The Illinois State Bar Association will honor the Class of 1963 Distinguished Counsellors on Thursday, Nov. 14. This title is conferred annually upon those ISBA members who are completing their 50^th year of practice.

The Class will be honored during a special luncheon at the Union League Club of Chicago located at 65 West Jackson Street. A reception will begin at 11:15 a.m., and lunch is scheduled for noon.

Honorees receive one complimentary ticket to attend the luncheon. Additional tickets may be purchased in advance at $75 per person. Members of the “Class” and their guest(s) will be seated at special tables, each seating 10 persons. All tickets will be held for pick up at our registration table immediately prior to the luncheon.

Tickets to the luncheon are available and may be purchased online at www.isba.org/distinguishedcounsellorsluncheon. Any questions regarding the luncheon may be directed to Kim Weaver at kweaver@isba.org.

As part of the efforts to recognize 50 years of service, the Illinois Bar Foundation will produce a class yearbook with photographs and information about honorees and their experiences in the law.

Congratulations to the 1963 Class of Distinguished Counsellors

ISBA is excited to announce the UPS® Savings Program for our members! Make the most out of your membership and take advantage of some of the most competitive rates available on shipping services with UPS. Whether you need your documents or packages to arrive the next day or are looking for the most affordable shipping option, UPS understands the importance of reliability, speed and cost. See how UPS discounts can help your bottom line:

• Up to 34% on UPS Air letters including UPS Next Day Air®*
• Up to 30% on UPS Air packages (1 lb.+)*
• Up to 32% on UPS International imports and exports
• Up to 16% on UPS Ground shipments
• Savings begin at 70% on UPS Freight®shipments over 150 lbs.

You can receive these discounts even if you already have a UPS account. Plus, the more you ship, the more you can save with UPS. To enroll and start saving, visit savewithups.com/isba.

*Discounts exclude UPS Express Critical® and UPS Next Day Air® Early A.M.®

ISBA President Paula H. Holderman and YLD Chair Jean Kenol discuss some of the challenges facing new lawyers how the Young Lawyers Division is helping them face those challenges. They also discuss the upcoming YLD Professional Development Luncheon Series and other events, like the Young Lawyers Holiday Party on Dec. 6. Kenol also sits on the ISBA Board of Governors and practices at Mahoney, Silverman & Cross in Joliet.

Phi Alpha Delta Chicago Alumni Chapter will celebrate the 20th Anniversary of the Daniel P. Ward Student Scholarship on Tuesday, Nov. 19 at 5 p.m. The event will be held at the Union League Club of Chicago located at 65 West Jackson.

For 20 straight years, the PAD-CAC has hosted this event and awarded area law students with scholarships to continue their law studies. Scholarship recipients apply for scholarships, and those chosen to receive an award are invited to attend the dinner as a guest of the Alumni Chapter for free.
 
Tickets are available at $60 for students and $95 for lawyers/judges, if the payment is received by November 8, 2013. Thereafter, the price increases to $75 for students and $125 for lawyers/judges. In addition, the event is seeking table sponsors for the scholarship dinner. For more information, please contact Julie-April Montgomery at 773-955-4370.

More than 2,100 new attorneys were admitted to practice in Illinois on Thursday, October 31 with Justices of the Illinois Supreme Court presiding and administering the attorney's oath at five separate locations.

Justice Charles E. Freeman presided over and administered the attorney's oath at bar admission ceremonies in the First Judicial District on October 31. Justices Anne M. Burke and Mary Jane Theis also participated in the ceremonies.

The group of 1,659 was admitted in the First Judicial District during two ceremonies at the Arie Crown Theater, 2301 Lake Shore Drive.

In an apparent attempt to stifle a growing national trend of "paper terrorism" conducted by a self-described "sovereign citizen" movement, the Illinois General Assembly has upgraded the crime of unlawful clouding of title from a Class A misdemeanor for all offenses to a Class 4 felony for cases exceeding $10,000 in value and for all subsequent offenses. Find out more in the November IBJ.

In October 2013, the ISBA and the Chicago Bar Association filed a joint amicus curiae brief in the Illinois Supreme Court suggesting that certain remedy provisions of the Illinois Securities Law should not serve as the basis for additional damages in a legal malpractice case above and beyond compensatory damages. The case is Goldfine v. Barack, Ferrazzano, Kirschbaum & Perlman, Supreme Court No. 116362

• Read the ISBA’s brief.
• Read the Court’s opinion.

Asked and Answered

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

Q. I am the managing partner of a 22-attorney firm in Des Moines, Iowa. Our practice is 100% insurance defense representing insurance companies and their insureds. We are aware of some firms such as ours that have had to close their doors during the last few years. What should we be thinking about? You ideas would be appreciated.

A. Insurance defense law firms that have been approved as panel counsel for multiple insurance companies can inadvertently find that their revenue base is increasingly dependent on a shrinking number of insurance companies over time.

Illinois Supreme Court Chief Justice Rita B. Garman will preside over the Fourth Judicial District Bar Admission Ceremony on October 31 in Springfield.

The 10 a.m. program will be held at the Hoogland Center for the Arts, 420 South Sixth Street.

Chief Justice Garman, in her first bar admission ceremony as the Chief Justice, will administer the attorney's oath to 82 new lawyers in the Fourth Judicial District.

All of the candidates have passed the Illinois State Bar Examination, a required ethics examination, and were certified by the Committee on Character and Fitness.

Hon. Steven H. Nardulli of the Seventh Judicial Circuit will be the keynote speaker. Danville attorney Kerry R. Clapper will make the motion to admit the class. Hon. Jeffrey B. Ford of the Sixth Judicial Circuit, Hon. Esteban F. Sanchez of the Seventh Judicial Circuit, and Springfield attorney Saul J. Morse, will second the motion. Springfield attorney and ISBA Board member Jennifer Hammer will also address the class.

Other guests of the Supreme Court will be Chief Circuit Judges Millard S. Everhart of the Fifth Circuit, Dan L. Flannell of the Sixth Circuit, Leslie J. Graves of the Seventh Circuit, Richard D. Greenlief of the Eight Circuit, and Elizabeth A. Robb of the Eleventh Circuit.

A reception will follow.

The second luncheon in a three-part luncheon series aimed at teaching law students and young attorneys practical steps in developing their legal career. Each luncheon will feature esteemed panelists discussing a variety of topics while also taking questions from the audience. This luncheon program will feature sitting judges offering tips to young lawyers on how to make a good impression in the courtroom.

Speakers:

• The Honorable James F. Holderman, United States District Court, Northern District of Illinois
• The Honorable Thomas R. Mulroy, Circuit Court of Cook County, Law Division

• The Honorable Laura C. Liu, Circuit Court of Cook County, Chancery Division

When/Where:

• November 13, 2013, noon to 1 p.m.
• ISBA Chicago Office, 20 S. Clark, Suite 900
• Chicago, IL 60603

Moderator:

• Jessica Durkin, Co-Chair of YLD's Professional Development Committee, Associate,  Miroballi Durkin & Rudin

Cost: $10 includes lunch. Cancellations will be accepted and refunded through Friday, November 8.  After November 8, no refunds will be given for cancellations.

No MCLE credit is available for this program.

Deadline to register is 4 pm, November 8.

Register now!