Section Newsletters

Articles From John T. Phipps

Editor’s column: Smart phones and their many applications are a tech bonanza for lawyers, but there are limits to how much communication each of us wants By John T. Phipps General Practice, Solo, and Small Firm, December 2010 As technology advances and offers more and more options, some lawyers may feel they're being left behind.
Editor’s column: Computer developments and upgrades—Is now the time? Check out Solo & Small Firms Conference programs By John T. Phipps General Practice, Solo, and Small Firm, September 2010 Join us for the ISBA's Solo & Small Firm Conference on October 21-23 and learn about available new technologies and whether they can help you in your practice.
1 comment (Most recent September 28, 2010)
Editor’s column: Lawyer as peacemakers practicing holistic problem-solving law By John T. Phipps General Practice, Solo, and Small Firm, July 2010 “Holistic problem-solving law” may be something new or it simply may be putting a title on what many of us have done for years.
Editor’s column: Backup, backup, backup—There are bad things out there just waiting to damage your system, plus computers really do fail! By John T. Phipps General Practice, Solo, and Small Firm, June 2010 The author relays his own experiences with system failure.
1 comment (Most recent June 11, 2010)
Editor’s column: New “limited scope legal representation” rule gives solo and small firm practitioners special opportunity to expand practice with “unbundled legal services” By John T. Phipps General Practice, Solo, and Small Firm, March 2010 Because we now have an opportunity to expand our services, we should all consider what “limited engagements” or “unbundling” means to our own practice and develop our own limited engagement agreements and opportunities.
Editor’s column: Don’t overlook available resources By John T. Phipps General Practice, Solo, and Small Firm, December 2009 In these troubled economic times it is easy to overlook the vast amount of free legal resources available to Illinois lawyers. The Chair’s Column by Brian L. McPheters and the following article by Robert Brunn and Bennie E. Martin discuss a number of such resources.  
Editor’s column By John T. Phipps General Practice, Solo, and Small Firm, October 2009 A note from Editor John Phipps.
Editor’s column: The other elephant in the room: Gates vs. Cambridge police raises fundamental issues beyond the issue of racial profiling By John T. Phipps General Practice, Solo, and Small Firm, September 2009 A note from Editor John Phipps.
Fee agreement essentials By John T. Phipps General Practice, Solo, and Small Firm, September 2009 With the adoption of the rule approving the sale of a solo practice, it became appropriate, especially for senior lawyers and solo practitioners, to insert a provision in fee agreements to cover what happens in the event of the unavailability of the attorney. Such a provision obtains the client’s consent to temporary substitution of an attorney and a limited confidentiality waiver.
Editor’s column: Trying times for lawyers create need to review office operations and look for practice opportunities in a shrinking legal market By John T. Phipps General Practice, Solo, and Small Firm, July 2009 A note from Editor John Phipps.
Editor’s Column: Fee Agreement Essentials By John T. Phipps General Practice, Solo, and Small Firm, May 2009 The author believes there needs to be a clause to address what happens on the unavailability of the attorney; a clause to deal with client expectations; and a clause that deals with the client’s fee expectations.
Editor’s column: Being a lawyer means something By John T. Phipps General Practice, Solo, and Small Firm, March 2009 Lincoln-the-Lawyer is still the model for Illinois lawyers to aspire to. Lincoln is ranked as one of the U.S.’ best presidents, but his Illinois legal career is no less exceptional.
Editor’s column: Current economic downturn requires lawyers to evaluate case acceptance, billing and credit policies By John T. Phipps General Practice, Solo, and Small Firm, January 2009 You need to make the choice about your own pro bono. Or as another lawyer told me, if work is slow, invest in yourself and improve your office and your skills rather than donate your time to someone who cannot or will not pay you.
Editor’s Column: Perspectives on the mortgage default mess By John T. Phipps General Practice, Solo, and Small Firm, December 2008 These are two pearls of Southern Illinois wisdom that come to mind as I listen to the news about the financial crisis we are in with regard to mortgage defaults and mortgage foreclosures.
