The Illinois State Bar Association's Young Lawyers Division is hosting a four-part series of Professional Development Lunches (PDLs) aimed at teaching law students and young attorneys practical steps in advancing their career. The next installment will be held on Tuesday, Oct. 9 at noon at the Chicago Regional Office, 20 S. Clark Ste. 900.

This program is titled “Taking Charge of Your Legal Career.” It will feature the following panelists:

• Paula H. Holderman, ISBA President-elect, Chief Attorney Development Officer, Winston & Strawn
• Shaw Kasserman, Partner, Corboy & Demetrio
• Mary Sabatino, Partner, Wiedner & McCauliff

Cost: $10 includes lunch

Registration required at www.isba.org/sections/yld

No MCLE credit is available for this program.

For general inquiries, please contact Matt Coleman at mcoleman@ridgeassoc.com; Jessica Durkin at jessica@mdr-law.com; or Heather Pfeffer, at heather.pfeffer@gmail.com.

Asked and Answered

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

Q. We are a Toledo, Ohio law firm with 10 attorneys. We have four partners – all in their 60s and approaching retirement. While our six associates are great lawyers – none bring in business and they don’t appear to be interested in partnership. It seems that we hired a bunch of folks that just wanted jobs and have no interest in owning a law firm. I would be interested in your ideas and thoughts.

A. Years ago it seemed that all the associates working in law firms wanted to eventually become a partner in the law firm. This has changed as a result of the new mix of women and men graduating from law schools and entering the legal profession, changing attitudes toward work life balance, other opportunities outside law firms, and other variables. While partnership/ownership is still important to many – don't assume that all the associates that you hire will even want to be equity partners – especially if it means a hefty capital contribution and signing personal guarantees for a large amount of firm debt.

A question that I would ask – have you really discussed with your associates their interests in equity ownership? As a group? Recently an associate, whom the firm had written off, advised me that while he was not interested now due to his present situation in life, he would be in maybe five years – especially if others were brought in as well. He did not want to have the responsibility alone and be an equity owner by himself.

Join us in Chicago on October 10^th and/or October 11^th for an update on administrative law and rulemaking procedures. Day One (Wednesday) is devoted to issues in the rulemaking process, while Day Two (Thursday) covers administrative law proceedings.

Tailor this seminar to meet the needs of your private practice or legal work for administrative law agencies by attending one or both days!

Administrative law judges, attorneys representing clients in administrative law proceedings, and attorneys participating in the rulemaking process who attend this program will enhance their knowledge of the following intermediate topics: administrative rule and rulemaking procedures; the Joint Committee on Administrative Rules’ role; small Business Impact Statements; pre-trial procedures; administrative law cases and statutory changes; circuit court decisions and appeals; developing terms of consent orders and ensuring probation compliance; recovering attorney’s fees; and the ethical and professionalism issues an attorney must consider.

The program is presented by the ISBA Administrative Law Section and co-sponsored by the ISBA Civil Practice & Procedure Section, the ISBA Real Estate Law Section, and the ISBA Energy, Utilities, Transportation and Telecommunications Section.

 Click here for more information and to register.

Michael J. Tardy, Director of the Administrative Office of the Illinois Courts, announced today that the Twelfth Judicial Circuit judges voted to select Cory D. Lund as an associate judge of the Twelfth Judicial Circuit.

Mr. Lund received his undergraduate degree in 1979 from Northern Illinois University in DeKalb and his Juris Doctor in 1982 from Southern Illinois University in Carbondale. Mr. Lund is currently affiliated with the law firm Tracy, Johnson & Wilson in Joliet.

Michael J. Tardy, Director of the Administrative Office of the Illinois Courts, announced Monday that the Fifteenth Judicial Circuit judges voted to select John C. Redington as an associate judge of the Fifteenth Judicial Circuit.

Mr. Redington received his undergraduate degree in 1987 from Western Illinois University in Macomb and his Juris Doctor in 1990 from Northern Illinois University in DeKalb. Mr. Redington is currently affiliated with the law firm Tess & Redington, Rochelle.

