You are invited to attend ISBA’s upcoming Free Live CLE Webcast as part of our Member Appreciation Month.

Seating is limited so register today!

Learn how to evaluate and address risk in your law practice with this one-hour live webcast!

Join us as legal ethics lawyer, litigator and law firm practice professor, Michael Downey, shows you 15 areas of your practice that are in need of immediate assessment, including employee engagement and compensation, client intake, client communication, handling of client funds and property, marketing your practice and developing new business, dealing with unhappy and dangerous clients – and much more!

Michael Downey of the Downey Law Group, LLC has represented lawyers on disciplinary and malpractice matters in Missouri and Illinois, and has taught legal ethics and law firm practice to thousands of lawyers, as well as to law students as an adjunct professor at both Washington University and St. Louis University.

The program closes as a representative from ISBA Mutual Insurance Company provides a brief overview of the claims process and answers your questions.

*Professional Responsibility MCLE credit subject to approval

PROGRAM SPEAKERS:

Michael P. Downey, Downey Law Group LLC, St. Louis

Representative, ISBA Mutual Insurance Company, Chicago

While licensed Illinois attorneys no longer have to worry about passing the bar exam, future exam takers will face a tougher passing score, also known as the "cut score." Fortunately for them, it isn't as tough as the Illinois Board of Admissions to the Bar originally intended.

The Board had not raised the bar exam's passing score since 1994, when it was increased to 264 out of a possible score of 400. After evaluating average scores across both the multiple choice and written portions of the exam, the Board found that an increase in the passing score was necessary.

Regina Kwan Peterson, the Board's director of administration, compares the recalibration of the passing score to the recentering of the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT), which had remained unchanged since 1941. "These sorts of things don't happen often," she says.

In July 2015, the minimum passing score will be raised to 266. Instead of the next increase taking effect in 2016, the new schedule increases the score for the July 2017 exam to 268. Find out more in the May Illinois Bar Journal.

James F. McCluskey of Lisle won the race for third vice-president of the Illinois State Bar Association, and Jessica A. O’Brien of Chicago, Kent A. Gaertner of Wheaton, Rory T. Weiler of St. Charles, and Dennis J. Orsey of Granite City won contested races for seats on the ISBA Board of Governors. Sonni Choi Williams of Peoria and Charles Davis of Springfield won uncontested Board seats.

Here is the full Tellers report for the 2015 ISBA election:

CONTESTED RACES (winners in bold)

For Third Vice-President – 1 to be elected

Justices of the Illinois Supreme Court administered the attorney’s oath to 600 new attorneys on Thursday, May 7 at five separate locations across the state.

The largest group, 403, were admitted in the First Judicial District during three ceremonies at the James R. Thompson Center Assembly Hall, 100 W. Randolph St. in Chicago. The ceremonies were held at 9 a.m., 11:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m.

Justice Anne M. Burke presided over the 9 a.m. ceremony in the First District. Guests of the morning ceremony included Thomas A. Clancy, of the Illinois Board of Admissions to the Bar; Celestia L. Mays, president of the Cook County Bar Association; and Anita DeCarlo, president of the Justinian Society who moved for admission of the class.

Justice Charles Freeman and Appellate Justice Cynthia Cobbs presided over the 11:30 a.m. ceremony. Guests of the second First District ceremony included: Sheila B. Kennedy, of the Illinois Board of Admissions to the Bar; Illinois State Bar Association President Richard D. Felice; and John Litchfield, president of the Lesbian and Gay Bar Association.

The United States Attorney for the Central District of Illinois is currently seeking qualified applicants for a position as Assistant United States Attorney (AUSA) in the Criminal Division for our Rock Island, IL location, which is one of four branch offices in the district. AUSAs in the Criminal Division supervise the investigation of and prosecute federal offenses involving among other things, financial fraud, hate crimes, identity theft, economic crimes, firearms trafficking, counterfeiting, program fraud, immigration violations, drug trafficking, violent crimes, domestic terrorism, bank robbery, human trafficking, child exploitation, transportation of stolen goods, and public corruption.

Responsibilities will increase and assignments will become more complex as your training and experience progress.

Required Qualifications: Applicants must possess a J.D. Degree, be an active member of the bar (any U.S. jurisdiction), and have at least 1 year post-J.D. legal or other relevant experience.

United States citizenship is required.

Preferred Qualifications: Applicants must demonstrate analytical ability, good judgment, and excellent communication and courtroom skills. Applicants must demonstrate superior oral and writing skills as well as strong research and interpersonal skills. Applicants should be proficient in the use of a computer. Applicants must exhibit the ability to work in a supportive and highly professional manner with other attorneys, professional support staff, client agency representatives, law enforcement officers / investigators, opposing counsel, and court staff.

You must meet all qualification requirements upon the closing date of this announcement.

Asked and Answered

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

Q. Our firm is a six attorney personal injury plaintiff located in Kansas City. We have been in practice for 20 years and the firm has been very successful. However, in the last few years the cases are getting larger, more complex, and really putting a drain on our cash flow. We are always into our credit Line. Your thoughts would be appreciated.

A. Cash flow has always been a challenge for contingency fee practices. However, times are getting harder. Insurance companies are refusing to settle personal injury cases, stretching out timelines for paying out cases they do settle, paying less, and becoming even harder to deal with. Other contingency fee practices are also facing similar challenges and everyone is finding it harder to find adequate lines of credit. Many firms that were once 100% contingency fee practices are looking for ways to improve cash flow implementing different fee arrangements or by adding non-contingency fee practice areas.

I suggest that you evaluate ways that you might re-balance your case portfolio to say 60% contingency/time-bill mix. You might consider:

Tweet to us about your ISBA membership experience between May 5-29 for a chance to win an Apple iWatch Sport (Grand Prize) or a $100 Amazon Gift Card (3 Runner-Ups.) Winning tweets (and their tweeters) will also be featured in an upcoming issue of theIllinois Bar Journal.

In 140 characters or less, tell us about how you’re using an ISBA member benefit in your practice. Our panel of judges will choose the winning tweets based on the following criteria: cleverness, relevancy and helpfulness.

A few important tips:

• Be sure to use #isbabenefits in your tweet.
• Keep it clean (including your handle.)
• Inspire other ISBA members to think about using the benefit the way you do.

ISBA Director of Legislative Affairs Jim Covington reviews legislation in Springfield of interest to ISBA members. This week he covers Cannabis civil penalties (Senate Bill 2228), Limited Liability Company Act (House Bill 4361), Income shares and child support (House Bill 3982), IMDMA cleanup (House Bill 3898), and Land Trust Beneficiary Rights Act (House Bill 4697). More information on each bill is available below the video.

Cannabis civil penalties. Senate Bill 2228 (Steans, D-Chicago; Cassidy, D-Chicago) makes several changes to the Code of Criminal Procedure. It replaces criminal penalties for possession of small amounts of cannabis (less than 10 grams) with a civil fine of $100-$200. The other change at issue replaces the current “zero-tolerance” prohibition of driving with any trace of cannabis in the driver’s bodily fluids with a per se standard of five nanograms/milliliter of whole blood or ten nanograms/milliliter in any other bodily substance. It’s passed the Senate and on second reading in the House.

Attorney Trent Bush demonstrates how to capture any part of your screen using the snipping tool in Microsoft Windows. Capture parts of documents to include in your briefs, and even share an error message with your IT staff through email.