MCLEAN COUNTY BAR ASSOCIATION
  • MCBA Home
  • Newsletters
  • Find a Lawyer
  • 2022 Member Ap
  • About
  • Contact
  • MCBA Committees
    • MCBA Scholarship
  • MCBA Documents
  • Past Events
  • Resources
    • Forms-McLean
  • Career Opportunities
  • LAP Eleventh Judicial Assistance Attorneys
  • Product
Picture


​​​MCBA NEWSLETTER


​​​​​  ​january 3, 2022


2022
January Events
1/7/2022 (Fri.)
Breakfast with the Bar


1/11/2022 (Tues.)
BOG Meeting

1/14/2022 (Fri.)
Breakfast with the Bar

1/17/2022 (Mon.)
Law & Justice Center Closed

1/18/2022 (Tues.)
CLE - State of the Circuit-ZOOM
Noon


1/21/2022 (Fri.)
Breakfast with the Bar

1/25/2022 (Tues.)
CLE Committee Meeting

1/28/2022 (Fri.)
Breakfast with the Bar

February Events

2/4/2022 (Fri.)
Breakfast with the Bar

2/8/2022 (Tues.)
BOG Meeting

2/11/2022 (Fri.)
HS Mock Trials

2/11/2022 (Fri.)
Breakfast with the Bar

2/15/2022 (Tues.)
CLE 

2/18/2022 (Fri.)
Breakfast with the Bar

2/21/2022 (Mon.)
Law & Justice Center Closed

2/22/2022 (Tues.)
CLE Committee Meeting

2/25/2022 (Fri.)
Breakfast with the Bar

March Events

3/4/2022 (Fri.)
Breakfast with the Bar

3/8/2022 (Tues.)
BOG Meeting

3/11/2022 (Fri.)
HS Mock Trials

3/11/2022 (Fri.)
Breakfast with the Bar

3/15/2022 (Tues.)
CLE 

3/18/2022 (Fri.)
Breakfast with the Bar

3/25/2022 (Fri.)
Breakfast with the Bar

3/29/2022 (Tues.)
BOG Meeting

April Events

4/19/2022 (Tues.)
CLE 

4/20/2022 (Wed.)
Bench/Bar Listening Session

May Events

5/17/2022 (Tues.)
CLE 

2022 Member application

Picture
Please click on the MCBA button above to renew.

condolences

Picture

​Paul Meints passed away on December 14, 2021

He was a long time MCBA member and a very kind person. 

A Celebration of Life will be held on January 22, 2022 from 4:00-6:00 p.m. at the DoubleTree by Hilton in Bloomington, IL. 

Please click on Paul's photo to read more.

bar activity from last month
​Holiday luncheon

Picture

2021 Lifesaver Award Recipients

​The Bloomington office of Prairie State Legal Services (PSLS) is very fortunate to have so many wonderful McLean County Bar Association volunteers. It is always hard to select award recipients among such a great group of volunteers, but you all should know how much your work is appreciated. Your work is instrumental in transforming the lives of the clients we serve. This year, PSLS’ Lifesaver Awards were given to:

Kristin Givens

Picture
Kristin works for State Farm in their Law Department. Kristin has helped 21 pro bono clients since she began volunteering with PSLS in 2009. She helps at the semi-annual Legal Advice Fair. She also accepts pro bono divorce cases. Kristin’s pro bono clients give her the absolute highest rating. One client said, “I received excellent advice and help in my divorce case. Kristin was very understanding. I had complete confidence in her.” When another of Kristin’s clients was asked about how she felt about Kristin, she said “awesome, great woman, greater lawyer.”

jenna Kearns


​Jenna Kearns has worked at non-profits including Land of Lincoln Legal Assistance and Mid Central Community Action (MCCA) for her entire career. Currently, she is the Senior Program Manager of the Illinois Bar Foundation Illinois JusticeCorps Program. Her program places AmeriCorps volunteers in courthouses around Illinois to help self-represented litigants access the justice system and navigate courthouses.

Jenna’s devotion to public interest law extends far beyond her work at the Illinois Bar Foundation. Since 2017, Jenna has helped 42 PSLS clients in a number of ways. She has served clients at the semi-annual Legal Advice Fair. She also represents PSLS clients in pro bono divorce cases and assists clients at PSLS’ courthouse eviction clinic in McLean County.
Picture

Tom McClure

Picture

​Tom began taking pro bono divorce cases from PSLS in 2011. In August of 2020, Tom launched the ISU Expungement Clinic in partnership with PSLS. Through this partnership, PSLS transfers expungement and sealing cases to Tom. Tom assigns the cases to his ISU Legal Studies students to prepare Request to Expunge or Seal pleadings and other necessary paperwork. Tom reviews the documents, makes corrections, and sends them to PSLS to file with the Circuit Clerk.

With the help of 51 ISU students, Tom has helped 40 clients so far to request to seal or expunge 45 old criminal cases. In addition to helping PSLS clients, this program exposes ISU students to pro bono work and helps to build the next generation of pro bono volunteers.

2021 scholarship announcement
christian baker

Each year, the MCBA gives a $2,500 Community Service Scholarship to a 2nd or 3rd year law student who demonstrates a commitment to legal aid work, pro bono activities, and community service.

Christian Baker is the 2021 recipient of the MCBA Community Service Scholarship. Christian is from McLean County. He graduated from Normal Community High School. Christian attended Washington University in St. Louis and received his B.A. degree cum laude. He is currently a 2nd year law student at Washington University School of Law in St. Louis.

