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  • August 31, 2010 | ISBA News
    "Response to Intervention" and "Basics of Special Education Law" to air on Illinois Law
    RtI – Response to Intervention and Basics of Special Education Law, two half-hour programs presented by the Illinois State Bar Association (ISBA), will air on Chicago Access Network Television, Channel 21 in Chicago, during the month of September. Response to Intervention will air on Tuesdays, Sept. 7 and 21 at 10 p.m., and Basics of Special Education Law will air on Tuesdays, Sept. 14 and 28 at 10 p.m. Appearing on the shows are (from left) John A. Dively, Jr., J.D., Ed.D., associate professor and chair of educational leadership at Eastern Illinois University in Charleston; program moderator Nancy Z. Hablutzel, a Chicago lawyer; Deborah E. Decker, an attorney at Tabet DiVito & Rothstein, LLC, in Chicago; and Mary Kay Klimesh, an attorney at Seyfarth Shaw in Chicago. “Illinois Law” is a cable production of the ISBA, and can now be viewed online at www.illinoislawyernow.com/tag/illinois-law-video.
  • August 24, 2010 | ISBA News
    Illinois Law "So You Want to Be an Attorney" programs now available online

    Life of a Lawyer Part I

    Click here to view Life of a Lawyer Part II

    The Law School Experience Part I

    Click here to view The Law School Experience Part II

  • August 16, 2010 | Events | ISBA News
    Ukrainian delegation visits ISBA
    The Illinois State Bar Association welcomed a delegation from Ukraine last Friday to discuss the U.S. justice system. The visit was titled "Legislative Reform in the Criminal Justice System" and took place before a scheduled meeting of the ISBA Bench and Bar Section. Among those on hand for the meeting included ISBA member Alexandria Bell, of Johnson & Bell, Ltd., who immigrated to the U.S. from Ukraine and the age of 19. Bell is pictured at right with members of the Ukrainian delegation and ISBA President Mark Hassakis (from left): Rostyslav Gerasymov, senior counsel to the chairman of the Committee on Justice; Bell; Elina Shyshkina, a member of Parliament; Iryna Mostova, head of the Department of Legistlation on Justice and President Hassakis.
  • August 12, 2010 | Events | ISBA News
    Check out the ISBA tent at the Illinois State Fair
    The Illinois State Bar Association will have a tent at the upcoming Illinois State Fair in Springfield. The fair opened Thursday night and runs through Sunday, Aug. 22. The tent offers legal brochures for the public, a Legal Eagle quiz on Illinois legal history (prize for 80% and better) 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. Visitors can also receive giveaways including: the infamous gavel pencils, small notepads and Lincoln coloring books. More information on the state fair is available at www.agr.state.il.us/isf/
  • August 11, 2010 | ISBA News | Member Services
    Illinois Lawyer Finder makes over 600 referrals in July
    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, ISBA helped people in need of legal services find lawyers in the following areas:
    • Administrative Law - 4
    • Animal Law - 2
    • Bankruptcy - 9
    • Business Law - 10
    • Civil Disputes - 63
    • Civil Rights - 29
    • Collection - 31
    • Consumer Protection - 11
    • Contracts - 13
    • Criminal Law - 38
    • Education Law -8
    • Elder law - 4
    • Employment Law - 96
    • Estate/Probate Law -17
    • Family - 106
    • Government Benefits - 16
    • Health Law - 3
    • Immigration - 1
    • Insurance Disputes - 3
    • Intellectual Property -7
    • Miscellaneous - 1
    • Municipal Law - 4
    • Personal Injury - 72
    • Real Estate - 42
    • Social Security - 16
    • Tax - 4
    • Workers Compensation - 8
    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) 252-8908 and ask for the Legal Department, or visit www.illinoislawyerfinder.com Clients should call (800) 922-8757.
  • August 10, 2010 | ISBA News | People
    ISBA Past President Niro joins ABA Board of Governors
    [caption id="attachment_13816" align="alignright" width="150" caption="Cheryl Niro"][/caption] Cheryl Niro, long a leader of Illinois’ legal community, today became a member of the American Bar Association Board of Governors. Niro is a principal in the law firm of RobinsonNiro, LLC, which provides advice, expert witness services and training on issues involving legal ethics. Just beginning a 3-year term as one of only 38 members of the Board of Governors, Niro will help oversee administration and management of the ABA.  She represents the association’s Seventh District, comprising Illinois and Ohio.  The association represents lawyers from every corner of the country, practicing in every field of law and working in every professional capacity. Niro has worked in legal circles in Illinois since 1981, with her career alternating the private practice of law with public service.  She was executive director of the Illinois Supreme Court Commission on Professionalism during 2006-09; a special counsel to the Attorney General of Illinois in 1996-99; and the executive director of the Illinois Commission on the Bicentennial of the U.S. Constitution, a project of the state supreme court, in 1985-88.  While practicing in a law firm under her own name, she also founded the National Center for Conflict Resolution Education, which is funded by the U.S. Department of Justice and the U.S. Department of Education. Niro is a past president of the Illinois State Bar Association, and has chaired or been a member of state bar entities devoted to a range of issues, from meeting the legal needs and interests of children in the state to the impact of international trade agreements on the practice of law.  As a hands-on leader, she worked with the state bar’s participation in national high school mock trial competitions and supported a project to revise and update the Illinois Revised Statutes.  She worked on issues of internal bar significance, but also those affecting the public, such as developing alternatives to litigation for resolving legal disputes.  She also is as past president of the Cook County Legal Assistance Foundation, which works to meet the legal needs of the county’s indigent, and of the Illinois Supreme Court Legal Historical Society.
  • August 10, 2010 | Events | ISBA News
    Special offer from ISBA Mutual for members attending the 2010 ISBA Solo & Small Firm Conference

