For complete details of pricing options, based on a four-night package with additional nights, call Sara Keomanivong at Carrousel Travel/ American Express, (800) 800-6508.
The ISBA Midyear Meeting at the Sheraton Chicago Hotel on Friday, Nov. 8, will consist of a morning Assembly meeting, noon luncheon with the Illinois Judges Association, and the Supreme Court dinner.
ContactEase facilitates sharing law firm data
"The Electronic Lawyer"
Many of us in the legal profession tend to want more from our contact management software. When polled, most firms seem to be using Outlook as the main source, but upon a closer look many have begged for more than what Outlook has to offer.
With that in mind, Cole Valley Software, a company from the west, has taken up the plea and come to the forefront with a new and exciting product called ContactEase.
ContactEase saves valuable time by making it easy for a law firm to gain and maintain a complete understanding of the firm's relationship with clients, as well as prospects.
Multiple touch points are tracked and synchronized including phone, fax and e-mail communication, event participation, accounting, and documents associated with client matters.
Sharing information within the entire law firm can provide enormous benefits, but there are those times and circumstances under which it is necessary for a professional to keep certain information private. ContactEase provides different permission levels so that only authorized individuals may view or edit data.
Let's take an in-depth look at some of the features that make ContactEase an easy and dependable alternative to other generic managers.
Each contact record contains a Relations tab that maps the connections of the contact to other contacts in the database. For example, on the Relations tab for Steven South, it could show that he is the "manager of" Doug Whitley. Conversely, Doug Whitley's Relations tab could indicate that he is the "assistant to Steven Smith.
Connections can also be identical between people, such as "spouse of," or "friend of." Choice lists can be customized to include a list of the connections between people that your law firm is interested in tracking.
Since Steve and Doug both work for John Smith Ltd., each of their records would also automatically include the names of all other employees, attorneys, paralegals, etc., of John Smith Ltd., who are in the database.
The Relations tab automatically displays all contacts for the company; displays additional relationship information, letting you track how people are connected; displays modification history and shows every user who has made a change to the record, with the date and time of the last change
The Relations tab can jump to records by clicking on the arrow next to the name; can link people and show how they are related; can link to other records in the database (the relationship will automatically appear in the linked record); tracks and shows how people are related.
The Activity tabs allow you to store chronological information for a contact, and to schedule upcoming events for one or more contacts. Any custom activity can be assigned for a contact.
For example, you may want to schedule a phone call to a particular contact or to schedule someone in your office to call that contact. You can set up ticklers, and track whether or not activities have been completed.
Activities are flexible, customizable, searchable and sortable. They can be used to remind users about tasks via ticklers; easily reschedule the tickler via flexible snooze options; schedule activities and ticklers for other users; conduct advanced searches, which can be named and saved for easy reuse.
The Activity feature is not intended to be an office calendaring or scheduling system. Rather, it is focused on tracking historical and event information for your contact records.
ContactEase Category support helps to organize groups of contacts into a hierarchical format. Categories are fully customizable and a given record can be assigned unlimited categories.
For example, one contact could fall into a number of different groups including holiday card recipient, hot prospect, etc. There are multiple-level sub-categories, private categories and public categories.
With the Category Record Flagging Option, categories can be automatically assigned to new records. The category can be specified on behalf of all users and/or yourself.
Custom Numeric/Date fields are available to track information such as Social Security number, currency, etc. They can be customized to a variety of formats and can be searched and sorted as with any field value in the ContactEase database.
Database Maintenance Tools and Automated Duplicate Detection provide automatic checks for the existence of similar records as you add a new contact. If possible matches are found, it prompts you to compare the new record with existing records.
The Merge Duplicate Records tool creates a side-by-side comparison of two records, so you can select the correct information from each and merge the two records into one.
Choice Lists are customizable fields that have dropdown lists of selections for input. Choice Lists are configurable per field, per database; include provision to allow user input; improve data entry accuracy.
