Two JAG officers will be on hand to answer general legal questions of service members and their families at the Illinois State Fair on Sunday, August 14, from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., courtesy of the Illinois State Bar Association (ISBA).

Timed to coincide with the fair’s Veterans Day celebration, the officers will be available at the ISBA tent on the fairgrounds located on Central Avenue across from the Dairy Building.

On Monday, August 15, during Senior Citizens Day, an elder law attorney will be available at the tent to answer general questions about the law related to seniors.

Throughout the 12-day event, the ISBA tent will distribute free legal pamphlets on a wide variety of legal issues.  Other freebies include gavel-like pencils, notepads, Abe Lincoln coloring books and temporary tattoos.

Fair-goers who want to assume a Lincoln identity can have their photo taken not WITH but AS the “Great Emancipator.”  The ISBA’s tent will have a life-size figure of Lincoln with a hole where his face should have been (sorry Abe) so visitors can have a free keepsake photo of themselves portrayed as the man considered Illinois’ most famous lawyer and one of the nation’s greatest U.S. Presidents.

The Illinois State Bar Association incorporates an image of Lincoln in their advertising and promotional materials with the tag line: “Our state has a history of some pretty good lawyers; we’re out to keep it that way.”

ISBA President-elect John E. Thies of Urbana was named President-elect of the National Caucus on Bar Associations at the recent ABA Annual Meeting in Toronto. The purpose of the caucus is to coordinate the efforts of state bar associations across the country in considering and proposing matters before the American Bar Association House of Delegates. Thies' term as president will coincide with his year as ISBA president (2012/13).  

“The state bar associations – including the ISBA – have a unique interest in many matters before the ABA House and within the ABA generally," Thies said. "These associations are most closely connected to the practicing bar, and the administration of justice at the core level. Accordingly, it is important that state bars have a strong voice within the ABA. In leading the Caucus, I plan to work with other state bar leaders to make sure that this is always the case.”

Judge David Gienapp (at lectern, the then-president of the Caucus) is shown declaring Thies' election following a nominating speech by ISBA President John Locallo (right).

The Bohemian Lawyers' Association of Chicago will host a centennial celebration on Sept. 30, 2011 at the Chicago Hilton and Towers, 720 S. Michigan. This celebration will honor the law school exchange program between Masaryk University Law Faculty and The John Marshall Law School.

The Bohemian Lawyers' Association was chartered on Oct. 4, 1911 and is the oldest ethnic bar association in the state. The evening will begin with a reception at 5:30 p.m., a dinner at 7 p.m. and dancing to the music of the Marshall Vente Orchestra.

Click here for the ticket order from.

ISBA Director of Legislative Affairs Jim Covington discusses legislation of interest to ISBA members. This week he covers Forcible Entry and Detainer: (Ford, D-Chicago; Martinez, D-Chicago) allows the plaintiff to include in a forcible entry and detainer complaint a request for the pro rata amount of rent due for any period that a judgment is stayed. Effective January 1, 2012.

ISBA Council member Michael G. Bergmann took the gavel as the new president of the ABA Young Lawyers Division on Saturday, August 6 at the ABA Annual Meeting in Toronto. Bergmann is the Executive Director of the Public Interest Law Initiative (PILI) in Chicago. Bergmann is pictured (second from right) with fellow ISBA Section Council members (from left) Tarek Fadel, Kenya Jenkins-Wright and Bob Fink (ISBA YLD Immediate Past Chair).

The Illinois State Bar Association will once again have a tent at the Illinois State Fair, starting today and continuing through August 21. The tent will look to help the public through the promotion of the ISBA's new Illinois Lawyer Finder public website.

The tent offers legal brochures for the public and an Abraham Lincoln photo opportunity for state fair patrons who want to put their face in Lincoln's image. There is also a laptop connected to the Illinois Lawyer Finder site that visitors can try out and visit the ISBA's new consumer website. Visitors can also receive giveaways including: the infamous gavel pencils, small notepads and ISBA temporary tattoos.

More information on the state fair is available at www.agr.state.il.us/isf/

Asked and Answered

By John W. Olmstead, MBA, Ph.D, CMC 

Q.  As the administrator of our 14 attorney firm I have been asked to present a plan to the partners for reducing employee benefits. We have had a difficult time during this recession. So far we have not had to reduce our employee headcount - but this could change in the future. It is our hope that if we can reduce the cost of benefits we won't have to layoff or terminate any employees. What is the best way to handle/manage this difficult discussion and process?

A.  As an "at-will" employer you have the right to change benefits whenever you please. However, you must be careful as employees will perceive a reduction in benefits as a reduction to their overall compensation package.

If you do decide to cut benefits it is advisable to plan carefully and communicate as much in advance of the changes so that people know what is coming in time for them to allow for changes in their lives. It is also a good idea to be prepared to clearly and concisely share comprehendible reasons for making these changes. If implementing this type of change will save jobs, present it this way. If you believe that you may again provide benefits that have been cut once the economic environment is better, that knowledge will make it more palatable to employees.

A key point here -- do an overall examination of your benefits and cut once and be done with it -- don't keep reducing benefits every month or so.

In the latest ISBA Bench and Bar newsletter, Ellen Ogden interviews Illinois Supreme Court Justice Mary Jane Theis about her career as a pioneering woman in the law. Among other interesting topics, Justice Theis discusses how the presence of more women on the bench is shaping the judiciary and the interplay among judges. Read the article.

The Illinois Supreme Court has announced the appointment of Ben L. Beyers II as an associate judge of the Third Judicial Circuit.

Mr. Beyers received his undergraduate degree in 1996 from the University of Illinois in Urbana and his Juris Doctor in 1999 from the University of Illinois.

He is currently affiliated with the Madison County State’s Attorney’s Office in Edwardsville.