Chicago Area

Central Illinois

• Former Metamora coach gets four years for sexual abuse of student, Peoria Journal Star

Chicago area

• Jury deliberating whether McHenry Co. cops framed murder suspect, Daily Herald
• "Most significant drug conspiracy" busted in Chicago, Chicago Sun-Times

Northern Illinois

• Divorce easier to get, stigma less prevalent, experts say, Quad-City Times

Southern Illinois

• Doctor sued for failing to provide safe place to sit, The Madison St. Clair Record
• Columbia service dog has his day in court, Belleville News-Democrat
• Jurors convict East St. Louis woman of giving fatal dose of morphine to niece, Belleville News-Democrat

This post is updated with breaking news throughout the day.

The Illinois State Bar Association's Lawyer Finder Service provides referrals to local lawyers Mondays through Fridays.  The Service makes referrals in a number of areas of law.  For the month of July 2009, the ISBA helped people in need of legal services find lawyers in the following areas:

• Administrative Law       8
• Animal Law                  3
• Bankruptcy                   19
• Business Law               7
• Civil Disputes               89
• Civil Rights                   22
• Collection                      22
• Consumer Protection     21
• Contracts                      8
• Criminal Law                74
• Education Law              10
• Elder law                      2
• Employment Law          99
• Estate/Probate Law       26
• Family                          111
• Government Benefits     4
• Health Law                   2
• Immigration                   2
• Insurance Disputes        9
• Intellectual Property      10
• Miscellaneous               2
• Municipal Law              4
• Personal Injury              92
• Real Estate                   67
• Social Security              12
• Tax                              7
• Workers Compensation  6

These numbers do not include additional referrals made through the online Lawyer Finder service. Want to be part of the ISBA Lawyer Finder Service?  Call (800) 525-8908 and ask for the Legal Department, or visit www.illinoislawyerfinder.com Clients should call (800) 922.8757.

[caption id="attachment_3524" align="alignright" width="300" caption="Robert Fink (left), YLD vice chair and Kelley Gandurski (right), YLD chair, present the $2,000 check to Ari Bernstein and Sandra Blake of Life Span."][/caption] The Illinois State Bar Association’s Young Lawyers Division recently awarded a $2,000 grant to Life Span to support its counselor's services in the teens/children counseling program. Life Span is committed to the cessation of domestic violence and to the relief of those who suffer from its consequences.

Naperville lawyer, ISBA member, tech expert, and Solo and Small Firm Conference presenter Bryan Sims (aka The Connected Lawyer) says there are four must-have tools for sole practitioners: a smart phone, a laptop, a scanner, and a good backup system. “Unless you’re going to be tied to your office, you should have some sort of smart phone,” such as an iPhone, a BlackBerry, or a PalmPre, Sims told Helen Gunnarsson in an interview for the yet-to-be-released September Illinois Bar Journal. “You need something that will allow you to get your e-mail, look at documents, and otherwise get some work done when you’re out of the office.” As for laptops, Simms recommends buying a business class model directly from the manufacturer instead of the cheapest thing available. “If you’re using your computer for your law practice, you can’t afford to have it out of operation for a week,” he says. A scanner will help you create a paperless and a portable office. “I recommend that you keep all of your documents in .pdf format. If you want to keep the hard copy too, fine, but scan everything,” Sims says. Scanned documents are easy to manage and disseminate. Finally, you need a good backup system.