The Client/Matter interface allows firms to track client-matter numbers associated with the contact. The interface is viewable like Categories for fast lookup; has fields that allow descriptions; allows tables to be updated from external sources; allows bulk assignment via Edit, Assign, and Client/Matter databases
ContactEase can be used to manage as many databases as your system and/or server capacity allows. It is compatible with SQL Server and Microsoft Access databases.
As you can see, ContactEase is a fully rich feature package that allows a law firm to take full advantage of its database information. It also integrates with a wide variety of popular word processors, e-mail and fax programs, and devices such as PDAs and business card scanners.
I have found the product to be reliable, easy to use and maintain, a boost to increased productivity, and it can be tailored to all my law office needs.
ContactEase is a product of Cole Valley Software and can be reached at www.colevalley.com
6-generation heritage of David Davis intact; Julia Davis admitted
A paragraph that was added to Illinois history in May is really the beginning of a new chapter in the annals of the state bar association.
For on May 8, during the 4th District Illinois Supreme Court admission ceremony in Springfield, Julia Elizabeth Davis became the sixth generation lawyer in her illustrious family.
If the surname is familiar to ISBA history buffs, that's because Julia's great-great-great grandfather David Davis II was a justice of the U.S. Supreme Court from 1862 to 1877 and president of the Illinois State Bar Association in 1884.
His contributions to the bench and bar were chronicled in the February 1, 2002, issue of the ISBA Bar News, along with photographs and a story about Clover Lawn, the Bloomington estate where the Davis mansion stands.
Julia Davis had not planned to become a lawyer, despite the family lineage. She was a music student at the University of Illinois and a teacher of singing after she graduated.
But when her father, Bloomington attorney David Davis V, died in 1998, she decided to take up the challenge of keeping the legend intact. She received her law degree last December from the Southern Illinois University School of Law and passed the subsequent bar examination.
Julia told a Bloomington Pantagraph reporter that she intends to devote some time to public interest law, perhaps with a clinic that assists indigents with legal problems, and eventually embark on a general practice in Bloomington.
She may even become the family's second judge, in the mold of her great-great-great grandfather. David Davis II began his law practice in Bloomington in 1839 and was elected to the circuit court in 1847.
Davis became a close friend of circuit-riding lawyer Abraham Lincoln, whom he had met in the Illinois House of Representatives, and became his presidential campaign manager in 1860. Lincoln returned the favor by appointing him to the Supreme Court.
In addition to serving as a state legislator, David Davis was a delegate to the 1847 Constitutional Convention, a member of the U.S. Senate and often its president pro tempore. He died in 1886.
His son, George Perrin Davis (1842-1917) was a lawyer, as was George's son, David Davis III (1876-1941), and grandson, David Davis IV (1906-1978), who also served in the Illinois Senate.
David Davis V, Julia's father, was encouraged by his father to become a lawyer, and they practiced together in Bloomington for a few years.
Although Julia Davis is the only direct descendant of David Davis II in the family of lawyers, her cousin Alan Cates is a lawyer. So is her stepfather, Frank Miles.
Another connection to Illinois legal history is that Gray Herndon Noll, one of Julia Davis' SIU classmates who was admitted last November, is a descendant of Abraham Lincoln's law partner, William Herndon. Gray Noll and his father, Jon Gray Noll, are both Springfield attorney.
Timothy J. Forneris was famous before he earned his law degree and was admitted to the Illinois bar during the 5th District ceremony May 8 in Collinsville.
While a student at the St. Louis University Law School, he worked part-time as a groundskeeper at Busch Stadium, where the St. Louis Cardinals play their baseball games.
Forneris was closest to the spot where Mark McGwire's 62nd home run landed on Sept. 8, 1998, breaking what was then the season record. He retrieved the historic ball and gave it to McGwire.
Getting away from his studies to work in the ballpark and enjoy the excitement of McGwire's batting achievements was a respite for Forneris, who now works at the Missouri Court of Appeals.
