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Nominations are being accepted for ISBA awards that will be presented on June 21, 2013, at the Annual Awards Luncheon. Additional information is available at www.isba.org/awards
ISBA President John E. Thies reports on the success of the recent ISBA/IJA Joint Midyear Meeting held in Chicago. Events included the annual luncheon to honor ISBA Distinguished Counsellors, CLE programs on Social Media and the Crisis in Court Funding, festive Law School Alumni Receptions, the Joint ISBA/CBA Supreme Court Dinner and the Assembly meeting.
Two Central Illinois TV stations highlighted the Lawyers Feeding Illinois program in news reports last week. ISBA President John E. Thies led a group of local attorneys and bar leaders on a visit to the Central Illinois Food Bank in Springfield. The Lawyers Feeding Illinois competition begins Feb. 18 - but donate and sign your team up now at lawyersfeedingil.org
Video from WAND can be viewed at http://www.wandtv.com/global/Category.asp?c=182814&clipId=8193154&autostart=true
Video from WICS can be viewed at http://www.wics.com/news/top-stories/stories/vid_9063.shtml
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 December 2012 ISBA helped people in need of legal services find lawyers in the following areas:
Administrative Law – 7
Animal Law - 1
Bankruptcy – 5
Business Law - 11
Civil Disputes - 46
Are you the competitive type? Do you like to win? The clock is ticking … sign up now for ISBA's friendly competition to support the food banks of Illinois. Register today at www.lawyersfeedingil.org
At the ISBA, we like to win too – and we've got a tough challenge to raise one million meals. Of course, the true winners will be the 1.9 million children, seniors, and families that are helped by your generosity and support. Will you join us? We can't do it without your help. Register today!
The ISBA Election in the Spring of 2013 will elect 9 seats on the Board of Governors, 39 seats on the Assembly for Cook County and 88 seats on the Assembly for Downstate. Nominating petitions may be filed no earlier than Wednesday, January 2, 2013 and must be filed by 4:30 p.m. on Thursday, January 31, 2013 at either the Illinois Bar Center, 424 South 2nd Street, in Springfield or the ISBA Chicago Office at 20 S. Clark Street, 9th Floor, Chicago. Petitions must be physically submitted with original signatures. Petitions submitted via email or fax will not be accepted.
Find out more at www.isba.org/elections
ISBA President John Thies suggests three possible resolutions for lawyers to add to their list for 2013.
Beginning January 1, all eligible ISBA members will be able to earn up to 15 hours of MCLE, including all 6 hours of PMCLE* online at no additional cost. The free CLE programs will be available online 24/7 on our "Free CLE Channel" on FastCLE. Live on-site programs are not included in Free CLE at this time. The free online CLE programs that will be available Jan. 1 are:
Jill Ausdenmoore of Springfield, a research staff attorney with the Illinois Appellate Court, Fourth District, is the first place winner in the ISBA’s 2013 Lincoln Award Legal Writing Contest. Ausdenmoore received a cash award of $2,000, and her article, "Arguing Witness Credibility at Closing after People v. Adams," will appear in the February Illinois Bar Journal. The contest is sponsored by the ISBA Young Lawyers Division and is open to all YLD members.
Second place winners are Kelly Greco and Stephanie Hammer, Springfield, who wrote "The Effects of Public Act 97-0848 on Post-Judgment Proceedings in Illinois." Third place goes to Geoffrey Burkhart, Chicago, for "A Guide to the Confrontation Clause." The second place winners split a $1,000 prize, and the third place winner received $500.
A record 38 manuscripts were entered in the 2013 contest. The contest judges were Justice Bertina E. Lampkin of the Illinois Appellate Court, First District; DuPage County Circuit Court Judge Brian R. McKillip; Daniel Wurl of Livingston, Barger, Brandt & Schroeder in Champaign; Sean Brady of Mahoney, Silverman & Cross, LLC in Joliet; and Chicago lawyer Samuel Levine, a partner in the litigation and real estate groups of Arnstein & Lehr LLP.
The ISBA Assembly on Saturday adopted a proposed rule governing recusal of judges in cases in which a party has made a campaign contribution to the judge. The Assembly meeting capped off the annual Midyear Meeting held at the Sheraton Chicago Hotel & Towers.
The ISBA will recommend the proposed rule to the Illinois Supreme Court as an amendment to the Illinois Code of Judicial Conduct. The proposed rule provides that a judge shall disqualify himself or herself when, after considering all relevant circumstances, there exists a probability of bias. Relevant circumstances include items such as the amount of campaign support, both monetary and non-monetary, and the timing and impact of the support.
The Assembly also voted to support the Religious Freedom and Marriage Fairness Act pending in the Illinois state Legislature. The bill provides same-sex and different-sex couples and their children equal access to the status, benefits, protections, rights, and responsibilities of civil marriage.
The Assembly also endorsed Illinois legislation that would allow patients who suffer from a debilitating medical condition to use and possess small amounts of marijuana if certified to do so by their regular physician.