Asked and Answered

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

Q. Our firm is an estate planning firm in the northwest suburbs of Chicago. We are a three attorney firm. We are a very "marketing orientated" practice and invest a lot of money and time into marketing and advertising. Still we are not getting the volume of work we need to reach our financial goals and targets. Most of our work is coming from our local city and a surrounding city or two. We are beginning to think that - for the most part - we now have all the work we can get from these communities and we need to expand and establish a presence (offices) in other target cities. Your thoughts would be appreciated.

WHAT: Memorial Service honoring the late Justices Mary Ann G. McMorrow
and John L. Nickels
WHEN: Wednesday, November 20, 2013 – 1:30 p.m.
WHERE: Supreme Court Courtroom, Michael A. Bilandic Building, Chicago

The Illinois Supreme Court will hold a memorial service in honor of the late Justices Mary Ann G. McMorrow and John L. Nickels. Chief Justice Rita B. Garman will give the opening and closing remarks. Tributes will be given by Supreme Court Justices Charles E. Freeman and Robert R. Thomas; Retired Supreme Court Justice Benjamin K. Miller; Cook County Associate Judge Thomas More Donnelly; Mary Ann McMorrow Jr., daughter of Justice McMorrow; Margaret Mangers, daughter of Justice Nickels; and Paula H. Holderman, president of the Illinois State Bar Association.

At the December 14, 2013 meeting of the ISBA Assembly, two “under 35" delegates to the ABA House of Delegates will be elected, one from Cook County and one from the area outside Cook County. The nominees for these positions must be members of the ISBA in good standing from the appropriate area and under the age of 35 as of Aug. 12, 2014. The elected delegates will serve for two-year terms commencing June 2014 and will join the ISBA delegation at the ABA meeting in Boston in August 2014.

The current incumbents are Kelley Gandurski of Chicago, who is not eligible for re-election and Christina Cullom of Springfield, who is eligible for re-election.

Nominations must be made in writing by at least 20 ISBA members in good standing from the appropriate area. Nominations must be filed with the office of the Executive Director no later than Monday, Nov. 25, 2013. Further information and nominating petitions are available from the office of the Executive Director, Illinois State Bar Association, 424 S. Second Street, Springfield, IL 62701 or by contacting Kim Weaver at 800.252.8908 or kweaver@isba.org.

The ISBA Disaster Legal Services Manual is a great resource for Illinoisans and Illinois Lawyers in the wake of major storms like the one on Sunday. The ISBA hopes this manual can help out those Illinoisans in need.

Here are the main topics covered: Public Benefits in Illinois, Housing Issues, Consumer Protection Issues, Social Security and Banking Issues, Personal Finance and Bankruptcy Issues, Replacing Lost Documents, Employer/Employee Issues, Wills and Estates, Disaster Preparedness Checklist, Resource and Referral Guide, Local Resources.

The full manual is available at www.illinoislawyerfinder.com/sites/default/files/pamphlets/booklets/DisasterLegalServicesManual.pdf

The Illinois Supreme Court Historic Preservation Commission honored Thomas P. Sullivan, a partner at the Chicago firm of Jenner & Block, as the 2013 recipient of the George N. Leighton Justice Award on Monday.

The award is given by the Illinois Supreme Court Historic Preservation Commission to honor Retired U.S. District Court Judge George N. Leighton. The award recognizes one who has given exceptional service to the legal community and exhibits the qualities that personified Judge Leighton's character, service and legal career.

"The George N. Leighton Justice Award is given to Thomas Sullivan in recognition of his distinguished service to the legal community in Illinois for more than 50 years," Supreme Court Chief Justice Rita B. Garman said. "We congratulate him on receiving this most deserving award."

The Illinois Labor Relations Board is seeking attorneys interested in being appointed of Counsel for persons of limited means. When charging parties are unable to pay for adequate representation, the Board may appoint counsel to represent them in proceedings before the Board. Hearings are typically held in Springfield or Chicago. The Board maintains a list of attorneys from which a party may select a representative.

By rule, appointed counsel is compensated at the rate of $75 per hour plus costs, subject to a $5,000 maximum (which can be increased by Board order).

If you would like to be considered for appointment or if you have questions, please contact Deputy General Counsel Sarah Kerley at Sarah.R.Kerley@illinois.gov or (217) 785-4004.

The two requirements for the position are:

• Be licensed in Illinois
• Have experience in contested proceedings

The Illinois State Bar Association, The Appellate Lawyers Association, the Chicago Bar Association and the Women's Bar Association will host a luncheon honoring Illinois Supreme Court Chief Justice Rita B. Garman on Dec. 11. The event will begin with a reception at 11:30 a.m. and a luncheon at noon at the Standard Club, 320 S. Plymouth Court in Chicago.

Tickets are $65 a person and $650 for a table of 10. Contact Tamra Drees at tdrees@chicagobar.org or (312) 554-2057.

Our panel of leading appellate attorneys review Friday's Illinois Supreme Court opinions in the civil case In re Karavidas and the criminal case People v. Trzeciak.

CRIMINAL

People v. Trzeciak

By Kerry J. Bryson, Office of the State Appellate Defender

ISBA President Paula H. Holderman speaks with Pam Kuzniar, chair of the ISBA's Family Law Section Council and its CLE coordinator. The ISBA Family Law Section has been hard at work on the complete review and overhaul of both the Illinois Marriage and Dissolution Act (House Bill 1452) and the Illinois Parentage Act. Watch the video to learn how these changes could impact your practice.