Happy 145th, ISBA

ISBA passes another milestone this month. Join the celebration!

This Jan. 4 marks the 145th anniversary of the founding of the Illinois State Bar Association (ISBA). On Jan. 4, 1877, 88 lawyers travelled to Springfield from 37 counties throughout the state and met at the Sangamon County Courthouse to sow the seeds that would become the ISBA. These lawyers drafted the ISBA’s first constitution and, as they say, the rest is history.

To celebrate this important anniversary, I’ve been working with staff on exciting events and contests throughout the month of January. Read on to learn about all the fun things we have in store to celebrate the ISBA and its members. Also, be sure to visit our 145th anniversary web page for up-to-date information on all of our plans.

Health and wellness programming

As readers of my monthly column know, promoting health and wellness throughout the profession has been a pillar of my presidential year. To continue this effort, we’ll be kicking off a new series of health and wellness programs. The first installments will feature ISBA member Beth Wade presenting two programs that will focus on various meditation techniques. The programs will be free for all ISBA members and will be held Jan. 12 and 26, with two sessions each day to accommodate the schedules of as many members as possible. Future sessions will follow and will be scheduled on the second and fourth Wednesdays of the month. To register for these programs, simply visit our 145th anniversary web page.

Social media contest

To engage our members online, we’ll be holding a social media contest where the first 50 participants will receive a special gift bag from the ISBA that includes various ISBA-branded items, some of which will include our recently designed 145th anniversary logo (featured on this page). We’re not announcing when the contest will begin, so please follow the ISBA’s accounts on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram to be sure that you don’t miss it. Once the contest begins, simply like the posts, share them, and comment with: 1) the year you joined the ISBA; and 2) your favorite thing about the ISBA.

IBJ scavenger hunt

Our final contest involves a scavenger hunt through this issue of the Illinois Bar Journal. Simply hunt for answers to the 10 questions below and visit 145th anniversary web page to submit your answers. We’ll then select 100 members who’ve answered all the questions correctly and send them the special gift bags I described above. Best of luck to all!

1. Which Illinois Supreme Court Rule sets out the requirements for buying or selling a law practice in Illinois?
2. Which ILCS provision provides for the issuance of a stalking no-contact order?
3. Which Illinois Supreme Court decision sets out the current test for determining what constitutes “lewd” content?
4. What was the root cause of a seizure experienced by Debbie Epstein Henry when she was 26?
5. In what year was the Free Law Project launched?
6. Which “series” of rules in the Illinois Rules of Professional Conduct does ISBA General Counsel Charles Northrup find to be “curious” for purposes of this month’s ethics column?
7. What is the common name for the piece of technology that allows senders to track your reading of an email that they sent?
8. What is the effective date of recent amendments to the Juvenile Court Act?
9. Concerning the sale of a law practice, Illinois Supreme Court Rule 1.17 requires a practice’s owners to sell no less than what percentage of the business to an attorney or firm?
10. This issue of the Illinois Bar Journal is No. 1 of what volume?

As we celebrate this important milestone, I’d ask all of you to take a little time to reflect on how truly fortunate we are to be integral parts of a great association. Through our efforts and those of members who preceded us, we have been able to strengthen and improve our legal community and justice system. Here’s to the past 145 years and the next 145!