  • August 9, 2010 | ISBA News
    Free ISBA Membership Trial Offer
    During 2010, the ISBA is offering non-member* lawyers the opportunity to sign up for a FREE 6 month trial membership. The trial membership includes all the benefits of regular membership, including FREE online legal research through Fastcase, discounts on CLE programs, daily delivery of the E-Clips bulletin, monthly delivery of the award-winning Illinois Bar Journal, and much more! Not a member? Learn more and sign up for this opportunity. Already a member? Find out how to present this offer to a non-member and be eligible to earn a discount on your future dues! * Eligibility Requirement: This offer is good for any lawyer listed as “active” with the ARDC and who has not been a member of the ISBA within the last 2 years.
  • August 5, 2010 | ISBA News
    Volunteers needed for Just the Beginning Foundation
    Just the Beginning Foundation is dedicated to developing and nurturing interest in the law among young persons from various ethnic backgrounds underrepresented in the legal profession and supporting their continued advancement. Just the Beginning Foundation's long-term goal is to increase racial diversity in the legal profession. Just The Beginning Foundation is seeking volunteers for the upcoming Summer Legal Institute, Advanced Summer Legal Institute, and Middle School Law camp, hosted by the DePaul College of Law in Chicago. 2010 is the fourth year for the Summer Legal Institute programming, and it is through the participation of volunteers like you that we continue the connection with hundreds of diverse students each year. The following volunteer opportunities are available and in most need of assistance: Summer Legal Institute:
    • Friday, August 6th: 9-11 a.m. (small-group Oral Argument preparation)
    • Friday, August 13th: 10 a.m.-11:30 a.m. (act as judges for Oral Argument presentations)
    Volunteers are also encouraged to join us for a celebration lunch on Friday, August 13th from noon-1:30 p.m. at Edwardo's Pizza (521 S Dearborn). Middle School Law Camp:
    • Monday, August 23rd: 12:00-1:45 p.m. (Lunch Roundtable: Intro To The Legal Profession)
    • Wednesday, August 25: 8:30-9:30 a.m. (Breakfast Panelist: What's it like to be a lawyer?)
    • Wednesday, August 25th: noon-1:30 p.m. (Lunch Panel: "What Can You Do With a Law Degree?")
    • Thursday, August 26: 12:00-1:00 p.m.
  • July 28, 2010 | ISBA News
    Two-part series “So You Want to Be an Attorney” to air on Illinois Law in August
    [caption id="attachment_13498" align="alignright" width="300" caption="Appearing on the “The Law School Experience” will be (from left) Rory D. Smith, MacKenzie A. Hyde, Gilda Hudson-Winfield and Julie A. Neubauer."][/caption] [caption id="attachment_13499" align="alignright" width="300" caption="Appearing on “The Life of a Lawyer” will be (from left) Daniel R. Saeedi, MacKenzie A. Hyde, Gilda Hudson-Winfield and Sandra M. Blake."][/caption] “So You Want to Be an Attorney,” two half-hour programs presented by the Illinois State Bar Association, will air on Chicago Access Network, Channel 21 in Chicago, during the month of August. Part I, “The Law School Experience,” will air on Tuesdays, Aug. 10 and Aug. 24 at 10 p.m. Part II, “The Life of a Lawyer,” will air on Tuesdays, Aug. 17 and Aug. 31 at 10 p.m. Appearing on “The Law School Experience” will be moderator Gilda Hudson-Winfield, Rory D.