Out of State

Public Act 96-108 took effect July 30, 2009. It amends judgeships in the following circuits: 12th, 13th, 16th, 17th, 19th, and 22nd. It also creates some new judgeships. Click here for more information.

Central Illinois

• Wife asks Athens to help bail out husband, Springfield State Journal-Register

Chicago area

• 10 indicted in $35 million tax fraud scheme, Chicago Tribune
• 'Career shoplifter,' 86, arrested for 61st time, Chicago Sun-Times
• Bill Gates' dad honored for 'pro bono' legal work, Chicago Sun-Times

Southern Illinois

• Trapped in Tamms: Inmates in Illinois' only supermax prison face battle proving mistreatment, Belleville News-Democrat
• Developer given year and 3 months in prison for tax evasion, The Southern

Nation

• AG Holder calls for getting "smart on crime", ABA Journal
• Salaries at largest firms peak in 2009, NALP
• Tuition jumps 15% or more at some public law schools, ABA Journal

[caption id="attachment_2939" align="alignright" width="150" caption="Nathan Hinch"][/caption] Nathan Hinch is pleased to announce that he has opened an office in Wheaton. Hinch Law will focus on construction, real estate, business and environmental law. Mr. Hinch was previously with the engineering firm Sheaffer International in Glen Ellyn and served as Operations Manager/In-house Counsel. Mr. Hinch is a 2007 graduate of IIT Chicago-Kent College of Law, and a member of the Illinois Bar. In addition to a J.D, he holds a certificate from Chicago-Kent's specialty program in Environmental and Energy Law.  He is also a 2000 graduate of Wheaton College. Hinch Law is located at 222 E. Roosevelt Road in Wheaton. He can be reached at (630) 476-0368, by email at nathanbhinch@gmail.com or at hinchlaw.com.

[caption id="attachment_2915" align="alignright" width="300" caption="Mark Mathewson, ISBA Director of Publications, is congratulated by outgoing NABE President Rod Wegener"][/caption] Mark Mathewson, ISBA Director of Publications, received the 2009 National Association of Bar Executives Peer Excellence Award on Thursday at the association's Annual Meeting. This award recognizes those members who have made a significant contribution to NABE. Mathewson, also the editor of the Illinois Bar Journal and a frequent contributor to Illinois Lawyer Now, was described as "a principled bar executive" who is "knowledgeable and well-respected." Mathewson recently received his Certified Association Executive designation, the highest professional credential in the association world.