Panel of 16 Lawyers and Former Judges to Recommend Candidates

U.S. Senator Mark Kirk (R-Ill.) today announced formation of a statewide, non-partisan Judicial Search Committee. The Committee will recommend a nominee for the vacancy in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, which was created when Judge James F. Holderman became a senior judge at the end of last year.

"I am confident that these 16 panelists will conduct a productive, non-partisan and satisfactory review of the applicants as they work to fill the judicial vacancy for the Northern District of Illinois," Senator Kirk said. "With their combined experience and knowledge, I am certain that we will submit the strongest applicant possible for review by the President and the U.S. Senate."

All ISBA systems will be down for equipment upgrades beginning at 4:30 p.m. on Friday, January 24, until about 8 p.m. that night. During this downtime the ISBA website and email lists will not be available. You will also not be able to log into Fastcase or FastCLE. If you will need to access Fastcase during this time, please follow the instructions below.

Time to strike out on your own? Veteran practitioners help you get off to a good start - and avoid common missteps - with tips on marketing, billing, technology, retainers, client management, and more in the February Illinois Bar Journal.

The Supreme Court of Illinois announced the filing of lawyer disciplinary orders on January 17, 2014, during the January Term of Court (unless noted). Sanctions were imposed because the lawyers engaged in professional misconduct by violating state ethics law.

Get the updates you need to practice with confidence with this full-day seminar that examines a broad spectrum of advanced workers’ compensation issues! Join us in Chicago OR Fairview Heights on Monday, Feb. 17 for a discussion on the pitfalls to avoid throughout the Appellate process, how the Commission uses impairment ratings, and the ins-and-outs of a Section 12 examination, as well as a look at the updates to current case law. Labor/employment attorneys and workers’ compensation practitioners with advanced levels of practice experience who attend this seminar will better understand: the deadlines for a proceeding before the Arbitrator and Commission; how to apply the new AMA guidelines; how to avoid dismissal by the Appellate Court for failing to perfect your appeal; interlocutory orders from the Commission and Circuit Court; how a physician performs an impairment rating examination and how the impairment rating affects the permanency awards at the Commission; the various ethical issues workers’ compensation attorneys may face; and much more!

The seminar is presented by the ISBA Workers’ Compensation Section and qualifies for 5.75 hours MCLE credit, including 1.0 hour Professional Responsibility MCLE credit (subject to approval).

Click here for more information and to register.

Asked and Answered

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

Q. I am the managing partner for a 18-attorney insurance defense firm in Atlanta. We have 6 partners and 12 associates. Most of our associates have 10 years plus experience. They receive a salary plus discretionary bonus. We are having problems with six of the associates not reaching performance goals. (1,800 minimum billable hours per year.) While we have some attorneys billing 2,400+ hours per year - these six are not - some are billing 1,400 hours. What sort of incentive should we be thinking about to improve their performance?

A. The incentive is to get to continue their employment, maintain a full work schedule, progress to partnership, and to receive future pay raises and bonuses.

I know of some insurance defense firms that pay a billable hour bonus above a certain level. However, this approach often causes other problems such as milking hours in client files and overbilling often resulting in client dissatisfaction and potential loss of key clients. In addition, other factors are also important - quality of work, results obtained, teamwork, client relationships (minding) etc. that are often not considered and left out of the equation.

The Illinois Supreme Court is expected to release opinions in the following six cases on Friday, Jan. 24. Quick Takes on each case will be published in Monday's E-Clips due to ISBA network downtime.

• No. 115308 - People State of Illinois, appellant, v. David K. Elliott, appellee. Appeal, Appellate Court, Fifth District.
• No. 115310 - People State of Illinois, appellee, v. Billy McChriston, appellant. Appeal, Appellate Court, Fourth District.
• No. 115330 - Gillespie Community Unit School District No. 7, etc., appellant, v. Wight & Company, etc., appellee. Appeal, Appellate Court, Fourth District.
• No. 115424 - In re S.L., a Minor (People State of Illinois, appellant, v. Julia F., appellee). Appeal, Appellate Court, Fifth District.
• No. 115459 - People State of Illinois, appellee, v. Christopher B. Bailey, appellant. Appeal, Appellate Court, Second District.
• No. 115638 - People State of Illinois, appellee, v. Peter Hommerson, appellant. Appeal, Appellate Court, Second District.

What is Myra Bradwell’s legacy to us as attorneys and future attorneys and what is our commitment to carrying forward that legacy? Find out at From Myra Bradwell to Us: Rise Up and Reach Back on Friday, March 21, 2014 at the NIU College of Law. The program will run from 3-5 p.m. with a reception from 5-7 p.m. This event is presented by the ISBA’s Standing Committees on Women and the Law and Racial and Ethnic Minorities and the Law.

In order to fund this epic event, the ISBA is relying on public contributions & sponsorships. All contributors will be listed in a program and on a board prominently displayed at the reception. Please contact Rachel McDermott at rmcdermott@isba.org or 20 S. Clark, Ste. 900, Chicago, IL 60603 to participate.

Don’t miss this nuts-and-bolts examination of the personal injury litigation process! This back-to-basics seminar covers all aspects of the personal injury litigation case – from pretrial to post-trial – and pays particular attention to updated and emerging issues.

The Illinois Supreme Court has appointed Cook County Circuit Judge Laura Liu to the 1st District Appellate vacancy created by the death of Justice Patrick Quinn.

According to the Chicago Sun-Times, sitting Appellate Justice Bertina Lampkin will move into Quinn's vacancy and Liu will move into Lampkin's spot.

The appointment is effective Feb. 3.