CHARITABLE FUNDS INC., UPCOMING EVENTS
NLAP Charity Run - Race Judicata
Saturday, April 24, 2004
Registration - 8:00 a.m., Race - 9:00 a.m.
Chalco Hills Recreation Area, Wehrspan Lake, Omaha
Proceeds to benefit NLAP Fund that offers help
to lawyers, judges, and law students troubled by substance abuse problems,
stress, depression and other problems that may impair their ability
to perform in a competent and professional manner.
NSBA's 1st Annual Greater Nebraska Golf Tournament - Sponsorship
Information - Golfer Registration
Friday, June 18, 2004
Shotgun Start - 1:00 p.m.
Wild Horse Golf Club, Gothenburg
Proceeds to benefit the Volunteer Lawyers Project
which is the NSBA's statewide volunteer legal services project and
referral network founded on the belief that all citizens should have
access to the legal system, regardless of ability to pay.
THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS!
NSBA's 8th Annual Golf Scramble - Sponsorship
Information - Golfer
Registration
Friday, August 27, 2004
Shotgun Start - 12:30 p.m.
Wilderness Ridge Golf Club, Lincoln
Proceeds to benefit the Volunteer Lawyers Project
which is the NSBA's statewide volunteer legal services project and
referral network founded on the belief that all citizens should have
access to the legal system, regardless of ability to pay.
THANK
YOU TO OUR SPONSORS!
CFI's Barristers' Ball
The First Annual Barristers’ Ball "Starry Starry Night
" is scheduled for April 30, 2005 in Omaha. Dance the night
away under the stars with the bank Galaxy as they wheel through the
heavens. Swirl with the galaxies, flash with meteors and soar with
comets.
The evening promises to be an event to remember, so mark your calendar
and be prepared for a festive night of fun and entertainment.
Proceeds to benefit the Volunteer Lawyers Project
which is the NSBA's statewide volunteer legal services project and
referral network founded on the belief that all citizens should have
access to the legal system, regardless of ability to pay.
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MINORITY AND JUSTICE IMPLEMENTATION COMMITTEE 2004 TOWN HALL MEETINGS
As part of a three-year investigation of Nebraska's justice system,
the Minority and Justice Task Force traveled to communities across Nebraska,
soliciting testimony from the public on issues relevant to race and
ethnicity in the courts. The testimony gathered at these public hearings
played a critical role in illustrating minority's perceptions of the
justice system. As a follow-up to the 2002 public hearings, the Implementation
Committee will be returning to the communities it solicited information
from. In addition to reporting back to the communities involved in the
2002 public hearings, the Implementation Committee views these town
hall meetings as an opportunity to answer questions and inform the public
as to the findings of the Minority and Justice Task Force Report. More
importantly, the Committee will also be discussing several of the initiatives
they are undertaking to address problems in the state's justice system.
Public feedback is invited. Spanish interpreters will be in attendance
at each meeting.
The next town hall meeting is scheduled for March 24, 2004 in Chadron
at the Chadron Native American Center from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. The Implementation
Committee will also be meeting in Scottsbluff on March 25, 2004 at Our
Lady of Guadalupe Parish from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.
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THE NSBA MENTORING COMMITEE AND YOUNG LAWYERS SECTION INVITES YOU
TO ATTEND THE BEST PRACTICES SERIES
The Nebraska State Bar Association's Mentoring Committee and Young
Lawyers Section are co-sponsoring the Best Practices Seminar Series.
Lawyers who were recently admitted to practice are invited, free of
charge, to attend the series. Each session is focused on a wide range
of substantive topics and offeres practical training for new lawyers.
The series also identifies available resources to aid in the practice.
The series will feature two half-day seminars and one full day seminar.
The half-day seminars will be held in Kearney on April 21 and May 17,
2004 at the Kearney Holiday Inn. The full day seminar will be in Ogallala
on May 5, 2004 at the Ogallala Bayside Golf Club. Click here for the
registration form.
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AMENDMENT TO THE NEBRASKA CHILD SUPPORT GUIDELINES
March 10, 2004 — amendment to the Nebraska Child Support Guidelines:
Raises the Basic Subsistence Limitation from $748 to $776 net monthly
for one person.
Changes may be found on the Judicial Branch Web Site: www.nebraskacourt.com
Select “Supreme Court Rules” look under “Rule Amendments
(made within the
last 90 days)
Notice to Court Clerks: If you do not have access to the internet and
are
interested in the full text of a specific rule, send an e-mail response
“reply with history” and your request will be forwarded to
the proper
individual. The rule will be mailed to you.
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2004 NSBA TECHNOLOGY SEMINAR AND EXPOSITION
The NSBA is pleased to announce the presentation of a comprehensive
program and exposition of the newest developments in technology in the
practice of law. The seminar is May 7-8, 2004 at the Cornhusker Hotel
in Lincoln. Thank you to our generous sponsors who include Thomson-West,
Ex-Cel Solutions, Inc., The Daily Record, Tabs3 & PracticeMaster
Software, The Nebraska Association of Legal Assistants, NSBA General
Practice Section, NSBA Law Practice Management Section, NSBA Business
Law Section and the NSBA Young Lawyers Section. Click here for the registration
form.
