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ISBA News

“Response to Intervention” and “Basics of Special Education Law” to air on Illinois Law

RtI – Response to Intervention and Basics of Special Education Law, two half-hour programs presented by the Illinois State Bar Association (ISBA), will air on Chicago Access Network Television, Channel 21 in Chicago, during the month of September. Response to Intervention will air on Tuesdays, Sept. 7 and 21 at 10 p.m., and Basics of Special Education Law will air on Tuesdays, Sept. 14 and 28 at 10 p.m.

Appearing on the shows are (from left) John A. Dively, Jr., J.D., Ed.D., associate professor and chair of educational leadership at Eastern Illinois University in Charleston; program moderator Nancy Z. Hablutzel, a Chicago lawyer; Deborah E. Decker, an attorney at Tabet DiVito & Rothstein, LLC, in Chicago; and Mary Kay Klimesh, an attorney at Seyfarth Shaw in Chicago.

“Illinois Law” is a cable production of the ISBA, and can now be viewed online at www.illinoislawyernow.com/tag/illinois-law-video.

Illinois Law “So You Want to Be an Attorney” programs now available online

Life of a Lawyer Part I

Click here to view Life of a Lawyer Part II

The Law School Experience Part I

Click here to view The Law School Experience Part II

ISBA tent at Illinois State Fair photo gallery

Ukrainian delegation visits ISBA

The Illinois State Bar Association welcomed a delegation from Ukraine last Friday to discuss the U.S. justice system. The visit was titled “Legislative Reform in the Criminal Justice System” and took place before a scheduled meeting of the ISBA Bench and Bar Section.

Among those on hand for the meeting included ISBA member Alexandria Bell, of Johnson & Bell, Ltd., who immigrated to the U.S. from Ukraine and the age of 19.

Bell is pictured at right with members of the Ukrainian delegation and ISBA President Mark Hassakis (from left): Rostyslav Gerasymov, senior counsel to the chairman of the Committee on Justice; Bell; Elina Shyshkina, a member of Parliament; Iryna Mostova, head of the Department of Legistlation on Justice and President Hassakis.

Check out the ISBA tent at the Illinois State Fair

The Illinois State Bar Association will have a tent at the upcoming Illinois State Fair in Springfield. The fair opened Thursday night and runs through Sunday, Aug. 22.

The tent offers legal brochures for the public, a Legal Eagle quiz on Illinois legal history (prize for 80% and better) and an Abraham Lincoln photo opportunity for state fair patrons who want to put their face in Lincoln’s image. There is also a laptop connected to the Illinois Lawyer Finder site that visitors can try out. Visitors can also receive giveaways including: the infamous gavel pencils, small notepads and Lincoln coloring books.

More information on the state fair is available at www.agr.state.il.us/isf/

Illinois Lawyer Finder makes over 600 referrals in July

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 July, ISBA helped people in need of legal services find lawyers in the following areas:

Administrative Law – 4
Animal Law – 2
Bankruptcy – 9
Business Law – 10
Civil Disputes – 63
Civil Rights – 29
Collection – 31
Consumer Protection – 11
Contracts – 13
Criminal Law – 38
Education Law -8
Elder law – 4
Employment Law – 96
Estate/Probate Law -17
Family – 106
Government Benefits – 16
Health Law – 3
Immigration – 1
Insurance Disputes – 3
Intellectual Property -7
Miscellaneous – 1
Municipal Law – 4
Personal Injury – 72
Real Estate – 42
Social Security – 16
Tax – 4
Workers Compensation – 8

These numbers do not include additional referrals made through the online Lawyer Finder service.

Want to be part of the ISBA Lawyer Finder Service? Call (800) 252-8908 and ask for the Legal Department, or visit www.illinoislawyerfinder.com

Clients should call (800) 922-8757.

ISBA Past President Niro joins ABA Board of Governors

Cheryl Niro

Cheryl Niro, long a leader of Illinois’ legal community, today became a member of the American Bar Association Board of Governors.

Niro is a principal in the law firm of RobinsonNiro, LLC, which provides advice, expert witness services and training on issues involving legal ethics.

Just beginning a 3-year term as one of only 38 members of the Board of Governors, Niro will help oversee administration and management of the ABA. She represents the association’s Seventh District, comprising Illinois and Ohio. The association represents lawyers from every corner of the country, practicing in every field of law and working in every professional capacity.

Niro has worked in legal circles in Illinois since 1981, with her career alternating the private practice of law with public service. She was executive director of the Illinois Supreme Court Commission on Professionalism during 2006-09; a special counsel to the Attorney General of Illinois in 1996-99; and the executive director of the Illinois Commission on the Bicentennial of the U.S. Constitution, a project of the state supreme court, in 1985-88. While practicing in a law firm under her own name, she also founded the National Center for Conflict Resolution Education, which is funded by the U.S. Department of Justice and the U.S. Department of Education.

