The ABA Task Force on the Future of Legal Education has released its draft report for comment. The draft cites the 53-page report and recommendations created by the Special Committee on the Impact of Law School Debt that was approved by the ISBA Assembly in June.

On the issue of the impact of the law student debt crisis on career choices and the distribution of legal services throughout society, the report specifically cited the ISBA’s efforts saying: “A recent report by the Illinois State Bar Association has described this development in compelling terms and offered several recommendations the Task Force has embraced.”

The Illinois State Bar Association’s Lawyer Finder Service provides referrals to local lawyers Mondays through Fridays. The Service makes referrals in a number of areas of law. For the month of July 2013 ISBA helped people in need of legal services find lawyers in the following areas:

Here are the results for July 2013:

• 563 phone referrals made by Lawyer Finder staff
• Most requested areas of law: Family (112), Personal Injury (66), Real Estate (61), Employment Law (55), Criminal Law (50), Civil Disputes (40)
• 23,706 visits to IllinoisLawyerFinder.com (21,090 unique visitors)

Want to be part of the ISBA Lawyer Finder Service? Call (800) 252-8908 and ask for the Legal Department, or visit www.illinoislawyerfinder.com

Clients should call (800) 922-8757.

Illinois Supreme Court Chief Justice Thomas L. Kilbride announced Monday that Lake County will participate in the pilot project that allows attorneys, parties and appellate justices to view, access, and work electronically from the official record of cases on appeal in the Second Judicial District.

The Order is effective immediately and allows the electronic transfer of the official record of cases on appeal filed after October 1, 2013 in Lake County.

"Lake County is the Second Judicial District's most populous county; the appeals process will be greatly streamlined with the trial record being filed electronically," Chief Justice Kilbride said. "Since the project's launch in 2011, cost savings and greater efficiencies in the Illinois court system have been demonstrated through the increased use of technology.

"The Court is grateful for the continued cooperation between the courts and the circuit clerks in this endeavor."
Since he became Chief Justice in October 2010, Justice Kilbride has pledged to make the Illinois courts more user friendly by implementing improvements in technology. Since then, the Supreme Court has opened avenues for e-filing, creating a special E-Business Committee in June 2011; announcing statewide standards and new and amended Supreme Court rules that will allow all courts in Illinois to begin electronic filing of civil cases in October 2012; and greatly expanding the pilot project that allows the e-filing of the trial record in the Appellate courts.

The ISBA Young Lawyers Division will host a Day at the Races Networking and Social Event on Saturday, Sept. 7 from noon-6 p.m. at Arlington Park Racecourse. Tickets will be available for pick up at 11:15 AM on race day at the will call window, Grandstand Entrance (east side off of Wilke Road entrance).

Where: Picnic Tables/Park Area, East Side. ISBA will be at Picnic Tables located by the Rail.

Cost: $8.50 per person. General Admission cost includes admission to the park, a daily racing guide, and a Fabulous Day of Thoroughbred racing!  Lunch is not included. Admission is $2 for everyone between the ages of 4 and 17. Admission for children under the age of 4 is complimentary.

Register online at: www.isba.org/sections/younglawyersdivision/dayattheraces

Deadline to register is Tuesday, September 3, 2013.

For information on permitted and prohibited items in the park, please visit: www.arlingtonpark.com/plan-your-visit/general-information/park-policies

Questions: Please email Lynne Davis, ldavis@isba.org or Rachel McDermott, rmcdermott@isba.org

We hope to see you there!

Gruszeczka v. The Illinois Workers' Compensation Commission

By Karen Kies DeGrand, Donohue Brown Mathewson & Smyth LLC

As the Illinois Supreme Court moves the state toward electronic filing, here the court implicitly acknowledged the continuing relevance of the “mailbox rule.” The issue arose in the context of obtaining circuit court review of a decision of the Illinois Workers’ Compensation Commission. The supreme court interpreted section 19(f)(1) of the statute and held that mailing the requisite documents commences circuit court review and satisfies the strict statutory compliance needed to vest subject matter jurisdiction in the circuit court. See Workers’ Compensation Act, 820 ILCS 305/19(f)(1) (West 2008). Thus, mailing the documents within 20 days, rather than obtaining file-stamped documents by the clerk within that time frame, “commenced” the action under the statute.

While Servicemembers are deployed, their Families often face difficult financial pressures. Stress and strain on spouses, children and adult dependents can be intensified by creditors, bill collectors, landlords and lenders.

There are legal remedies available.

Since 2003, the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (SCRA) has allowed those serving on active duty to focus on their missions by relieving unnecessary or unfair financial stress on their Families. SCRA limits the enforcement of civil liabilities, leases, installment contracts, mortgages and liens such as:

• Credit card interest
• Mortgage payments
• Pending trials
• Taxes
• Terminations of lease

Federal law ensures that Servicemembers and their Families are not hurt financially as a result of their service. By temporarily suspending or postponing civil proceedings, SCRA helps demonstrate that our nation values the sacrifices of these individuals.

Learn how you can help protect their rights.

To sign up please go to – http://militarylegalsupport.com

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The Illinois Supreme Court has adopted procedures for lawyers engaging in limited-scope representation on behalf of clients who choose not to, or can't afford to, hire legal counsel for all aspects of a case.

Effective July 1, amended Rules 11, 13, and 137 allow lawyers to file "limited scope" appearances and represent clients for part, but not all, of a civil lawsuit or transaction.

The new rules also address "ghost-writing" by lawyers who assist clients in drafting or reviewing documents without actually signing the document or appearing in court. Find out more in the August IBJ.

Asked and Answered

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

Q. Our firm is a five attorney firm in Peoria, Illinois - three partners and two associates with four staff members. One of our legal assistants wears two hats - she serves as our office manager and also performs legal assistant duties for clients. Three years ago we had two attorneys and two staff members. We are feeling the consequences of our growth - our caseload has increased by 200%, our overhead is much higher and even though we have greater revenues - our take home earnings declined. We are overwhelmed. I would appreciate your thoughts?

A. It sounds like your firm has outgrown your management (organizational) structure. A firm with nine people is a different firm than a firm with four people. You are at a difficult size - large enough to feel the pains and challenges of being larger than two attorneys and two staff members but not large enough to reap the organizational benefits of a larger firm such as a full-time firm administrator, accounting manager, HR manager, etc. (I believe that as a law firm grows - management gets harder until a firm gets to around 12 attorneys - then as the firm begins to put in place a management team - it gets easier.)

In the meantime you might want to consider the following:

ISBA President Paula H. Holderman met with a delegation of Chinese lawyers on Monday at the Chicago Regional Office. Appellate Justice Jesse Reyes, a member of the ISBA Bench and Bar Section Council, was also on hand for the meeting. Representing the Chinese delegation were Linda Yang and Minglei Wu of the Beijing Bar Association.

The group discussed differences in the American and Chinese legal systems and similarities among bar associations in the different countries. One noted recent change in the Chinese legal system is that judges are now required to have passed the bar exam. The judicial system previously consisted mostly of retired military officers.