Lavin offers welcome to National Lawyers
ISBA President Terrence J. Lavin is among members of the legal community who are scheduled to welcome the National Lawyers Association during a reception at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, July 31, at the Chicago-Kent College of Law. Lavin and Rita Lowrey Gitchell of Wheaton, president of the NLA, are both graduates of Chicago-Kent.
Additional remarks will be given by Chicago-Kent Dean Howard Krent, Judge Blanche M. Manning of U.S. District Court and Lester Munson, an attorney and writer for Sports Illustrated magazine.
The NLA conference will conclude Friday, Aug. 1, with a dinner at the Holiday Inn City Centre, 300 E. Ohio. The Edmund Burke Award will be presented to Congressman Henry Hyde, and members of the CBA Christmas Spirits cast will provide entertainment.
For more information, call Rita Gitchell at (630) 260-0848.
The Saline County Bar Association has contributed $1,218 toward the $50,000 Campaign for Equal Justice in support of Land of Lincoln Legal Assistance Foundation.
The surplus funds from dues payments had been set aside in past years for social events and flowers for deceased members, but the association decided that contributing to civil legal aid for the indigent is a higher priority.
The presentation was made by Saline County Bar President Todd P. Biddle and Secretary-Treasurer Robert C. Wilson, both of Harrisburg. Member Todd D. Lambert serves on the LLLAF fund-raising committee.
The check was accepted by Diane M. Goffinet of Murphysboro, the foundation's campaign chair, and Michael A. Fiello, directing attorney in the Murphysboro office.
At 110, Arnstein & Lehr continues to expand
Laterals open new practice areas in firm
While a number of mid-size law firms have closed their doors during the past decade, Arnstein & Lehr continues to grow as it marks its 110th anniversary this year.
The 125-attorney, Chicago-based firm is in the midst of building new offices on the 14th floor at 120 S. Riverside Plaza, where it occupies two other floors.
What is Arnstein & Lehr's secret to achieving growth in a legal market and business climate experiencing tumultuous times?
One key factor has been the successful addition and integration of lateral attorneys who have been able to expand their practices at the firm, according to Howard J. Swibel, chair of the executive committee.
"Our laterals have added new practice areas to our firm, such as white collar criminal law in the case of Pat Tuite and Ron Menaker, and environmental law in the case of Bill Anaya," Swibel said.
"In other instances, laterals have significantly enhanced our depth of expertise in a particular area, such as bankruptcy in the case of Jimmy and Barry Chatz, and tax law and litigation in the case of Bob McKenzie. The new partners have adopted our culture and deepened its richness."
Konstantinos "Dino" Armiros, one of the newest laterals to join the firm, observed that "there is a great group of people here, all of whom work hard with a high level of sophistication and intensity, while maintaining a friendly, positive outlook.
"There is a strong learning culture at Arnstein," he added, "with everyone taking very seriously their responsibility to keep up with the new developments in their field, and all contributing to the training and development of associates."
Lateral partners who have joined Arnstein & Lehr in Chicago during the past decade are:
1994 Patrick A. Tuite and Ronald D. Menaker in white collar criminal defense.
1996 Samuel H. Levine in real estate litigation.
1997 David T. Rallo in commercial and employment litigation; Robert T. Cichocki and Robert D. Butters in real estate, non-profit, antitrust, litigation and intellectual property.
1998 Thomas P. Conley in health care; Norman P. Jeddeloh in health care and employment law; Patrick J. Cotter in white collar criminal defense.
1999 Jerold N. Siegan in corporate and securities law.
2000 Robert E. McKenzie in tax and litigation.
2001 James A. Chatz and Barry A. Chatz in bankruptcy and creditors' rights.
2002 Barry R. Katz in real estate and banking; Philip L. Pomerance in health care; William J. Anaya in environmental; Burton S. Ehrlich and Edward J. Chalfie in intellectual property; Joel M. Hurwitz in banking, real estate and general corporate.