With the 2015-16 season quickly approaching, the Chicago Blackhawks would like to offer you an exclusive opportunity to purchase preseason tickets.

Receive a hockey stick autographed by a member of the 2015 Stanley Cup Champions with the purchase of four or more tickets in the 100 or 200 level, while supplies last.*

This is your opportunity to get an early look at the Blackhawks and see opponents like Detroit, St. Louis and Dallas.

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Asked and Answered

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

Q. I am a new partner in our law firm of six attorneys. I was an associate for seven years and was just made an equity partner and just received a copy of this month's income statement. The income statement shows the firm operating at a loss. I was startled and took a look at past years' statements as well. All are showing a small loss. Am I looking at these correctly? How can a firm operate at a loss for seven years in a row and still be in business. I would appreciate your comments.

A. My guess is that the firm is running all or a portion of equity partner compensation though as expense on the income statement. Other personal items may also be run through the firm as well. Check with the firm's bookkeeper or outside accountant to see if this is the case. If this is the case add the total paid to equity partners back to the net income or loss on the income statement. This will give a better picture of the actual "pie".

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Volunteer hotline attorneys are needed in Chicago to give advice to low-income clients in the areas of landlord/tenant, consumer debt, and family law. Day and night shifts are available. Daily hotline shifts are Mondays-Fridays 9 a.m.-1 p.m. or 1 p.m.-5 p.m. A minimum commitment of 1 shift per week over a 10-week session is requested. Evening shifts are Mondays and Wednesdays from 5:30 p.m.–8 p.m.  We seek a minimum commitment of 36 hours over a one-year period. Training (with CLE credit) and malpractice insurance provided.

Our next training cycle begins Wednesday, September 16, 2015 from 4:00pm-8:00pm. For more information, contact Leslie Wallin at (312) 421-4427 or lwallin@carpls.org or go to   http://www.carpls.org/getinvolved/hotlinevolunteer/

ISBA Spotlight on Pro Bono

By Susan LePeau DeCostanza, Staff Attorney, Chicago Volunteer Legal Services

Summer is a time when we may flex our work schedule a bit and take some time off to enjoy the weather with family and friends. Summer is also a great time to start thinking creatively about that pro bono or volunteer project you’ve been meaning to get started this year. With information about so many pro bono opportunities online and at our fingertips, volunteering has never been so easy! 

Get the best practice tips and practical tools you need to run your law office efficiently and profitably with this full-day seminar in Fairview Heights on September 11, 2015! Gain a better understanding of: how to maintain your practice during an emergency; how to manage the financial side of your practice – from trust accounts and office expenses, to accounts receivable and payable; the human resources issues you need to be aware of; how document assembly can help you run your practice more efficiently; how to plan for the future given the current legal landscape; and much more!

The program – which is presented by the Illinois State Bar Association and sponsored by the ISBA Mutual Insurance Company – qualifies for 6.75 hours MCLE credit, including 6.75 hours Professional Responsibility MCLE credit (subject to approval).

Click here for more information and to register.

The Illinois Bar Foundation (IBF), the charitable arm of the Illinois State Bar Association, has awarded its 2015 Post Graduate Legal Fellowship Program grants to three 2015 law school graduates.

The Fellowships, which provide clinical support for three law school legal clinics, were awarded this summer to Calli Leigh Burnett, of Chicago; Bryan McIntyre, of Urbana, and Marishonta M. Wilkerson, of Milwaukee.

The foundation launched its Post Graduate Legal Fellowship Program in 2014 to fund public interest jobs for recent law graduates, according to Shawn Kasserman, IBF president. The foundation will award $25,000 to each of the three fellowships. The law schools will each contribute a stipend to help fund the positions.

Wilkerson will serve at NIU Law’s Zeke Giorgi Clinic in Rockford; McIntyre will work in the Civil Litigation Clinic at the University of Illinois; and Burnett will support the Community Law Center Clinic at Loyola University Chicago.

Join your peers for an afternoon of socializing and horse racing at this annual event! 

When: Saturday, September 12, 2015, Noon – 6 p.m.

Tickets will be available for pick up at 11:15 AM on race day at the will call window, Grandstand Entrance (east side off of Wilke Road entrance).

Where: Arlington Park Racecourse, Arlington Heights - ISBA will be at umbrella covered picnic tables located near the 1/8 mile pole.

Cost: $9.00 per adult, $2.00 per youth age 4-17. Tickets are complimentary for children 3 and under. General Admission cost includes admission to the park, a daily racing guide, and a fabulous day of Thoroughbred racing! Lunch is not included.

Deadline: Register by Wednesday, September 9, 2015. Ticket refunds are no longer available after Wednesday, September 9, 2015.

For information on permitted and prohibited items in the park, please visit: http://www.arlingtonpark.com/plan-your-visit/general-information/park-policies

Questions: Please email Melissa Burkholder at mburkholder@isba.org or Blake Howard at bhoward@isba.org.

ISBA Director of Legislative Affairs Jim Covington reviews legislation in Springfield of interest to ISBA members. This week he covers Lifetime driver’s license revocation (Public Act 99-290), Health Care Power of Attorney (Public Act 99-328), Disabled adults (Public Act 99-302), Trusts and Trustees Act (Public Act 99-337), Elder abuse (PA 99-272), Boundary-line agreements (Public Act 99-292), Municipal Code violations (Public Act 99-293). More information on each bill is available below the video.

In a case that has drawn national attention, the Illinois Supreme Court recently ruled that Comcast must release to the plaintiff identifying information about the till-then anonymous online defendant in a defamation lawsuit.

In Hadley v. Subscriber Doe, the court considered what a plaintiff must show to compel the release of an Internet subscriber's identifying information. The court's ruling focuses on the tension between the right of an individual to speak anonymously and the "necessity" component of Illinois Supreme Court Rule 224, which allows a plaintiff to conduct discovery to identify a responsible party. It ultimately held that if a defamation claim can survive a section 2-615 motion to dismiss, then a plaintiff has demonstrated necessity sufficient to trigger Rule 224. See the August Illinois Bar Journal for more on the ruling.

On August 3, On Monday, the attorney for the defendant filed a motion to stay with the U.S. Supreme Court to preserve his client's anonymity.