MCLEAN COUNTY BAR ASSOCIATION
  • MCBA Home
  • Newsletters
  • Find a Lawyer
  • 2025 Member Ap
  • About
  • Contact
  • MCBA Committees
    • 2024 MCBA Scholarship
  • MCBA Documents
  • Past Events
  • Resources
    • Forms-McLean
  • Career Opportunities
  • LAP Eleventh Judicial Assistance Attorneys
  • Product
  • Blog
Picture


​MCBA NEWSLETTER


​​december 21, 2020


 2020
December Events
12/24 (Thurs.)
Law & Justice Center Closed

12/25 (Fri.)
Law & Justice Center Closed


12/29/20 (Tues.)
CLE Committee Meeting

2021
​January Events

1/1/21 (Fri.)
Law & Justice Center Closed


​1/8/20 (Fri.)
​canceled until further notice
"Breakfast with the Bar" 

1/12/20 (Tues.)
BOG Committee Meeting 


court notes

December 18, 2020
 
To:  The McLean County Bar Association:
 
On behalf of the Judiciary, staff and court reporters, I want to wish everyone a Happy Holiday Season and a very Happy New Year!  Never has wishing someone a Happy New Year meant so much. If you have ever wondered why people wish each other a Happy New Year, the year of 2020 is Exhibit “A” of putting a year in the rearview mirror and looking forward to the next. Let’s hope that 2021 brings with it, hope, health and a return to what we remember as being “normal”.
Picture
​Not much change to report regarding court operations from my last update. We continue to monitor Covid health metrics in determining when to resume jury trials. The December jury calendar was canceled due to the recent Covid surge and a decision about the January jury calendar will be made during the first week of January.

Fortunately, all dockets are running well and are in relatively good shape. While remote hearings have benefits, they can be a challenge in the higher volume dockets. The belief still is that remote hearings even in higher volume dockets avoids a complete docket shutdown that would cause larger problems. Plans have been made to address the onslaught of evictions and collection activity that is expected when the moratoriums end. It is predicted that those two areas will have the largest case backlog.

I hope you can find time to relax and enjoy the holidays even if it is on a smaller scale than last year.
​
Should you have any questions or concerns on court operations, please contact Trial Court Administrator William Scanlon at (309) 888-5266.

Stay safe and healthy.
 
Best regards.
Chief Judge Mark A. Fellheimer

Need some help? Click on the LAP logo below.
Picture

Some Days are Better Than Others:
​Self-Care Tips for Lawyers During a Pandemic

By LAP CONTRIBUTING AUTHOR: COLLEEN BORACA, JD, HBA
One day last spring, I shut down. The weeks leading up to this day had been filled with change. When the stay-at-home orders began in March, my colleagues and I could no longer be on-site at the law-school legal clinics we direct in Aurora and Rockford. We decided to team up and create a new virtual clinic, the NIU College of Law’s COVID-19 Legal Response Clinic, to help individuals going through legal challenges during the pandemic. 
 
On this particular day, things were hectic and emotional. In the morning, one law student and I advised a caller who wanted to know her legal rights regarding returning to work in person. The caller kept sobbing that she did not want to harm her elderly mother by exposing her to COVID-19. A few hours later, we had another call with someone who needed our advice about appealing his unemployment denial. He repeatedly mentioned not knowing how he was going to have enough money to pay rent. Later in the day while I was participating in a call with SNAP advocates, I heard story after story about the dire impact that the pandemic was having on food insecurity.
 
Personally, I was also adjusting to my “new normal.” Childcare for our three children was unavailable, so my husband and I were trying to help our kids navigate e-learning while still ... READ ON HERE

deliveries!

Picture
Santa's team was busy last week as his sleigh dropped off yummy cookies at member firms. Over 100 deliveries were conducted spreading holiday cheer!
 
There were a number of lawyers working from home, who graciously declined gifts and those funds were redirected to legal aid efforts to help the greater community during this difficult time. Thanks to the generosity of our membership, Prairie State Legal Services will be gifted funds from our Association to help with COVID-related assistance. Special thanks to William Caisley, Katie Johnson, Jeff Lindsey, and the attorneys at Mueller, Reece & Hinch, Kelly & Castagna, Pratt & Pratt, Heartland Bank & Trust, and State Farm, for their contributions. A hearty thank you to Cookies By Design for baking and delivering our tasty treats. Thank you to Katy Kraft for assisting with deliveries. And a very special thanks to Mary Sellmyer for her great efforts to collect and organize massive amounts of data to ensure accurate and updated information!
 
We are proud to be part of a group of lawyers who give to legal aid, support locally owned businesses, and continue to participate in "social" events in a safe way. We look forward to the improvement of community health in the coming months, and will plan activities accordingly. 
 
Warmly,
 
The Social Committee


2021 pcba winder series

Please see this LINK for the listing of CLE's offered
to the MCBA membership at a reduced amount. 