ISBA President John E. Thies is proud to announce Lawyers Feeding Illinois (LFI), a competitive food and fund-raising campaign among lawyers and legal organizations across Illinois. LFI will support the work of the eight member food banks of Feeding Illinois and is chaired by a volunteer steering committee comprised of members of the ISBA in cooperation with Feeding Illinois. More information is available at http://www.lawyersfeedingil.org/

Thought you all would like to know that we just received this announcement that ISBA member Steve Baker is being honored by receipt of "The Promotion of Social Justice Award" by the Illinois Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers.

Details are below for the Nov. 9th dinner and ceremony. The award states as follows: 

"A lawyer since 1978, Stephen W. Baker has served the Illinois criminal defense community for decades both in the courtrooms - as an Assistant Public Defender and later the Public Defender of DuPage County - and in the halls of the Illinois Legislature.  He has worked vigorously for groups such as the Cook County Public Defender's Office, the Illinois Public Defender Association, the Illinois State Bar Association, and the Illinois Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers. Steve has fought tirelessly for years against an unending tide of efforts to increase sentences, expand the scope of Illinois criminal laws, shrink our civil liberties, and keep the death penalty. His efforts merit his selection as the first recipient of IACDL's Promotion of Social Justice Award." 

Steve and other recipients will be honored at IACDL's Annual Dinner, on Friday, November 9, 2012 at the University Club, 76 East Monroe, Chicago, IL 60603.  Cocktails will begin at 6:00 P.M. with dinner to be served at 7 P.M.  

Cost is as follows: 

Chief Justice Thomas L. Kilbride of the Illinois Supreme Court will be honored as the recipient of the 2012 Illinoisan of the Year award from the Illinois News Broadcasters Association (INBA) during its annual Fall 2012 Convention to be held September 22 and 23 in St. Louis, Missouri.

The honor is being made in recognition of Chief Justice Kilbride’s several efforts to improve the efficiency of Illinois courts, initiating a pilot program to allow cameras in Illinois courts and increasing access to the courts for citizens.

"Chief Justice Kilbride was unanimously selected as our honoree for 2012," said Jim Gee, immediate past president of the INBA. "In addition to his work in creating a pilot program to allow cameras and microphones in Illinois trial courts, we are honoring Chief Justice Kilbride for his overall support of openness in government, including his advocacy for a commission to examine ways in which the courts can be made more accessible to the public."

The roster of previous awardees includes former Illinois Governors Jim Edgar and James Thompson; Mike Lawrence, former director of the Paul Simon Policy Institute; NBC News Anchor John Chancellor; former U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald; and the late Illinois Supreme Court Justice Seymour Simon.

Our panel of leading appellate attorneys review Thursday's Illinois Supreme Court opinions in the Civil cases Rush University Medical Center v. Sessions, Choate v. Indiana Harbor Belt Railroad Company, Patrick Engineering v. The City of Naperville, Carter v. SSC Odin Operating Company, In re Marriage of Coulter and the Criminal case People v. Fields.

CIVIL

Rush University Medical Center v. Sessions

By Michael T. Reagan, Law Offices of Michael T. Reagan, Ottawa

 The Illinois State Bar Association's Young Lawyers Division is hosting a four-part series of Professional Development Lunches (PDLs) aimed at teaching law students and young attorneys practical steps in advancing their career. The next installment will be held on Tuesday, Oct. 9 at noon at the Chicago Regional Office, 20 S. Clark Ste. 900.

This program is titled “Taking Charge of Your Legal Career.” It will feature the following panelists:

• Paula H. Holderman, ISBA President-elect, Chief Attorney Development Officer, Winston & Strawn
• Shaw Kasserman, Partner, Corboy & Demetrio
• Mary Sabatino, Partner, Wiedner & McCauliff

Cost: $10 includes lunch

Registration required at www.isba.org/sections/yld

No MCLE credit is available for this program.

For general inquiries, please contact Matt Coleman at mcoleman@ridgeassoc.com; Jessica Durkin at jessica@mdr-law.com; or Heather Pfeffer, at heather.pfeffer@gmail.com.