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YOUNG LAWYERS GOLF TOURNAMENT
Mark Your Calendars! The date and location for the 2004 YLS Golf Tournament
is July 30, 2004 at Indian Creek Course in Elkhorn. Click
here for the link of the course.
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RULES GOVERNING THE UNAUTHORIZED PRACTICE OF LAW
(comment period ends Tuesday, April 20, 2004)
Supreme Court Rule For Comment and Public Hearing:
The Nebraska Supreme Court invites interested persons to comment on
the
proposed Rules Governing the Unauthorized Practice of Law (as amended).
Comment in writing to the office of the Clerk of the Supreme Court and
Court of Appeals, P.O. Box 98910, Lincoln, Nebraska 68509-8910, or via
e-mail to lasmussen@nsc.state.ne.us,
no later than Tuesday, April 20, 2004.
Following the comment period referred to above, the Special Joint
Committee of the Nebraska Supreme Court and the Nebraska State Bar
Association on Unauthorized Practice of Law will hold a public hearing
on
the proposed Rules Governing the Unauthorized Practice of Law on Wednesday,
May 12, 2004, in Room 1507, State Capitol Building, Lincoln, Nebraska,
beginning at 1:30 p.m. The public is welcome to attend and present comments
or testimony on these proposed rules.
Click
here to see the proposed rules (in PDF format).
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CONFERENCE CALLING MEMBER BENEFIT
Are you ready to change your conference calling company. Try the NSBA
endorsed provider Premier Conferencing. Click
here for a two week free trial...
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PRACTICE TIP: FOUR STEPS TO BETTER CLIENT COMMUNICATION
1. Communicate promptly and often.
2. Return telephone calls promptly.
3. At the initial meeting, provide the client with a clear written
description of the anticipated course of the case and a realistic
timetable regarding your expectations as to the length of time which
the case will require before it is completed.
4. Explain to the client at the outset that legal activity tends to
be
episodic rather than constant so that the client understands that a
lack of constant activity on his/her case does not indicate that the
file is being ignored.
Remember always that an informed and involved client is far more likely
to
credit your efforts and accept a negative result than an uninformed
and distant one. Communication is the MOST EFFECTIVE loss control a
firm can implement.
This document is reprinted by permission of Marsh Affinity Group
Services, a Service of Seabury & Smith. It is not intended to prevent
any legal malpractice action. It should be used only as a guide for
implementing procedures that could lead to the avoidance of such actions.
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PRACTICE TIP: TEN, NINE, EIGHT.....
With all the papers and documents that are piled up in our offices,
it becomes overwhelming and often times downright discouraging to even
think about dealing with them. As a result, we let things get worse
and worse until we start misplacing important documents and clients
wonder about our organization skills. One approach is to take it in
little pieces. Several times a week set a short term goal of ten minutes
to go through a growing stack of papers that need to be filed or trashed.
That way, you can accomplish something without feeling you need to get
everything done. When the ten minutes is over, you may feel so good
that you may actually want to continue and finish much more! Also try
to take advantage of the extra time when a meeting suddenly cancels.
Try to use the extra time to go deeper into the stacks of paper. If
you cull through and throw out the junk first, then go back to read
and file things, the job is easier.
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PRACTICE TIP: NOTIFICATION
An attorney/law firm would never move its office without providing
notice to clients, vendors, courts, and the community-at-large. In addition,
the firm would ensure a fowarding notice was in effect with the postal
service for at least six months, usually for a full year.
Why is it that when an attorney/law firm changes something as important
as its email address, it often provides no notification at all?
If you change email addresses, take the time to send an email notice
to all those in your address book. You can preserve confidentiality
of your mailing list by using the "BCC" address line of the
email. No one will see the address of anyone else you've addressed the
email to. You should also keep the old service up and running for at
least several months to know who to send second and third reminders
to. Include a notice with firm newsletter mailings, billings, and in
small print on the bottom of a letter if your letterhead includes your
email address.
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CASEMAKER™ TIP #20: WHERE DID CASEMAKER™ GO?
The NSBA web site has been remodeled and the login for Casemaker™
has been moved to the top of the page at www.nebar.com.
In one of my earliest tips I suggested making the original login page
a 'favorite' or even designating it as your home page to make access
to Casemaker™ faster and more convenient. If you have done either
of those some changes need to be made since the former login page no
longer exists. Change your 'favorite' path to just www.nebar.com. Likewise,
the home page designation could be set for the same location.
Correction: In Tip #19 I inadvertently use the word parentheses when
I meant to say quotation marks. The illustration showed the proper procedure
but the incorrect terms may have been confusing. Thanks to the NSBA
member who pointed out the error.
Doug Kluender
dkluender@law7000.com
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