Editors Column: Pro bono for lawyers with limited time—There are many ways to serve By John T. Phipps General Practice, Solo, and Small Firm, September 2008 Recently, the Illinois Supreme Court adopted a change to Supreme Court Rule 756 (j) that allows inactive and retired lawyers to represent pro bono clients without being required to pay the active lawyer registration fee or comply with mandatory CLE requirements.
Editor’s Column: Illinois Supreme Court allows retired lawyer to do pro bono work during retirement without requiring annual registration fee By John T. Phipps General Practice, Solo, and Small Firm, May 2008 On March 27,2008 the Illinois Supreme Court adopted a rule change that beginning July 1, 2008 will allow retired and inactive lawyers to do pro bono work in recognized non-profit programs providing legal services.
Editor’s Column: Observations at ABA Tech Show—2008 By John T. Phipps General Practice, Solo, and Small Firm, April 2008 The ABA Tech Show 2008 was held March 13-15 at the Hilton Hotel in Chicago.
Editor’s Column: Our service members need our help By John T. Phipps General Practice, Solo, and Small Firm, March 2008 Working through the Champaign County Family Law Committee a number of Champaign County Bar Association Lawyers are volunteering to assist the members of a local Illinois National Guard Unit prepare for deployment overseas.
Matt Maloney—A passion for the law By John T. Phipps General Practice, Solo, and Small Firm, January 2008 Remembering Matt Maloney, who died unexpectedly on Christmas Day, 2007.
Editor’s Column: In praise of our staffs and contingency planning By John T. Phipps General Practice, Solo, and Small Firm, November 2007 This past summer was a very trying summer for the Editor, who experienced numerous office staff problems which, because of an unexpected staff family emergency, ended with a temp who, because of the need for training, (which we did not have time to do) could not do much other than answer the phone.
Editor’s Column: Lessons from The ABA Tech Show: Windows VISTA—Looks good but no compelling reason to upgrade By John T. Phipps General Practice, Solo, and Small Firm, July 2007 The consensus from the ABA Tech Show participants and exhibitors as well as local tech experts we have talked to is that “If your current windows XP system is working, don’t change it.”
Editor’s Column: Computer update—To buy or not to buy? That is the question By John T. Phipps General Practice, Solo, and Small Firm, November 2006 The conventional wisdom found in most technology magazines and in certain technology circles is to hold off buying new computers until after the first of the year.
Editor’s Column: ISBA electronic newsletter subscriptions provide newsletters sooner By John T. Phipps General Practice, Solo, and Small Firm, October 2006 The reasons to subscribe to this newsletter electronically.
Editor’s Column: ISBA’s aggressive response to mandatory CLE by providing varied and frequent courses By John T. Phipps General Practice, Solo, and Small Firm, October 2006 The Second Annual Solo & Small Firm Conference “Shine up you Shingle” held in St. Charles, Illinois in September was a huge success.
Editor’s column: Court-ordered Rock, Paper, Scissors? By John T. Phipps General Practice, Solo, and Small Firm, July 2006 Zealous advocacy reached a notorious low in a recent New York Times story that ran on June 8, 2006, which was then picked up by the Associated Press and widely circulated.
The Ryan juror furor—The questions and implications are disturbing and far-reaching By John T. Phipps Bench and Bar, July 2006 The corruption trial of former Governor George Ryan has raised a number of troubling points about our juries and who serves on them.
Editor’s column: Who will speak for the judges? By John T. Phipps General Practice, Solo, and Small Firm, June 2006 Attacks on the judiciary have been going on for a number of years.
The Ryan juror furor—The questions and implications are disturbing and far reaching By John T. Phipps General Practice, Solo, and Small Firm, April 2006 The corruption trial of former Governor George Ryan has raised a number of troubling points about our juries and who serves on them.
Editor’s column: Practice opportunity—Small claims limit raised to $10,000 By John T. Phipps General Practice, Solo, and Small Firm, March 2006 The recent change in the small claims definitions which raised the small claims case maximum amount to $10,000 opens a myriad of new opportunities to the General Practice Solo & Small Firm lawyer.
Editor’s column: Balance is important By John T. Phipps General Practice, Solo, and Small Firm, February 2006 This issue of the General Practice Solo and Small Firm newsletter contains three articles on the quality of life of lawyers and examines ways of dealing with stress and difficult clients.

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