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 February 2017, there were 836 referrals. ISBA helped people in need of legal services find lawyers in the following areas:

Learn about the unique structure and components of construction contracting with this full-day seminar! Construction law attorneys, general practitioners, and real estate lawyers with basic practice experience who attend this seminar in Chicago on April 7, 2017 will learn: the different delivery methods for construction contract documents; which parties should be listed in a construction project; different compensation models for construction projects; why shop drawings are not considered contract documents; which statutory issues can arise during both a public project and a private project; which obligations belong to the owner, contractor, architect and engineer; which insurance provisions are needed; understanding the rules for communication between all involved parties; protecting the project through the payment process; the different ways a project can come to a close; understanding the process for adjusting the scope, time, and price on a construction contract; and understanding claims processes involved in a construction project. The seminar is presented by the ISBA Construction Law Section and qualifies for 6.50 hours MCLE credit. Click here for more information and to register.  

The Trump Administration’s budget released yesterday proposes to completely eliminate all federal funding for the Legal Services Corporation (LSC). This is not in the best interests of the American people and those in need who qualify for legal aid services. Millions of Americans depend on LSC-funded legal representation, including survivors of domestic violence, veterans often struggling with economic and mental health issues after returning home from combat, people displaced by disasters, the elderly, people with disabilities who have been financially exploited and abused, and many other vulnerable Americans. Last year, more than 67,000 Illinois residents—nearly half of them children—were helped by the three Illinois programs funded by LSC in civil legal cases that included family, housing, and consumer issues. Without LSC funding, the services of such well-respected organizations as the Land of Legal Assistance Foundation, Prairie State Legal Services, and the Legal Assistance Fund would be in jeopardy. Central to American legal and cultural values is the belief that all people should have access to the justice system, regardless of personal financial circumstances. Since 1981, the number of Americans eligible for legal aid has increased by more than 50 percent to a record of more than 60 million people. Yet now, when adjusted for inflation, Congress allocates 50 percent less in funding for LSC than it did in 1981. Therefore, more than half of people in need of legal aid are turned away due to a lack of resources.

Asked and Answered By John W. Olmstead, MBA, Ph.D, CMC Q. I am a newly appointed managing partner for an 18-attorney firm in Dayton, Ohio. We are an employment law litigation firm that represents plaintiffs on a contingency fee basis. We have been in business for five years and are facing severe cash flow and profitability challenges primarily due to lackluster contingency fee outcomes. Do you have any guidelines or suggestions as to what we should aim for?