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Coordinators of a new foreclosure-mediation program in McLean County hope to expedite foreclosure litigation, clear up the court's docket, and help make the process a little more user-friendly for people at risk of losing their homes. Find out more in the April Illinois Bar Journal.

The Illinois Supreme Court announced on Wednesday that it has adopted a new rule to facilitate the delivery of legal services in an emergency resulting from a major disaster.

In the case of an Illinois disaster, new Supreme Court Rule 718 would allow attorneys who are licensed in another state to provide pro bono publico legal services to residents of Illinois. In the event of a disaster in another state, the rule would allow attorneys licensed outside of Illinois to provide pro bono legal services to residents of the stricken state who have been displaced to Illinois because of the disaster.

The rule also would allow attorneys licensed in a stricken state to provide legal services in Illinois as long as those legal services arise out of and are reasonably related to the lawyers’ practice of law where the major disaster occurred.

The rule has come to be known as the "Katrina Rule" because it was developed by the American Bar Association in response to the hurricane by that name which wreaked tragedy across New Orleans. The rule, however, is intended to address both natural and man-made disasters such as earthquakes, floods, tornadoes, public health emergencies, and acts of terrorism or war.

Application of the rule would be triggered by the Illinois Supreme Court’s determination that an emergency or other major disaster affecting the justice system had occurred. Attorneys practicing in Illinois pursuant to the new rule would not be allowed to make court appearances in Illinois unless that permission was generally granted by the Illinois Supreme Court in the aftermath of the disaster or pro hac vice admission was obtained in an individual lawsuit.

The Women’s Bar Association of Illinois (WBAI) will kick off a new term of office on Thursday, June 7, 2012, during its 98th Annual Installation Dinner at the Chicago Hilton Towers. The dinner serves as one of the largest annual celebrations within the Chicago legal community, with over 700 judges, attorneys, corporate supporters and prominent community leaders attending the event each year.

This year, the WBAI celebrates the installation of its incoming President, Karina Zabicki DeHayes, a partner in the Chicago law firm Tabet DiVito & Rothstein LLC. Incoming President Karina Zabicki DeHayes was named in the Law Bulletin’s “40 Under Forty”—Illinois Attorneys to Watch in 2008 and was named an Illinois “Rising Star” by her peers in SuperLawyers® magazine for three consecutive years beginning in 2009, a distinction reserved for the top 2.5 percent of Illinois lawyers who are under 40 or in practice for 10 years or less. She also serves on the Board of Directors of the Women’s Bar Foundation. At the Dinner, incoming President Karina Zabicki DeHayes will detail the goals for her term and unveil her mission for the upcoming year, “Women and Men Partnering for Excellence.”

Asked and Answered

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

Q. I am the managing partner of a 16 attorney firm in Santa Monica, California. We represent large energy companies located on the west coast. We are contemplating developing our first strategic plan. We would like to obtain insight from our clients, receive their feedback, and use this information to assess our level of client satisfaction and our competitive profile. However, we are not sure whether we should conduct a random survey involving selecting a percentage of our clients or a census involving surveying all clients rather than taking a sample. Please advise as to your thoughts.

A. Rather than doing a random survey of your client base, you may want a more targeted and focused survey of a particular client group. For example, if 80 to 90 percent of your business comes from 10 clients, you may want to create a survey that is specifically targeted to them. The advantage of a targeted key client survey is that it is limited in scope and precisely focused. Before you commit time and resources to a client survey identify your purpose and establish specific goals and objectives.

Develop a survey plan. Insure that a follow-up strategy is incorporated into the plan.

Click here for our blog on client service

Click here for our article on the topic

Click here for our law firm management articles

Chief Justice Thomas L. Kilbride and the Illinois Supreme Court announced Tuesday a new rule that will allow jurors in civil cases to pose their own questions to a witness.

The rule has undergone extensive study since it was received by the Supreme Court Rules Committee in August 2010, and was discussed at a public hearing where it received the support of the Chief Judge of the Northern District of Illinois, the Illinois State Bar Association, the Chicago Bar Association and others.

It will go into effect July 1, 2012 as Supreme Court Rule 243.

"This proposal was the subject of much discussion – both internally by the Illinois Supreme Court Rules Committee at several of its meetings and at a public hearing in May 2011," said Chief Justice Kilbride. "Based on the comments of those who have used or seen the procedure at trials, such a rule enhances juror engagement, juror comprehension and attention to the proceeding and gives jurors a better appreciation for our system of justice. The rule is written so that its implementation rests with the discretion of the trial judge and with safeguards so that the testimony it elicits complies with the rules of evidence."

John B. Simon, chair of the Rules Committee, believes the scrutiny given the proposal before its adoption will benefit not only jurors, but lawyers, judges and the entire system of justice.

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Dear ISBA members,
We invite you to join us on our Fall 2012 ISBA President’s Trip – a magnificent tour of China!

Take a moment away from your busy day, close your eyes and picture yourself in a land steeped in thousands of years of history. Picture a place where the echoes of distant empires can still be heard above the urban roar of modern technology, where natural landscapes stand in stark and beautiful contrast to contemporary cityscapes. You are in a land rich in tradition and ripe with possibility.

Hinsdale Central High School placed first in the 30th annual Illinois State Bar Association High School Mock Trial Invitational held at the University of Illinois at Springfield on Friday and Saturday, March 30 and 31, 2012.

Timothy Christian High School in Elmhurst came in second place, and third place went to St. Charles North High School. Teams from 44 Illinois high schools traveled to Springfield to participate in the program.

Hinsdale Central High School will represent the state of Illinois at the National High School Mock Trial Championship which will be held in Albuquerque, New Mexico, May 3-6, 2012.

“The mock trial program is a rare opportunity for Illinois high school students to compete in a high-level academic endeavor,” says Lauren E. DeJong of Park Ridge, chair of the ISBA’s Standing Committee on Law Related Education for the Public, which conducts the program.

Evanston Township High School in Evanston and Hinsdale Central High School in Hinsdale tied for the highest team average on the Written Law Exam, and Andrea Shen, from Lake Forest Academy in Lake Forest, had the highest individual test score.