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May 11 - 17, 2003 |
Attorneys Share Solo Practice Tips
Nancy Thompson (center), director of the Career Services Office, welcomed attorneys who participated in the Law Practice Management Program. Speakers were (from left) Shelley Ballard of Ballard, Desai, Bush-Joseph & Horwich; Cory Aronovitz (J.D. '93) of Casino Law Group, Inc.; Howard Ankin (J.D. '93) of Ankin Law Offices; and E. Steven Yonover (J.D. '77) of Steven Yonover & Associates, who moderated the program.
The Career Services Office hosted a two-day April program, "Law Practice Management" that drew more than 50 people interested in learning the finer points of a solo practice.
"There's a lot more than just announcing you're opening a law office," said Nancy Thompson, director of the Career Services Office, who organized the program. "The sessions covered everything from the pros and cons of starting a law practice to keeping stress in check."
The program was co-sponsored by the Career Services Office with the Attorney Registration & Disciplinary Commission, the Chicago Bar Association and the Small Business Administration.
Speakers addressed the options of starting a private practice and everything that entails, including leasing space, finding equipment, office technology and developing a sound business plan. Presenters also examined the financial management of an office, including raising start-up capital, billings, retirement planning, paying taxes and carrying insurance.
Once the decision to work independently has been made, building and maintaining a client base is essential. Discussion focused on advertising, using websites and networking. Attorneys also must pay special attention to ethical issues and Attorney Registration and Disciplinary issues, as well as steps to avoid malpractice charges.
E. Steven Yonover (J.D. '77) of Steven Yonover and Associates, served as program moderator. Panelists included Howard Ankin (J.D. '93) of Ankin Law Offices; Cory Aronovitz (J.D. '93) of Casino Law Group, Inc.; Shelley Ballard of Ballard, Desai, Bush-Joseph & Howich; attorney David M. Bickel (J.D. '00); G. Grant Dixon III (J.D. '91) of Dixon Law Office; Eugene F. Friedman of Friedman & Friedman; James Grogan of the Illinois Attorney Registration & Disciplinary Commission; Barry Kozak (J.D. '00), director of academic development for the Tax Law and Employee Benefits Program at John Marshall.
Also, Scott Larsen of Law Offices of Scott Larsen; Nancy Roberts Linder of Nancy Roberts Linder Consulting; Warren Lupel (J.D. '68) of Katz Randall Weinberg & Richmond; and Joe Martan of The Alliance of American Insurers.
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Schedule of Events
May 13
- AIDS Foundation Training, Room 1200, 9:00 a.m.
- International Visitors Center of Chicago Meeting, Room 1102, 12:00 p.m.
- A Practical Approach to Domestic and Foreign Patent, Trademark, Trade Secret and Copyright Documentation, Room 526, 6:00 p.m.
May 14
- Board of Trustees Meeting, Room 1200B, 4:00 p.m.
May 15
- AIDS Foundation Program, Room 1200, 8:00 a.m.
- Alumni Reception, The Lotos Club, New York, New York, 5:30 p.m.
May 17
- National Consumer Law Center, Room 1200, 8:00 a.m.
May 18
- National Consumer Law Center, Room 1200, 8:00 a.m.
May 20
- A Practical Approach to Domestic and Foreign Patent, Trademark, Trade Secret and Copyright Documentation, Room 526, 6:00 p.m.
May 21
- Alumni Association Board Meeting, Room 1200A, 12:00 p.m.
May 22
- Comprehensive Exams, Room 200, 9:00 a.m.
- Young Alumni Meeting, Room 402, 12:00 p.m.
May 23
- Comprehensive Exam Review, Room 200, 9:00 a.m.
May 24
- Multistate Comprehensive Exam, Room 200, 8:00 a.m.
A complete online listing of events scheduled at The John Marshall Law School can be found at the following URL: http://www.jmls.edu/calendar.htm
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Professor Paul Wangerin Named Favorite Professor
Student Bar Association President Jennifer Irmen (left) presents Professor Paul Wangerin (right) with the 2002-2003 Favorite Professor Award, presented each year based on the majority vote of the graduating class.
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Black Law Students Association Honors Alum
The John Marshall Law School Black Law Students Association has been renamed and dedicated to the Honorable Glenn Johnson (center), retired Cook County Circuit Court and Illinois Appellate Court judge. Celebrating the change at the annual BLSA banquet were (from left) Jacob Sitati, vice president; Amanu Nwaomah, treasurer; Angela Lockett, president; Matthew Ingram, outgoing treasurer/advocate general; Arlette Porter-Sherley, outgoing secretary; attorney Ronald Walters Sr., guest speaker; Datoya Burtin, outgoing vice president; Mellisa L. Williams, outgoing president; and Rodney Lewis, corresponding secretary. Judge Johnson received his J.D. and LL.M. degrees from John Marshall.
