ISBA Director of Legislative Affairs Jim Covington reviews bills in Springfield of interest to ISBA members. This week he covers Senate Bill 3349 (prosecutor consent for first offenders), House Bill 5544 (attorney's fees in Illinois Marriage and Dissolution of Marriage Act), House Bill 4994 (BAIID device), Senate Bill 2953 (provisions concerning the effect of recording deeds, mortgages, and other instruments) and Senate Bill 2952 (attorney malpractice). More information on each bill is available below the video.

The Illinois State Bar Association is seeking “Ask A Lawyer Day” volunteers for two shifts on Saturday, April 28, at the Illinois Bar Center in Springfield, 424 S. Second Street. The first shift runs from 9 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. and the second shift runs from 11:30 a.m. - 2 p.m.

Please consider volunteering to help the public with their legal questions and, at the same time, enhance the image of the profession.

Each year, to recognize and celebrate Law Day, the Illinois State Bar Association sponsors “Ask A Lawyer Day,” a day during which volunteers respond to telephone calls from the public and answer general legal questions free of charge. This is a state-wide public relations effort that receives considerable attention from the public and the media.

If you are interested in volunteering, please complete and return the form provided below to Tracy Potter.  You can send it any of the following ways:

Will Illinois join the states that prohibit drivers from talking on cell phones and using other hand-held devices? Maybe. A bill has been introduced in the General Assembly that would prohibit all hand-held telephone use while driving a vehicle in Illinois, Adam Lasker writes in the March IBJ.

Clio is a 100% web-based practice management system that is specifically designed for solo practitioners and small firms. From intake to invoicing, Clio has your practice management needs covered and features an intuitive, easy-to-learn user interface. As a cloud-based application, Clio also allows you to access your practice data from anywhere, at any time, and with any device (Mac, PC, Tablet, and Smartphone).

Regularly $49/month for attorneys and $25/month for non-attorney support staff, ISBA members receive a 10% lifetime discount on their Clio subscription, bringing the monthly cost to $44.10 for attorneys and $22.50 for non-attorney support staff. In addition to the discount, you’ll  receive: a free 30-day trial; free data migrations; unlimited access to Clio’s live customer support; and unlimited access to live and recorded training, ranging from beginners’ sessions to advanced overviews on to simplify your practice with Clio. Interested in taking your practice to the cloud? Try Clio for free  at http://www.goclio.com/landing/ilsba/ and see how it can simplify your practice!

Asked and Answered

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

Q. I am the managing partner of a 12 attorney firm in Chicago. We have been considering whether we should develop a strategic plan for the firm. We have problems even having partner meetings on a consistent basis and those often yield questionable results. What are firms doing? Does a strategic plan make sense for a firm like ours?

A. According to recent surveys, 70+% of the responding law firms (ranging in size from the largest to 45 attorney firms) have formal written strategic plans. Smaller firms have a much lower experience. In our experiences with smaller law firms we are finding that fewer than 15% have formal written strategic plans. I consider success to be achievement of measurable results as evidenced by achievement of the goals and objectives outlined in the plan and actual implementation of action items. Lawyers and law firms seem to do better at planning than they do at implementation. Larger firms usually are more successful in implementation due to availability of management resources, leadership and functional governance. Smaller firms tend to have problems with implementation. In fact, we frequently recommend that a firm address other management issues prior to engaging in strategic planning. If a firm is having problems implementing day-to-day operational decisions the firm will not be effective in implementing strategic planning initiatives.

You might want to get your operational house in order first and resolve day-to-day operational management issues first and then move on to the future.

All candidates for Illinois judicial offices in the March 20 primary election have been rated by Illinois State Bar Association (ISBA) evaluation committees, or in a poll conducted by ISBA. Results are available at www.isba.org/YouBeTheJudge.

In Cook County, an ISBA Judicial Evaluations committee used the results of a questionnaire and interviews to rate candidates for all judicial offices. Candidates for the Appellate Court outside Cook County were also evaluated using this process.

In counties outside Cook, an advisory poll is conducted by mail and sent to all ISBA members in the circuit or district from which a candidate seeks election. Licensed lawyers who are not members of ISBA may request a ballot.

“Through these polls and evaluations, voters are provided the opportunity and responsibility of selecting qualified individuals to serve as judges to assure effective administration of our system of justice,” said John G. Locallo, of Chicago, president of the Illinois State Bar Association. “I encourage voters to consider these poll results when deciding how to vote on March 20.”

The Nordic Law Club will celebrate the vernal equinox, an ancient pagan rite of spring, with its annual codfish dinner on Wednesday, March 21, in the Berghoff Restaurant, 17 W. Adams, Chicago.

The organization will honor longtime member Don Schultz and present scholarships to six law students of Scandinavian heritage. The event will begin with a 5:30 p.m. reception, followed at 6:30 p.m. by a smorgasbord of traditional Swedish foods.

Advance reservations at $60 per person must be made by March 15 with Treasurer David G. Clark, Canalia & Clark, Suite C, 419 Ridge Road, Munster, IN 46321, telephone (219) 836-0008.

Call CoreVault at 1-866-981-5946 or visit them at http://www.corevault.com/isba. Special member pricing for both services.

Our panel of leading appellate attorneys review Friday's Illinois Supreme Court opinions in the civil cases Chicago Teachers Union v. The Board of Education of the City of Chicago and Gaffney v. Board of Trustees of the Orland Fire Protection District and criminal cases People v. Washington, People v. Guerrero and People v. Baskerville.