The Illinois State Bar Association's Special Committee on Fair and Impartial Courts met on Friday, July 20, at the Chicago Regional Office. The committee’s mission is to coordinate ISBA efforts to identify and publicize threats to fair and impartial courts from lack of funding, and to consider measures to address this problem.

The committee is being chaired by the Hon. Patricia P. Golden of St Charles and the Hon. James M. Wexstten of Mt. Vernon. President John E. Thies appointed this special committee as one of his presidential initiatives. More information on the committee and those serving on it can be found at www.isba.org/committees/fairandimpartialcourts.

Asked and Answered

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

Q. Recently our firm of 14 attorneys decided to transition from all partners weighing in on every management decision to a managing partner form of management. I was elected to the new managing partner position and have been in the position for four months and I have accomplished very little during this period of time. I am not sure where to start. I would be interested in your ideas.

A. You might want to read last week's blog/posting on governance. Structuring and Running Your Firm Like a Business

Lack of focus and accountability is one of the major problems facing law firms. Many times, the problem is having too many ideas, alternatives and options. The result, often, is no decision or action at all. Ideas, recommendations, suggestions, etc., are of no value unless implemented.

The Illinois Supreme Court announced Tuesday the appointment of Wm. Hugh Finson, a longtime Monticello attorney and public servant as a resident circuit judge in the Sixth Judicial Circuit.

Mr. Finson was appointed to fill the Circuit Court vacancy created by the death of longtime Piatt County Chief Judge John P. Shonkwiler. The appointment is effective September 4, 2012 and will expire December 1, 2014.

“The Business Buying Process” and “How to Find a Business to Buy,” half-hour programs presented by Illinois Law, will air on Chicago Access Network Television, Channel 21 in Chicago at 10 p.m. on Tuesdays in July and August.

“How to Find a Business to Buy” will air on Tuesday, July 31. Appearing on the show will be Todd C. Cushing, principal, EBIT Associates, Ltd., in Barrington; program moderator John T. Theis, a Chicago lawyer; William A. Price, of Growth Law, in Warrenville; and Markus May, an associate at Eckhart Kolak, LLC, in Chicago.

“The Business Buying Process” will air on Tuesday, August 7. Appearing on the show will be Jeffrey A. Gonyo, managing director, Geneva Glen Capital, LLC, in Chicago; program moderator John T. Theis, a Chicago lawyer; William A. Price, of Growth Law, in Warrenville; and Markus May, an associate at Eckhart Kolak, LLC, in Chicago.

Illinois Law is a cable production of the Illinois State Bar Association can also be viewed online at http://iln.isba.org/blog/illinois-law-video.

The 2012 Midyear Meeting will be held at the Sheraton Hotel & Towers in Chicago from Dec. 13–15. Take advantage of this opportunity to make your reservations for lodging early by visiting www.starwoodmeeting.com/book/isba1212. Rates are $139 for single or double occupancy, plus applicable state and local tax. A deposit of first night’s lodging is required. Check-in after 4 p.m. and check-out before noon.

The deadline for making reservations for lodging is on or before Nov. 19, 2012. Reservations received after this date will be subject to availability. The deposit will be forfeited for all no-shows, early departures and cancellations less than 24 hours prior to arrival.

Watch for additional details, schedule of events and registration information on our website www.isba.org and Illinois Lawyer Now.

U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senator Mark Kirk (R-IL) have announced that the application for the position of U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois is now online.

Prospective applicants can download the application at www.durbin.senate.gov, www.kirk.senate.gov or by clicking here or here. Applications must be returned by Friday, August 31, 2012.

What if Abraham Lincoln had survived the assassination attempt by John Wilkes Booth, and then two years later faced an impeachment trial for overstepping his constitutional authority during the Civil War? The bestselling author of a new novel that explores this possibility, Stephen L. Carter, will hold a book discussion and signing Thursday, August 2 at 6:30 p.m. in Union Theater at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum in Springfield. The event is free, but reservations must be made by calling (217) 558-8934.

A free “Teacher Talks” session with Carter for educators will be held in the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library Classroom at 5:30 p.m. Reservations for “Teacher Talks” may be made by calling (217) 558-8953. 

Carter is the author of The Impeachment of Abraham Lincoln, to be released July 10,

 a vividly imagined work of historical fiction that captures the emotional tenor of post–Civil War America, a brilliantly realized courtroom drama that explores the always contentious question of the nature of presidential authority, and a galvanizing story of political suspense.

ISBA Director of Legislative Affairs Jim Covington reviews bills in Springfield of interest to ISBA members. In this episode he covers Neglected child (Public Act 97-803), Property Tax Code (Public Act 97-812) and Victims' rights (Public Act 97-815). More information on each bill is available below the video.

The Illinois State Bar Association, Illinois Judges Association and Women’s Bar Association of Illinois are teaming up for three times the fun at Chicago Volunteer Legal Services (CVLS) 19^th annual Race Judicata Sprint for Justice 5K Run/Walk. This fundraising event takes place on Sept. 13 at Upper Hutchinson Field in Chicago’s Grant Park.

T-shirts will be provided for team members. All proceeds from Race Judicata go to the general operating costs of CVLS, which works to provide legal services to the poor and working poor of Chicago. The three associations will host a tent that will serve as the main gathering point for ISBA, IJA and WBAI members. Food and water will be available at the tent. The entry fee is $33 through Sept. 7. Register under the team name IJA.WBAI.ISBA at www.cvls.org/judicata

Tim Storm, chair of ISBA's General Practice, Solo & Small Firm Section, is describing his journey from brick-and-mortar to virtual office in a series of newsletter articles. Tim is an engaging writer, and his accounts are well worth your time. Here are excerpts from his second of two installments.

"[I]f some of your clients live in a different time zone—like the 1980s—and insist upon faxing things, you should use an e-fax service instead of a big old fax machine. For a monthly fee, faxes come in as PDF e-mail attachments that you receive wherever you have e-mail access. It’s convenient, paperless, and not evil."

"I have decided to use Clio, which is one of the larger and better-known cloud-based law practice management systems. Granted, I have only just started to use Clio (as of this writing, I am still within the 30-day trial period, so I haven’t even paid for it yet). But so far, my general reaction to Clio is: 'Where have you been all my life?'”

Read his article.