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HUD Presents Fair Housing Award to Professor Michael P. Seng
At ceremonies in Washington, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development General Deputy Assistant Secretary Floyd May (left), and Assistant HUD Secretary Carolyn Peoples (center), congratulate John Marshall Law School Professor Michael Seng (right) as he receives the Pioneer of Fair Housing Award from HUD. The award is given to individuals who exemplify commitment and dedication to civil rights, and originate or help to open up a new line of thought or activity. Professor Seng organized the Fair Housing Legal Clinic and Fair Housing Legal Support Center 10 years ago at The John Marshall Law School.
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development honored John Marshall Professor Michael Seng with its Pioneer of Fair Housing Award during April ceremonies at HUD headquarters in Washington, D.C.
The Pioneer of Fair Housing Award is given to persons who have exemplified commitment and dedication to civil rights. Pioneers are recognized for their help and original efforts at opening up a new line of thought and activity. Seng was one of seven people in the nation to receive the honor.
Seng was selected for his continuing efforts at teaching and raising issues of civil rights; his work for fair housing and his efforts at establishing the Fair Housing Legal Support Center and Fair Housing Legal Clinic at The John Marshall Law School 10 years ago; and his outreach through The John Marshall Law School Czech/Slovak Legal Institute.
Today Seng serves as co-director of the Fair Housing Legal Support Center and executive director of the Fair Housing Legal Clinic. He travels the country providing trainings and speaking at conferences on fair housing law.
Seng was an attorney at Jenner & Block when he accepted the position as directing attorney for the Land of Lincoln Legal Assistance Foundation in Cairo, Ill., in July 1972. The office was opened in 1969 as a special project of the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights under Law and was merged administratively with other downstate Illinois legal services offices when he arrived.
While in Cairo, Seng worked on civil rights and poverty law problems for three southern Illinois counties, Pulaski, Union and Alexander, which are statistically the poorest in the state. The counties also have a long history of racial polarization and conflict.
The Lawyers Committee opened its office in Cairo at a time when violence and shootings were a daily occurrence in the city. By channeling civil rights complaints through the courts, the office helped defuse the violence and improve racial relations in this troubled area.
Seng worked there until 1976 when he began teaching at John Marshall. His areas of expertise include civil rights law, constitutional law and comparative law.
He was a Fulbright Professor in Nigeria in 1983-84, and in 2002, Seng was awarded Fulbright Senior Specialist status for consultation by the Faculty of International Relations at the University of Economics in Prague. The appointment is for five years.
Seng also has been responsible for the development of The John Marshall Law School Czech/Slovak Legal Institute. The institute organizes legal study tours to the Czech and Slovak Republics; maintains sister school relations with the Faculty of Law at Masaryk University in Brno; and hosts legal education programs with the Czech Bar Association. The program also hosts Czech law students who study law for a semester at John Marshall.
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Student Bar Association Scholarships Presented
Jennifer Irmen (right) presents Raul Serrato (left) with one of two Student Bar Association Scholarship awards. The scholarship was awarded to Serrato in honor of his "commitment, dedication and hard work" in the law school and student organizations.
Jennifer Irmen (left) presents the Student Bar Association Scholarship to Amanda F. Stein (right) for her "commitment, dedication and hard work" with Phi Alpha Delta and other extracurricular activities.
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Faculty Activity and Publications
Professor Ronald C. Smith
Activities
He recently went to San Antonio, Texas, to attend the spring meeting of the Council of the Criminal Justice Section of the American Bar Association in his capacity as outgoing section chair (2001 _ 2002), and as director of the National Criminal Justice Trial Advocacy Competition.
The council took up such matters as revisions to the ABA Standards on Speedy Trial, the death penalty, and the controversial proposal that lawyers act as "gatekeepers" regarding clients' use of "dirty money."
Regarding the competition, Professor Smith reported that The University of Georgia School of Law won the Thirteenth Annual Competition by defeating runner-up Harvard Law School. Teams from the Georgetown University Law Center and Syracuse University School of Law were semifinalists. This year two student advocates from The Honorable Society of the Inner Temple Inn of Court in London, England, competed. JMLS students Mary Barry ('03) and Brendan Shiller ('03) acted as the witnesses for the British team. Nishay Sanan ('96) and Prof. Susann MacLauchlan ('93) were their coaches.
The competition, co-sponsored by the ABA Criminal Justice Section and The John Marshall Law School, invites 20 law school teams from throughout the nation each year. More than 125 lawyers and judges from the Chicago area participated as evaluators in the Championship round between Georgia and Harvard. Judge/evaluators in the championship round included John Marshall alumni Judge Cheryl Johnson ('82) of the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals and Cook County Circuit Court Judge Edmund Ponce De Leon ('84). They were joined by Albert Krieger (chair of the ABA Criminal Justice Section), John Clitheroe (recent chair of the International Bar Association's Criminal Justice Section), and Chicago attorney Stephen Komie.
The competition is widely regarded as the premier trial advocacy competition in the nation, and won an ABA award in 1998 "for service to the legal profession." Professor Smith is the founderand director of the competition.
The Fourteenth Annual Competition will be held on April 1 - 3, 2004, at John Marshall.