Charles S. Beach was appointed as a Cook County Circuit Judge in the 6th Subcircuit by Justice Mary Jane Theis and the Illinois Supreme Court. Mr. Beach was appointed to fill the vacancy created by the resignation of the Hon. Richard C. Cooke. The appointment takes effect Sept. 15, 2017 and will conclude on Dec. 3, 2018, when the position is filled by the November 2018 General Election.

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 August 2017, there were a total of 1,232 calls.  ISBA helped people in need of legal services find lawyers in the 36 areas of law. Here are the results for August 2017:

It is well known that law is a stressful career path. What isn't as well known is that a significant number of attorneys suffer from addiction and other mental health issues. There has been surprisingly little research done on this topic. In 2016, the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation and the American Bar Association Commission on Lawyer Assistance Programs conducted a study of addiction and mental health issues in the legal community (http://bit.ly/2fvjAFS). The study, available at http://bit.ly/1V72V50, indicates a large-scale problem. Recently, a lively thread on the ISBA's litigation discussion group was kicked off with a link to a widely read New York Times article about an addicted lawyer's death and what the author describes as a "web of drug abuse" in the legal profession (http://nyti.ms/2v3K4kW). So how big of a problem does the profession have? The ABA/Betty Ford study surveyed 12,825 licensed, employed attorneys. Those attorneys completed surveys where they self-assessed their alcohol use, drug use, and symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress. A whopping 20.6 percent of lawyers screened positive for potentially alcohol-dependent drinking. The study also showed high levels of depression (28 percent), anxiety (19 percent), and stress (23 percent). Find out more in the September Illinois Bar Journal.

As legal consumers conduct more and more business on-the-go, a mobile application that can meet these modern needs of attorneys, their staff, and consumers is a necessity. Rocket Matter, an online legal practice management software provider, today launched redesigned mobile application that includes powerful collaboration tools to boost profits and increase efficiency. Communicator, a secure messaging tool, allows legal professionals to collaborate on cases from within their practice management software.