Chief Judge John T. Elsner has announced that the Court is accepting applications to fill a vacancy for the Office of Associate Judge of the 18th Judicial Circuit Court of Illinois, DuPage County. The vacancy is a results of the elevation of Associate Judge Robert G. Kleeman to Circuit Judge.
Asked and Answered
By John W. Olmstead, MBA, Ph.D, CMC
Q. I am the co-founder of an estate planning firm in Chicago. We have two associate attorneys, myself and my partner, and 6 support staff members. Our practice is limited to estate planning, estate administration, and elder law. Our marketing consists totally of referrals from other attorneys, past clients, and other referral sources. We believe that we have a successful practice with revenues consistently exceeding $1.8 million per year. We spend very little on business development and marketing. Should we be doing more?
Are your employees getting the tax relief they deserve? Are you? Should you process your own payroll? A CPA tells lawyers a thing or two about the financial side of running a practice in the February Illinois Bar Journal.
The Illinois State Bar Association's Young Lawyers Division hosted its 3rd Professional Development Luncheon titled "Graduating to the Bench" on Jan. 15 at the Chicago Regional Office. Heather Pfeffer of Cassiday Schade served as moderator while Hon. Nancy J. Katz, Hon. Thomas L. Hogan, Albert E. Durkin and Hon. William E. Holdridge served as panelists.
Nominations are being accepted for ISBA awards that will be presented on June 21, 2013, at the Annual Awards Luncheon. Additional information is available at www.isba.org/awards
The Supreme Court of Illinois has announced the filing of lawyer disciplinary orders entered during the January Term of Court. The court disbarred two lawyers, suspended 16, reprimanded three and censured three. Sanctions were imposed because the lawyers engaged in professional misconduct by violating state ethics law.
ISBA President John E. Thies reports on the success of the recent ISBA/IJA Joint Midyear Meeting held in Chicago. Events included the annual luncheon to honor ISBA Distinguished Counsellors, CLE programs on Social Media and the Crisis in Court Funding, festive Law School Alumni Receptions, the Joint ISBA/CBA Supreme Court Dinner and the Assembly meeting.
ISBA Director of Legislative Affairs Jim Covington reviews bills in Springfield of interest to ISBA members. In this episode he covers Medical malpractice and tobacco litigation (House Bill 5151), Small Estate Affidavit (House Bill 25), Uniform Collaborative Law Act (Senate Bill 31), Victims’ Rights (HJRCA 1) and Local governments and debt collection (Senate Bill 36). More information on the bill is available below the video.
The ISBA Young Lawyers Division hosted “Graduating to the Bench,” the second of a four-part series of Professional Development Luncheons on Tuesday, Jan. 15. Participants included (from left) YLD Luncheon co-chair Matt Coleman, YLD Chair Meghan O’Brien, Speakers Al Durkin, Judge William Holdridge, Judge Nancy Katz, Judge Thomas Hogan, Moderator and Luncheon co-chair Heather Pfeffer and Luncheon co-chair Jessica Durkin. The fourth and final Professional Development Luncheon will be held on March 13 and will focus on alternative careers in the law.
Can we protect victims of domestic violence while "minimizing the abuse of the legal system" from unwarranted orders of protection, as author and dowstate attorney John J. Racklin puts it? He thinks so. In his article in the latest issue of the ISBA's Family Law newsletter, he offers several suggestions.
Take filing fees, for example. "I believe that charging a filing fee would make people think twice about filing frivolous pleadings. In addition, the county would be able to recoup some of the costs incurred in these cases," Racklin writes. And what about indigent petitioners? "They could request to have their fees and costs waived as is already allowed in other civil cases." Read his proposals here.