Asked and Answered
By John W. Olmstead, MBA, Ph.D, CMC
Q. I am a solo practitioner in Chicago. I've been offered by another solo to join him as a partner, and was wondering if you could suggest any articles or books I could look at to think about how to structure the partnership. We bill about the same number of hours, but his rate is 50% higher than mine ($300 vs. $200) and he has 20 years on me in age and experience.
Understanding the issues surrounding corporate ethics is vital in today’s climate. This half-day seminar in Chicago on April 12th offers you the updates you need regarding recent developments in corporate law ethics, including a look at attorney-client privilege, outsourcing, and the Illinois Rules of Professional Conduct.
The Illinois State Bar Association has released a 53-page report, supported with research and testimony from statewide hearings, that calls for dramatic changes in the way law schools deliver education.
“The current system of educating law students is unsustainable,” said ISBA President John E. Thies, of Urbana, IL. ”The debt burden of new attorneys, combined with the difficult job market, is having a detrimental effect on the public’s ability to access quality legal services.”
In June 2012, Thies appointed a Special Committee on the Impact of Law School Debt on the Delivery of Legal Services, co-chaired by Illinois Appellate Court justice Ann B. Jorgensen of Wheaton and attorney Dennis J. Orsey of Granite City. Their report and recommendations were accepted on Friday, March 8, at a meeting of the ISBA Board of Governors in Urbana, and the Board recommended that the ISBA’s policy-making Assembly approve the report at its next meeting in June.
The 3rd Annual Lawyers Rock Legends rocked the house at Buddy Guy’s Legends and raised approximately $20,000 for the Illinois Bar Foundation on Feb. 28.
The event also featured a performance by Exoneree, a group of five former prisoners who were exonerated for crimes they did not commit. Exoneree members William Dillion, Eddie Lowery, Antoine Day, Raymond Towler and Darby Tillis served a combined total of 87 years for their supposed crimes ranging from murder to rape. They were later exonerated and freed through the efforts of the national Innocence Project. The group performed the opening set for ISBA-member bands 5-thirty, CAC ATTACK, Disbard, The Objections and The Thornes.
The event raised much-needed funds to support the programs and services of the Illinois Bar Foundation and its M. Denny Hassakis Fund supporting juvenile justice reform.
The mission of the Illinois Bar Foundation is to ensure meaningful access to the justice system, especially for those with limited means, and to assist lawyers who can no longer support themselves due to incapacity. This year, the Foundation will distribute more than $400,000 in grants to legal aid organizations across the state of Illinois, and in Lawyers Care Fund support to attorneys and their families in need. The Illinois Bar Foundation is located at 20 S. Clark St., Suite 910, Chicago, IL 60603, and the phone number is (312) 726-6072.
ISBA Director of Legislative Affairs Jim Covington reviews bills in Springfield of interest to ISBA members. In this episode he covers Cook County residential real estate transactions (House Bill 2269), Guardians and disabled adults (Senate Bill 1612), Civil procedure service of summons (House Bill 3275), FOIA and judicial entities (Senate Bill 2222), Additional Cook County filing fee (House Bill 2976) and Service of process for civil cases (Senate Bill 1724). More information on the bill is available below the video.
When the America Invents Act was signed into law, it incorporated significant changes to patent law, including new patent office proceedings for challenging the validity of patents. These “post-grant review” proceedings were designed to create easier, less-costly challenges to patents than traditional district court proceedings. Join us in Chicago on March 20th for this informative presentation and learn how these new proceedings are being implemented, while getting the practical tips and advise you need for using them! Can’t attend live in Chicago? This program is also being offered via the Internet as a live webcast so attorneys can attend remotely!
The program is presented by the ISBA Intellectual Property Section and qualifies for 3.0 hours MCLE credit.
Click here for more information and to register for the CHICAGO program.
Click here for more information and to register for the LIVE WEBCAST.
The ISBA has established the John C. McAndrews Award to honor the extraordinary commitment of individuals, bar associations, or law firm/corporate legal departments to providing free legal services to the income eligible in Illinois or expanding the availability of legal services to the income eligible in Illinois. Nominations for the John C. McAndrews Award due on March 15, 2013. The nominating form is available at www.isba.org/awards/mcandrews.
The Chicago Alumni Chapter of Phi Alpha Delta Law Fraternity, Int'l, will be honoring Cook County Public Defender, Hon. Abishi C. Cunningham Jr. (Ret.), during its annual St. PADdy's Day Luncheon. Phi Alpha Delta, which has as its mission service to the student, school, profession and community, will be recognizing the Public Defender for his career-long contributions to all these service areas.
The luncheon, which features traditional Irish fare and music, will take place on Thursday, March 14, 2013, at the Union League Club, 65 West Jackson. Reception from 11:30 a.m. to Noon. Luncheon from Noon to 1:30 p.m.
For more information or to purchase tickets, call Chapter Justice, Deidre Baumann, at 312-558-3119.
"The taxpayers in Cain v. Hamer were classic snowbirds," write Steven B. Siebers and Emily Schuering Jones in the latest ISBA Trusts and Estates newsletter. "Residents of Illinois since 1964, they built a second home in Florida in 1990. Within several years, they began spending a portion of each year in Florida. Every October through May, they enjoyed Florida’s warmer climes. They returned to Illinois once during the holidays, before again fleeing the Midwest winters." And in 1996 they quit paying Illinois taxes, regarding themselves as Floridians and not Illinoisans.
Ultimately, they sued for a declaratory judgment that they were right about that. And they won. Cain v. Hamer, which Siebers and Jones call "a surprisingly taxpayer-friendly decision," gives clients and their counsel "a judicial road map for an Illinois snowbird." Read their summary of Cain and the 10 lessons they draw from it.
