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.

Cook County Board President Tony Preckwinkle and several commissioners issued a resolution this week to name the Cook County Criminal Courts Building at 26th and California after George Leighton, a 2001 ISBA Laureate of the Academy of Illinois Lawyers. He received the ISBA's Diversity Leadership Award in 2009.

Leighton, 99, served as a Cook County Circuit Court judge and later became the first African American to sit on the Illinois Appellate Court.

Read the full article in the Chicago Sun-Times

"Legal Issues with Single Family Home Construction" and "Dealing with Foreclosures" will air on Chicago Access Network Television, Channel 21 in Chicago, at 10 p.m. on Tuesdays in February and March. These half-hour programs are presented by “Illinois Law,” a cable production of the Illinois State Bar Association (ISBA). Both programs are available for online viewing below.

"Legal Issues with Single Family Home Construction" will air at 10 p.m. on Tuesdays, Feb. 28 and March 13. Program moderator Martin A. Dolan, of Dolan Law Offices, Chicago, discusses the topic with guests Adam B. Whiteman, of Whiteman Law Offices, Chicago; Jennifer Nielsen, of Lyman & Nielsen, LLC, Oak Brook; and Myles L. Jacobs, a partner in Brumund, Jacobs, Hammel, Davidson & Andreano, LLC, with offices in Joliet, Channahon and Yorkville.

ISBA Director of Legislative Affairs Jim Covington reviews bills in Springfield of interest to ISBA members. This week he covers House Bill 4676 (consumer contracts), House Bill 4665 (radon and home construction), Senate Bill 3757 (admissibility of photographs), House Bill 5198 (contractual litigation) and Senate Bill 2953 (conveyances act). More information on each bill is available below the video.

The Illinois Supreme Court has announced that Robert E. Douglas has been appointed associate judge in DuPage County (18th Circuit). This appointement fills the vacancy created by the retirement of Associate Judge C. Stanley Austin.

Mr. Douglas graduated from the DePaul University College of Law in 1982. He currently serves as an assistant with the DuPage County State's Attorneys Office. He previously served as Assistant Counsel with the Illinois State Tollway Authority (1987-2001) and was a Senior Associate with the Chicago firm of French, Rogers, Kezelis & Kominiarek (1983-1987).

Asked and Answered

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

Q. Our firm of 16 attorneys is trying to make major strides this year in helping our firm design and implement personal business and client development plans. Should we consider hiring coaches? When should a firm consider coaching for attorneys?

A. The day-to-day stress of practicing law and serving clients leaves little time for focusing and investing in the future of the firm. When attorneys exhibit the following it may be time for a coach:

• Stuck and unable to move forward on new initiatives
• Indecision paralysis
• Lack of commitment, inertia, self-accountability or follow-up
• Poor implementation skills
• Lack of management, leadership, interpersonal, or other needed skills.

Training and skill development is not easy. Studies reveal that 90 percent of the people who attend seminars and training sessions see no improvement because they don't take the time to implement what they learn. Practice creates habits and habits determine your future. Up to 90 percent of our normal behavior is based on habits. The key to skill learning is to get the new skill to become a habit. Once the new habit is well developed it becomes your new normal behavior. This requires practice. Unfortunately, attorneys do not have time to practice and experiment.

The coach's role is that of steward, facilitative leader and teacher. Law firms retain coaches to work with attorneys and staff, mostly on a personal level, to address problems involving lack of commitment, inertia, implementation, self-accountability and follow-up. Firms are using coaching in the following areas:

Your client wants to include you in his will -- the very will you're preparing for him. Your ethics antennae begin to quiver. What should you do?

You might start by reading an article by Mike Rooney in the most recent ISBA Real Property newsletter that discusses a pair of Illinois disciplinary cases centered on the lawyer-as-testamentary-gift-recipient fact pattern.

The Illinois State Bar Association's Young Lawyers Division will host its Annual Bean Bag Party and Tournament on Saturday, March 10, from noon to 4 p.m. Please join us in supporting this event to benefit the Illinois Bar Foundation/YLD Children’s Assistance Program. The YLD Children's Assistance Fund is a special fund of the Illinois Bar Foundation, a 501(c)(3) charitable entity.

• When: Saturday, March 10, 2012 from noon to 4:00 p.m.
• Where: Mahoney’s Pub and Grille, 551 N. Ogden Ave. (on Ogden near Grand),Chicago, IL (map and directions)
• What: Appetizer bar and domestic draft beer, mixed well drinks and soft drinks
• Cost: $35 per person per wristband or $100 for entrance fee for Bean Bag Tournament for a team of two with two wristbands. You must be 21 years old and older to participate.
• Deadline: Bean Bag Team registration and wristband registration open until Tuesday, March 6 and thereafter wristbands can be purchased at the door the day of the event
• Register at www.isba.org/sections/yld/beanbag

Prizes will be given to the first and second place teams. Questions? Contact: Matthew Coleman, mcoleman@ridgeassoc.comor or Elizabeth McKillip, Elizabeth.mckillip@icemiller.com.