A recent post by Dustin Christensen on the popular Lawyerist blog points out that including the badge that lists your Avvo rating can actually promote competing lawyers. “If you have claimed your Avvo profile, you have probably seen links to claim your badge, which you can add to your website in order to show visitors your Avvo rating,” Christensen writes. “To do this, Avvo gives you a code you can copy and paste into your website to display your badge.”

As he notes, “Avvo says the badge will send visitors ‘to your Avvo profile where they can review information about you and likely contact you for help to solve their legal needs’….What Avvo doesn’t tell you is that the badge also includes a link to an Avvo directory page specific to your city and practice area. That’s right: the badge includes a link to a list of your competitors,” Christensen writes.

The ISBA Young Lawyers Division will host a Wine Tasting event on Friday, Feb. 27 from 5:30-7:30 p.m. at the ISBA Chicago Office. This evening will feature networking with fellow ISBA members and friends.

More information and registration will be available soon at www.isba.org/sections/yld

Have a question about tax credits? Call 866-454-5177

ISBA MEMBERS: You may know that under the Affordable Care Act (ACA), you may be eligible for a tax credit that could save you considerable money on health insurance. But did you know that as a member of the ISBA, you have a fast, reliable and convenient way to learn whether you qualify?

ISBA has established a relationship with Mercer Marketplace,* which makes an insurance solution available to you from the insurance agent and broker GetInsured. With a few mouse clicks, you can learn whether you qualify for tax credits. You also can learn just how much these credits could save you on ACA-compliant health insurance available in your area.

To learn whether you qualify, visit www.getinsured.com/isba. Fill in your date of birth, ZIP code and approximate household income. You’ll get an answer in seconds. Then you can search for available plans in your area and discover what you would pay after the tax credit is applied.

It’s all very easy. You pay nothing to use this service. And you are under no obligation to purchase anything. (Although you can enroll in coverage, if you wish!)

Open enrollment for health care ends February 15, 2015. Start learning today how much you can save on coverage the law requires. Call 866-454-5177 to talk to a specialist or visit www.getinsured.com/isba now.

The 2015 ISBA High School Mock Trial Invitational, which is co-sponsored by the ISBA and the Illinois Trial Team of the U of I College of Law, will be held on Saturday and Sunday, March 14-15, 2015 at the University of Illinois College of Law in Champaign.

Jason Hortenstine of Mattoon, an associate at Heller, Holmes & Associates, is the first place winner in the ISBA’s 2015 Lincoln Award Legal Writing Contest. Jason received a cash award of $2,000, and his winning article, “A Practitioner’s Guide to the Loss of Chance Doctrine in Illinois,” will appear in the February Illinois Bar Journal. The contest is sponsored by the Young Lawyers Division and open to YLD members.

Second place winner is Sean Brown, Bridgeview, a Cook County Assistant State’s Attorney. He wrote “Post-Kladis Issues: The Evolving Illinois Discovery Laws.” Third place goes to John Painter, an associate at Ashman Law Offices, LLC in Chicago, for “Pusher Man: Lawyers Push the Legal and Ethical Limits Representing Marijuana Businesses.” The second place winner got a $1,000 cash prize and the third place winner received $500.

Asked and Answered

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

Q. I am with a 17-attorney general business firm located in Boston and chair of the firm's three-member marketing committee. At this year's planning retreat we discussed the concept of niche marketing and whether we should focus on a specific niche. Your thoughts would be appreciated.

The ISBA is accepting nominations for Young Lawyer of the Year Award & Law Student Public Service Award. The Awards will be presented at the Awards Luncheon during the ISBA Annual Meeting, Friday, June 19, 2015 at the Grand Geneva Resort, Lake Geneva, WI. Nominations for both awards are due March 20, 2015.

Every business is built on the idea that it has information that is indispensible to its success – and limiting employees' use of this information is imperative if that business wants to continuing succeeding. It is equally important that attorneys representing business clients know how to draft, review, and enforce non-competes, non-disclosures, and non-solicitation agreements for their business clients. Don't miss this live webcast on Thursday, January 29, 2015 that not only provides a basic overview of the law in Illinois regarding restrictive covenants, but also compares Illinois law with two other jurisdictions on varying ends of the enforceability spectrum! Sample forms and drafting tips are also included.

The seminar is presented by the ISBA Business & Securities Section and qualifies for 1.25 hours MCLE credit.

Click here for more information and to register.

On November 12, 2014, Sonoko Tagami sued the City of Chicago alleging that section 8-8-080 of the city's municipal code is impermissibly vague, representing an unconstitutional infringement on her First and Fourteenth Amendment rights.

Titled "Indecent Exposure or Dress," the ordinance prohibits women from exposing to public view "any portion of the breast at or below the areola." Women are required to cover their breasts with an "opaque covering." The ordinance does not prohibit men from being topless in public. Tagami was issued a notice of ordinance violation on August 24, 2014 when she was participating in "Go Topless Day," an annual event where women go topless in public to express their view that women, like men, should not be prohibited from appearing bare-chested.