Niro is a past president of the Illinois State Bar Association, and has chaired or been a member of state bar entities devoted to a range of issues, from meeting the legal needs and interests of children in the state to the impact of international trade agreements on the practice of law. As a hands-on leader, she worked with the state bar’s participation in national high school mock trial competitions and supported a project to revise and update the Illinois Revised Statutes. She worked on issues of internal bar significance, but also those affecting the public, such as developing alternatives to litigation for resolving legal disputes. She also is as past president of the Cook County Legal Assistance Foundation, which works to meet the legal needs of the county’s indigent, and of the Illinois Supreme Court Legal Historical Society.

Special offer from ISBA Mutual for members attending the 2010 ISBA Solo & Small Firm Conference

From ISBA Mutual Insurance Company:

“There are no separate forms to fill out or submit to obtain your premium credit. All you have to do is attend the Conference and your premium credit will automatically be applied on your next renewal. We believe that the ISBA Solo & Small Firm Conference offers useful up-to-date practice information that may help those attending avoid malpractice pitfalls. The premium credit for the ISBA Solo & Small Firm Conference applies to the 2010 conference only and may not be applicable to Conferences in future years. Please note that this is a premium credit on the renewal of your professional liability insurance policy with ISBA Mutual, not a discount on the registration fee.”

Receive a $100 premium credit on your next policy renewal with ISBA Mutual Insurance Company for every member of your firm who attends the ISBA Solo & Small Firm Conference.

Special thanks to ISBA Mutual for this generous offer!

Learn more and register for the 2010 ISBA Solo & Small Firm Conference. The early bird registration discount ends August 27^th, so don’t delay!

About ISBA Mutual Insurance Company: ISBA members are invited to participate in a members-only malpractice insurance plan provided by ISBA Mutual Insurance Company. ISBA Mutual, formed 19 years ago through the efforts of Illinois lawyers, specializes in professional liability insurance written specifically and exclusively for the needs of Illinois attorneys.

Free ISBA Membership Trial Offer

During 2010, the ISBA is offering non-member* lawyers the opportunity to sign up for a FREE 6 month trial membership.

The trial membership includes all the benefits of regular membership, including FREE online legal research through Fastcase, discounts on CLE programs, daily delivery of the E-Clips bulletin, monthly delivery of the award-winning Illinois Bar Journal, and much more!

Not a member? Learn more and sign up for this opportunity.

Already a member? Find out how to present this offer to a non-member and be eligible to earn a discount on your future dues!

* Eligibility Requirement: This offer is good for any lawyer listed as “active” with the ARDC and who has not been a member of the ISBA within the last 2 years.

Volunteers needed for Just the Beginning Foundation

Just the Beginning Foundation is dedicated to developing and nurturing interest in the law among young persons from various ethnic backgrounds underrepresented in the legal profession and supporting their continued advancement. Just the Beginning Foundation’s long-term goal is to increase racial diversity in the legal profession.

Just The Beginning Foundation is seeking volunteers for the upcoming Summer Legal Institute, Advanced Summer Legal Institute, and Middle School Law camp, hosted by the DePaul College of Law in Chicago. 2010 is the fourth year for the Summer Legal Institute programming, and it is through the participation of volunteers like you that we continue the connection with hundreds of diverse students each year.

The following volunteer opportunities are available and in most need of assistance:

Summer Legal Institute:

Friday, August 6th: 9-11 a.m. (small-group Oral Argument preparation)
Friday, August 13th: 10 a.m.-11:30 a.m. (act as judges for Oral Argument presentations)

Volunteers are also encouraged to join us for a celebration lunch on Friday, August 13th from noon-1:30 p.m. at Edwardo’s Pizza (521 S Dearborn).

Middle School Law Camp:

Monday, August 23rd: 12:00-1:45 p.m. (Lunch Roundtable: Intro To The Legal Profession)
Wednesday, August 25: 8:30-9:30 a.m. (Breakfast Panelist: What’s it like to be a lawyer?)
Wednesday, August 25th: noon-1:30 p.m. (Lunch Panel: “What Can You Do With a Law Degree?”)
Thursday, August 26: 12:00-1:00 p.m. (Lunch Panel: Business of the Law)
Friday, August 27th: 10-11:45 a.m. (act as judges for Oral Argument presentations)

Volunteers are also encouraged to join us for an ice cream social on Friday, August 27th from 1:30-3 p.m. in Millennium Park.

If interested in volunteering, please contact Dana Horst at Just The Beginning Foundation via email at dhorst@jtbf.org, or call at (312) 258-4574. You can also contact Evan Gelles via email at jtbfvolunteers@gmail.com. We look forward to having you join us for the Summer Legal Institute in Chicago!

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