Upcoming CBA Meetings for the Week of May 21, 2012

May 22

Alliance for Women Committee
Lonni Berkley with Rainmaking 101.

CBA News & Announcements

Membership Appreciation Week Wrap Up
Over 800 members attended complimentary programming during CBA Membership Appreciation Week! We are pleased to announce that CBA Member Claudia Halloran won the iPad door prize held during the LPMT Expo on Tuesday.

Etiquette Tip of the Week: The Great Thing About Interviewing...

The great thing about interviewing is it is the one time you can tell people how wonderful you are and they are actually willing to listen.

Be honest about your qualifications and experience.  If an interviewer asks, "What is your biggest weakness?"  Do not try to disguise a positive as a negative with a canned baloney answer like, "I work too hard" or "I am a perfectionist."

Attorney Volunteer Training at CARPLS: June 4th

Are you an Illinois attorney who has free time during the workday?  CARPLS Legal Aid is looking for a corps of volunteer attorneys to counsel clients on Cook County’s legal aid telephone hotline. 

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION:  CARPLS Works is a volunteer project that specifically targets unemployed and underemployed attorneys in the Chicago area. The project seeks to put these attorneys to work serving the unmet legal needs of low-income families who have been disproportionately impacted by the economic crisis. CARPLS Works attorneys must be licensed in Illinois and are asked to volunteer 4 hours each week providing advice and counsel to low-income clients via the legal aid hotline.

 ABOUT CARPLS:  CARPLS is an innovative legal aid service that offers an immediate response to the every-day legal problems confronting low-income families in Cook County. CARPLS' legal aid hotline and court-based advice desks give low-income clients direct access to experienced attorneys who are trained to quickly assess and respond to a wide range of civil legal problems.

Loan Modifications Ethics Alert from IARDC

Loan Modification Scammers Recruiting Lawyers

Lawyers, particularly sole and small firm practitioners, are increasingly becoming the target of loan modification scammers seeking to recruit lawyers in an effort to circumvent state and federal legislation enacted to protect homeowners from unfair or deceptive practices, including a ban on the collection of upfront fees. Lawyers, however, are generally exempt from the legislation, and these companies are making considerable efforts to exploit this loophole by soliciting, employing and partnering with lawyers to provide purported loan modification services.

Nearly 40% of the consumer complaints against these purported "loan modification" companies reviewed by the Illinois Attorney General in 2010 had some lawyer involvement. The ARDC has also received many complaints about lawyers allegedly involved in loan modification scams and several lawyers are currently facing disciplinary prosecution by the ARDC.

These relationships may violate the Illinois Rules of Professional Conduct and could result in lawyer discipline. Do not risk your license. Recognize these fraudulent schemes for what they are – scams and avoid giving assistance to these scam artists. Here are some of the red flags: