Attorney Erica Minchella discusses what real estate lawyers need to know about the new 7.0 Multi-Board Contract.
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This website is for ISBA staff use only. All visitors should return to the main ISBA website.
Attorney Erica Minchella discusses what real estate lawyers need to know about the new 7.0 Multi-Board Contract.
Applications are now being accepted for judicial vacancies in the Thirteenth Subcircuit, Seventh Subcircuit, and First Subcircuit of Cook County, according to an announcement made by the Illinois Supreme Court.
The vacancy of the Thirteenth Subcircuit judicial position was created by the resignation of Circuit Judge Margarita Kulys Hoffman. Judge Kulys Hoffman had served as a judge since 2006. Her resignation took effect Dec. 31, 2017.
The vacancy of the Seventh Subcircuit judicial position was created by the retirement of Circuit Judge Marianne Jackson. Judge Jackson had served as a judge since 1997. Her resignation took effect Dec. 31, 2018.
The vacancy of the First Subcircuit judicial position was created by the death of Rhonda Crawford on April 26, 2018.
Research suggests we tap only a small fraction of our brain’s cognitive powers. Same with our computers and the internet. If only we could exploit more of the immense computing power of our laptops and smartphones. But who has the time to explore all the features buried deep in our manuals and menus? The February Illinois Bar Journal’s cover story gets you started by providing easy-to-use tips for getting more out of the technology at your fingertips. The story, “18 Quick and Easy Tech Tips for 2019,” also is a sneak preview of a larger set of tips provided by Affinity Consulting partner Barron Henley’s one-hour ISBA CLE webinar available in ISBA's Free On-Demand CLE catalog.
On Thursday, Jan. 31, the Illinois Supreme Court amended its order on criminal and juvenile e-filling through eFileIL. The amendment reiterates the court’s approval for permissive e-filing of criminal case types (CF, CM, DT) and juvenile case types (J, JA, JD) through eFileIL, but now also provides for the initial case initiation to be e-filed through eFileIL at such a time as each court chooses. The previous order only provided for subsequent e-filing of criminal and juvenile cases through eFileIL after the case had been initiated and been assigned a case number.
The Public Interest Law Initiative (PILI) has announced the names of eight law student interns who will work at public interest law agencies in Chicago during the spring semester.
Interns work 200 hours part-time during the semester, with PILI providing a living stipend, as well as ensuring quality supervision by experienced attorneys and providing extra educational, networking, and advising opportunities.
Asked and Answered
By John W. Olmstead, MBA, Ph.D, CMC
Q. I am the administrator with a firm in Buffalo, New York. We have 14 attorneys – seven partners and seven associates. We are an eat-what-you-kill law firm. All the partners have to weigh in and agree on any and all management decisions. Our management team consists of “all partners.” While I have been hired as the administrator for management the firm, I have very little authority to do anything. The partners all have the freedom to do as they please, and there is very little accountability to each other. Recently we have been discussing the pros and cons of why we might want to change our governance and overall structure. I would be interested in your thoughts.
The Illinois Supreme Court announced the filing of lawyer disciplinary orders on January 29, 2019. Sanctions were imposed because the lawyers engaged in professional misconduct by violating state ethics law.
February’s Illinois Bar Journal includes the winning article of 2019’s Lincoln Award Legal Writing Contest. The article, “General and Boilerplate Objections: Curbing Routine Abuse of the Discovery Process” by Gregory R. Jones, an associate at Goldenberg Heller & Antognoli, P.C., in Edwardsville, examines distasteful discovery tactics that can directly conflict with the spirit of discovery and the concept of “full disclosure.”
The Illinois Supreme Court handed down eight opinions on Friday, Jan. 25. In People v. Witherspoon, the court considered whether a person who enters another person’s home in violation of a court order thereby enters “without authority” under the home invasion statute. In People v. Johnson, the supreme court concluded that the appellate court erred in considering the merits of a man’s sentencing challenge because he could not challenge it other than through withdrawal of his plea. The court ruled that a defendant was required to offer some affirmative evidence that the parking lot where he was arrested for DUI was not a public highway in People v. Relwani. In Rosenbach v. Six Flags Entertainment Corp., the court ruled that consumers do not have to demonstrate “injury or adverse effect” to sue companies under the state’s biometric privacy law. The supreme court upheld a trial court’s ruling granting a father who had joint custody of his children to relocate in In re Marriage of Fatkin and clarified the rules governing the admission of photographs in motor vehicle cases in Peach v. McGovern. In In re Appointment of Special Prosecutor, the court rejected arguments by the Better Government Association to release documents in a FOIA request. In Smith v. The Vanguard Group, the court determined that a man did not violate an injunction when he changed the beneficiary designation from his wife to his sons.
ISBA Director of Legislative Affairs Jim Covington reviews legislation in Springfield of interest to ISBA members. This week he covers the Vacancy Fraud Act, the Workplace Transparency Act, the Justice for Juveniles Program, and guardianship of minors.
Creates the Vacancy Fraud Act. House Bill 832 (Martwick, D-Chicago) allows a taxing body or its representative to file a vacancy-fraud complaint with the county board of review if the property is receiving vacancy relief and the property owner is not actively attempting to lease, sell, or alter the property. It sets forth factors in determining whether vacancy fraud has occurred and its penalties. House Bill 832 was just introduced.