to analyze trial strategy and the effectiveness of witness testimony.

The program is presented by the ISBA Family Law Section and qualifies for 15.0 hours MCLE credit, including 15.0 hours Professional Responsibility MCLE credit (subject to approval).

Click here for more information and to register.

The ISBA Environmental Law Section, CBA Environmental Law Committee, CBA Young Lawyers Section Environmental Law Committee and ABA Section of Environment, Energy, and Resources are hosting a networking reception for environmental attorneys in Chicago. There will be brief remarks from IIT Chicago-Kent Professor Dan Tarlock on U.S. Supreme Court environmental cases in the upcoming term.

This event will be held on Monday, Oct. 5, from 5-7 p.m. at Jenner & Block, 45th Floor Conference Center, 353 N. Clark. Click here to RSVP

Complimentary food and drinks will be provided thanks to our generous sponsors: Jenner & Block, BRG Berkely Research Group, Ramboll Energy and RPS GaiaTech.

The Supreme Court of Illinois announced the filing of lawyer disciplinary orders on September 21, 2015, during the September Term of Court. Sanctions were imposed because the lawyers engaged in professional misconduct by violating state ethics law. 

Please join the ISBA Environmental Law Section Council for a Professional Development Luncheon to discuss the Clean Power Plan - the first-ever national standards addressing carbon pollution from power plants. This program will be held on Wednesday, Oct. 21, from noon-1 p.m. at the ISBA Chicago Office, 20 S. Clark.

Speaker:

• Mr. James Gignac, Environmental & Energy Counsel, with the Office of the Attorney General. Mr. Gignac will provide an overview of the historic regualtions as well as provide insight into the rule's political and legal hurdles as well as implementation issues

Moderator:

• Patricia Sharkey, Environmental Law Section Council Chair

Cost: $15 includes lunch.

Register at www.isba.org/sections/environmentallaw/pdl

For general inquiries, please contact: Kent Mohr at kent.mohr@illinois.gov

Deadline to register is Friday, October 16th. No refunds will be given after October 16th.

No MCLE credit is available for this program.

Awards Reflect First Stipend Increase for PILI Interns in 10 Years

The Public Interest Law Initiative (PILI) has announced that it will make $257,500 in grants to 26 public interest law organizations across Illinois in fiscal year 2016. These grants will provide stipends for 55 PILI Law Student Interns during the 2015-16 academic year and the summer of 2016 through PILI’s Law Student Internship Program. Students apply from law schools across the country to compete for these funded public interest law internship opportunities. Recipients work 400 hours during the summer or 200 hours during the school year serving low-income and underrepresented individuals and families with legal needs.

Want to get paid faster? First, always walk your client through the initial bill. Second, don't omit details or use shorthand abbreviations on your bills. Third, never delay sending your bill -- especially after a favorable outcome. Fourth, make it as easy as possible for your client to pay you (e.g., via credit card). Finally, the only thing better than being paid immediately after sending a bill is being paid in advance via a security retainer or an advance payment retainer. Find out more from the Clio blog and the September Illinois Bar Journal.

Cook County Circuit Judge LeRoy K. Martin Jr. will be the next presiding judge of the Criminal Division of the Cook County Circuit Court.

Chief Cook County Circuit Judge Timothy C. Evans announced the appointment today, which takes effect immediately. Martin succeeds Paul P. Biebel Jr., who retired in July.

“For the last 13 years, I have observed Judge LeRoy Martin emerge as a rising star in the judiciary,” Chief Judge Evans said.

Asked and Answered

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

Q. I am the owner of an estate planning practice in Chicago's northwest suburbs. I have two associates and four staff members. I am 67 and would like to retire when I am 70 (3 years). I have no idea as to where I should start and the approach I should take. I would appreciate suggestions.

Join us on Sept. 25 in Chicago or online for "Practical Information about New Models for Health Insurance: Types of Provider/Payor Arrangements including Provider Ownership of the Plan, Employer-Sponsored Coverage, and Private Exchanges."

Don’t miss this discussion regarding how health care providers and employers are changing the way they provide and arrange for health care. Health care providers and employers are reforming the way they provide health care for their prospective patients and employees, all in an effort to improve both quality of care and their bottom lines. Integrated health care delivery systems have been getting into the insurance business – a trend that could affect the health care delivery and reimbursement system for the foreseeable future – while employers are simultaneously pushing for innovative solutions to the skyrocketing costs of providing quality health care benefits to their employees. Attorneys representing health care providers, health insurers, and employers who offer health insurance plans to employees will benefit from attending this half-day seminar that discusses: the legal and operational issues of provider/health plan arrangements; fee-splitting prohibitions; Anti-Kickback and Self-Referral laws; the advantages and disadvantages of provider owned plans; how physicians and employers have responded to provider owned plans; the innovative approaches to employer-provided health plans; and ERISA, HIPAA, and COBRA compliance issues with employer-provided plans.

The program is presented by the ISBA Health Care Law Section and qualifies for 4.0 hours MCLE credit.