Picture


​2020
​project santa

Picture

DELIVERY DAY - DECEMBER 3

Thank you to all who participated in this generous effort of giving during this years holiday season! The McLean County Nursing Home workers were overwhelmed by your kindness!     ​THANK YOU!!!
Picture

Shown in the photo from the left to right are:
Michael Butts-Wood, DeVary & Armstrong, PC, MCBA Social Committee Co-Chair

Lidia Navarra-McLean County Nursing Home,  Activity Director/Volunteer Coordinator

Brendan Bukalski-The Johnson Law Group LLC, Managing Partner

David Koth-State Farm Insurance-Counsel in the Life/Health/Investment Planning Section

​George Wood-Wood, DeVary & Armstrong, PC,
Out of sight snapping this photo.

december press releases

12-10-2020 Supreme Court Of Illinois, Justice Rita Garman Announces Formation Of Judicial Screening Committee To Fill 11th Circuit Vacancy
12-2-2020 Mark A Fellheimer Re-Elected 11th Judicial Circuit Chief Judge
12-3-2020 Courthouses Remain Open with Continued Precautions
Reference from 12-3-2020. AO 2020-19 Resumptions of Court Operations-Covid-19

2021 MCBA membership

Picture
​Click on the MCBA Logo to renew. 

retirement
judge drazewski

December 31, 2020
press release 11/24/2020

MCBA Lawyer-to-Lawyer Mentoring Program Announcement

Developing strong relationships between new and experienced attorneys in our community is so important to the MCBA. Please consider becoming involved in the Lawyer-to-Lawyer Mentoring Program (sponsored by the MCBA), which is a program created by the Illinois Supreme Court Commission on Professionalism.
 
We welcome applications from mentors or mentees throughout the year. A mentor must be licensed for more than five years and act as a resource to the mentee. The mentee must be licensed for four years or less. By completing eight mentoring sessions, both mentor and mentee will qualify for six hours of professionalism credit (which can be rolled over to future years). We are looking for new lawyers who would like to be connected with mentors, and experienced lawyers who are willing to serve as mentors. 
 
Please contact one of the mentoring program coordinators:
Jaime Ganschow at [email protected] or Angela Skinner at [email protected],
​or visit the following site to fill out an online application at this
LINK.

canceled due to area covid infections rising.

​friday  -  ​breakfast ​with the bar

Picture

mark your calendar

2021
January 19 - State of the Circuit CLE noon time event [Registration opens in January.]
​February 3 - Criminal Day Seminar CLE
February 16 - CLE noon time event
March 16 - CLE noon time event

April 21-22 - The Guardian Ad Litem Event 
June 7 - MCBA Golf Outing at BCC beginning at noon

2021 schedule coming soon
Picture

2021 BLOOMINGTON CANNON ESTATE PLANNING
TELECONFERENCE SERIES PROGRAM
​HOSTED BY PNC WEALTH MANAGEMENT

Time: 12.00 noon - 1.30 pm
​via teleconference​


 1 hour of Continuing Legal Education Credit will be earned for attendance at each call.
A certificate of attendance will be given to each participant.
Please RSVP ​ by replying to Jennifer.julius@pnc.com and include a list the names of the colleagues who will be attending. If you have questions please call Jennifer at 309.655.5484

services AVAILABLE


SPENCER INVESTIGATIONS, PLLC

Spencer Investigations, PLLC is a licensed and insured private investigation company. With 28 years of experience as a Special Agent for the FBI and recent corporate experience, Greg Spencer offers a highly trained and wide skill set with a reputation of reliability and integrity for any private investigation need.
more information


career opportunities



​kanoski 
​bresney

seeks
1+ years experience
and
3+ years experience
Posted Dec 14

associate litigation attorneys



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
Posted August 3 - End December 31


downtown law office building
​for sale


105 N. Center Street - Bloomington
Posted August 10 - End December 31


bar committee activities

2020
​CLE Committee Meeting - December 29 noon - canceled
2021
​BOG Meeting - January 12 noon
​CLE Committee Meeting - January 26 noon

MCBA Breakfast with the Bar  -  canceled until further notice...
Remember to have “Breakfast with the Bar” every Friday morning between 8:00 am and 9:00 am. It’s a great way to meet and talk with your fellow attorneys in an informal setting. Stay for 10 minutes and have a cup of coffee or stay for an hour and have a full breakfast before court. Grab an associate, partner or friend and come.      See you Friday!

Executive Committee 
President                            
​Judge Pablo Eves

2nd VP
Adrian Barr

Secretary
Paige Thielen
1st VP
​John L. Pratt

Immediate Past President
​​Nathan B. Hinch

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
Michael Butts [Year 4]
​Dean Davis [Year 3]
​Jaime Ganschow [Year 2]
Laurel Bingaman [Year 1]

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
  • 2025 Member Ap
  • About
  • Contact
  • MCBA Committees
    • 2024 MCBA Scholarship
  • MCBA Documents
  • Past Events
  • Resources
    • Forms-McLean
  • Career Opportunities
  • LAP Eleventh Judicial Assistance Attorneys
  • Product
  • Blog