Asked and Answered

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

Q. I am sole owner of a law firm in Western Kentucky. My practice consists of myself, a legal assistant, a part-time bookkeeper, and a part-time contract attorney. The practice is limited to employment law - both plaintiff and defense side. Approximately 80% of my business is contingency fee and 20% is time-billed and or retainer. While the practice has done OK over the past 15 or so years, worrying about paying bills (cash flow) is a constant source of stress for me and my family. I do no marketing - all of my business comes from lawyer referrals. Do you have any suggestions?

Master the basics of administering a guardianship estate with this informative full-day seminar in Bloomington on February 15^th! Discover the various issues surrounding guardianship estates for disabled persons as respected estate planning practitioners guide you through a number of topics, including who qualifies as a disabled person and why a guardian may be necessary; types of guardianship estates and who may serve as a guardian; the guardianship appointment process; requirements for opening and closing the guardianship estate; the powers, duties, and limitations of the guardian; investment requirements and fiduciary accountings; contested guardianships and how to avoid and/or settle them; the roles of the Public Guardian and Office of State Guardian; and the ethical issues to consider when acting as Power of Attorney.

The program is presented by the ISBA Trusts and Estates Section and qualifies for 6.5 hours MCLE credit, including 1.0 hour Professional Responsibility MCLE credit (subject to approval).

Click here for more information and to register.

Our panel of leading appellate attorneys review Friday's Illinois Supreme Court opinions in the civil cases Poris v. Lake Holiday Property Owners Association and Bjork v. O'Meara and the criminal case People v. English.

CIVIL

Poris v. Lake Holiday Property Owners Association

By Jay Wiegman, Office of the State Appellate Defender

ISBA President John E. Thies reports that the ISBA's new, free and fast CLE courses are now available for members. Topics range from Discovery, Foreclosure and Family Law to Legal Writing and Ethics Issues.

Join us in Chicago on February 1^st to get the information you need to effectively counsel your clients on important sentencing issues in felony, misdemeanor, and traffic law cases!Attorneys attending this program will better understand the statutory and non-statutory factors in aggravation; the collateral consequences of guilty pleas, including immigration status, and the 6^th amendment ineffective assistance of counsel issues identified in several recent U.S. Supreme Court Cases; the differing good-time credit of various offenses; recognizing the various fees and  fines that  impact the defendant at sentencing; how to search the Illinois Criminal Code to pull up specific statutes using the ICJIA database; issues in sex offender sentencing, including registration requirements and social limitations/restrictions on the sex offender; and the new Evidence Based Sentencing in DUI cases and the 2012 DE Evaluation format.

The program qualifies for 6.0 hours MCLE credit and is presented by the ISBA Criminal Justice Section.

Click here for more information and to register.

ISBA Director of Legislative Affairs Jim Covington reviews bills in Springfield of interest to ISBA members. In this episode he covers The Religious Freedom and Marriage Fairness Act (Senate Bill 110), Bail bonds and release (House Bill 130), Driver’s licenses and child support (House Bill 128) and Transfer on Death Instruments (TODI) (House Bill 169). More information on the bill is available below the video.

(1) The Religious Freedom and Marriage Fairness Act. Senate Bill 110 (Steans, D-Chicago) creates the Religious Freedom and Marriage Act that recognizes civil marriages between persons of the same sex. Just introduced. House Bill 110 (Harris, D-Chicago) is an identical bill.

(2) Bail bonds and release. House Bill 130 (Monique Davis, D-Chicago. If a first-time offender is charged with a non-violent offense, it requires the court to order the defendant released on his or her own recognizance unless the court makes a specific finding that a cash bond is necessary to secure the defendant’s appearance. The court may, in addition to any other conditions, order as a condition of release that the defendant be monitored under electronic surveillance. Just introduced.

Please join us in supporting this event to benefit the Illinois Bar Foundation/YLD Children’s Assistance Program.

• When: Saturday, March 9, 2013 from Noon to 4 p.m.
• Where: Lion Head Pub/The Apartment, 2251 N. Lincoln Ave, Chicago (map and directions)
• What: Tailgate Party buffet and domestic and import bottled beer, mixed well drinks and wine.

One year ago today, Chief Justice Thomas L. Kilbride announced that the Illinois Supreme Court approved a pilot project that would allow news cameras and electronic news recordings in Illinois trial courtrooms for the first time ever.

During that time, 25 counties in nine judicial circuits across Illinois have participated in the pilot program, opening the trial courtrooms to news photographers and electronic news media to cover cases.

Michael J. Tardy, Director of the Administrative Office of the Illinois Courts, announced Wednesday that the Sixteenth Judicial Circuit judges voted to select Christine A. Downs as an associate judge of the Sixteenth Judicial Circuit.

Ms. Downs received her undergraduate degree in 1994 from the University of Illinois and her Juris Doctor in 1997 from Loyola University in Chicago. Ms. Downs is currently affiliated with Collison & O'Connor, Ltd. in Chicago.

Two Central Illinois TV stations highlighted the Lawyers Feeding Illinois program in news reports last week. ISBA President John E. Thies led a group of local attorneys and bar leaders on a visit to the Central Illinois Food Bank in Springfield. The Lawyers Feeding Illinois competition begins Feb. 18 - but donate and sign your team up now at lawyersfeedingil.org

Video from WAND can be viewed at http://www.wandtv.com/global/Category.asp?c=182814&clipId=8193154&autostart=true

Video from WICS can be viewed at http://www.wics.com/news/top-stories/stories/vid_9063.shtml