In addition to earning excellent grades, Christian prioritizes service to his community. As an undergraduate student at Washington University, Christian helped tutor low-income students from the Clinton-Peabody Housing Projects. He also won a $30,000 grant for a summer arts exposure program for 47 youth in St. Louis and helped implement the two-month-long program. Christian continues to serve as an alumni speaker for the Bloomington-Normal NAACP Act-So Program for local high school students. Christian’s community service also extends to legal settings. He interned with the McLean County Public Defender’s office in 2017 and 2018. Last summer, Christian worked as a law student intern with Legal Services of Eastern Missouri, a non-profit law firm similar to Prairie State Legal Services.
​
After he graduates from law school in May 2023, Christian intends to use his passion, skills, and law degree to help the marginalized. 

state of the circuit cle
tuesday, january 18
​via zoom
​[one hour general cle credit approved]

Please join the McLean County Bar Association for a presentation on the state of the 11th Circuit Courts presented by the McLean County Circuit Court Judges. This annual program provides updates on the status of the 11th Circuit.​
Registration

fair housing topics for your day-to-day legal practice
friday, february 4

​[free - ONE HOUR GENERAL CLE CREDIT]

Join fair housing attorneys from Prairie State Legal Services as they discuss how fair housing protections and obligations could deepen your expertise as you practice landlord/tenant, real estate, and local government law. As we explore a few of the latest topics in housing discrimination cases and investigations, you'll hear something to take back to your work. This lunchtime session will provide a brief overview of fair housing law and then dive deeper into criminal records issues for tenants and housing providers, sexual harassment in housing, and lending discrimination in mortgages and appraisals. Join us for this free event, no matter whether your clients are landlords, tenants, home buyers/sellers, staff of local municipalities, or housing authorities. This program offers one hour of general MCLE credit.
Registration

​we want you!

Picture

Invest in the next
​generation of attorneys!

The McLean County Bar Association Mentoring Program is seeking Mentors for several new lawyers in McLean County. 
 
A mentor must be licensed in the state of Illinois for more than five years. As a mentor you will complete eight meetings with the new lawyer. Upon completion, both the mentor and the mentee will qualify for six hours of professionalism credit CLE credit (at no cost), including the required one hour of diversity and inclusion CLE and one hour of mental health and substance abuse CLE. More information can be found at this LINK.
 
If you are interested in being connected with a mentee and serving as a mentor, please contact one of the MCBA Mentoring Program Co-Coordinators: Jaime Ganschow at jganschow@ganschowlaw.com or Angela Skinner at angela@ams.law

McLean County Circuit Court 2022 Judicial Assignments

new to your office?

If your office has new attorneys and staff, then we would like to update membership on your additions! Please click on the link below to submit a little about the new addition and feel free to add a photo as well. 
New to My Office!

​friday breakfast with the bar
join us this friday

8:00 am- 9:00 am

Picture
Downtown Bloomington
​


mark your calendar
​2021 & 2022

2022
January 18 - CLE State of the Circuit via ZOOM
February 15 - CLE Social Security 
March 15 - CLE Orders of Protections  [up to 2 hours of CLE will be offered]
April 19 - PR CLE Underwood Committee Professionalism Program
​
April 20 - Bench/Bar Listening Session 12.05 pm
May 17 - CLE Drone Law Update

Picture

BLOOMINGTON CANNON ESTATE PLANNING
TELECONFERENCE SERIES PROGRAM
​HOSTED BY PNC WEALTH MANAGEMENT

2022 Schedule
Please contact​ Jennifer.julius@pnc.com if interested in attending.
If you have questions please call Jennifer at 309.655.5484

career opportunities


mclean county

seeks
Details
deadline Jan 30

asst states' atty iii


schwulst & roseberry pc

seeks
Details
posted 1-3-2022

legal assistant


imeri rogers llp

seeks
Details
posted 12-13-2021

experienced attorney


​prairie state legal services​

seeks
Attorney Positions
posted 12-13-2021

attorney positions in illinois​


office space available


ILLINOIS HOUSE BUILDING
Quality Office Space at Affordable Rents
Two Blocks Directly North of Law & Justice Center
Call or text 309-531-0445

DOWNTOWN LAW OFFICE BUILDING
​FOR SALE

105 N. Center Street - Bloomington

DOWNTOWN OFFICE BUILDING
​FOR SALE OR LEASE

DOWNTOWN - ​BLOOMINGTON
210 S. East Street - Bloomington

bar committee activities

2021
​​​BOG Meeting - January 11 noon 
​​​​CLE Committee Meeting - Jnauary 22 noon

Executive Committee 
President                            
​Kathleen Kraft

2nd VP
Judge Pablo Eves

Secretary
Nargis Khokhar
1st VP
​Nathan B. Hinch

Immediate Past President
Julia Davis

Treasurer
Calli Farrell
Disclaimer:
The McLean County Bar Association (MCBA) presents the information on this web site as an information service to our members and other Internet users. While the information on this site is about legal issues, it is not legal advice. The information is not intended to create, and receipt of the information does not constitute, a lawyer-client relationship. Those using this information should not act upon this information without seeking professional legal counsel.
Board of Governors
John L. Pratt
Brendan Bukalski
Michael Butts
​Dean Davis


Administrative Assistant
Mary Sellmyer

​Find a Lawyer Disclaimer:
The intention of the MCBA"Find a Lawyer"search is only to refer members of the public requiring legal services to members of the MCBA who have indicated that they wish to receive referrals in a particular area of the law.

Proudly powered by Weebly
  • MCBA Home
  • Newsletters
  • Find a Lawyer
  • 2022 Member Ap
  • About
  • Contact
  • MCBA Committees
    • MCBA Scholarship
  • MCBA Documents
  • Past Events
  • Resources
    • Forms-McLean
  • Career Opportunities
  • LAP Eleventh Judicial Assistance Attorneys
  • Product