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635 S.14th Street
P.O. Box 81809
Lincoln, NE 65801

ph. (402) 475-7091
(800) 927-0117
fx. (402) 475-7098


NSBA Web Site

E-Counsel is available to members of the Nebraska State Bar at no additional charge.

E-COUNSEL --Friday, September 16, 2005

Articles

GRADS LEARN PROPER WAY TO EAT AND INTERVIEW AT SAME TIME

You've just graduated from college. You've got a new interview suit, a typo-free resume, and ready answers to just about any question that might come your way.

But if you talk to prospective employers while slurping your soup and slouching over your salad, that preparation might not mean much......(more)

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NEW SURVEY REPORTS ON LAW FIRM MANAGEMENT TECHNIQUES

A recent Altman Weil Flash Survey of AmLaw 200 Law Firm Management Techniques reports that lateral growth, strategic planning and benchmarking/best practices are the most effective management techniques implemented in major law firms in the last five years........(more)
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NSBA NEWS

NEBRASKA LEGAL DIVERSITY WEBSITE

Is your firm or organization hiring? Are you looking for a more diverse group of applicants? By registering with the Nebraska Legal Diversity Website you can post job descriptions and solicit résumés from a diverse group of attorneys for free. The website also provides access to valuable links and resources with information about how to improve the diversity of your firm or organization. Website sponsorship opportunities are also available. Demonstrate your commitment and increase your visibility by becoming a sponsor of Nebraska’s Legal Diversity Website today! www.nelegaldiversity.org

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DIRECTOR OF ADMISSIONS

The Nebraska State Bar Association seeks candidates for Director of Admissions. The position is responsible for the administrative functions associated with the application for admission to the practice of law in Nebraska. BA required, JD preferred. Excellent communications skills, knowledge of the legal community, the ability to handle confidential information and creativity required. First resume review October 15, 2005. EOE. Send resume and salary requirements to NSBA, P.O. Box 81809, Lincoln, NE 68501-1809.

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RULES OF PROFESSIONAL CONDUCT ADOPTED BY NEBRASKA SUPREME COURT

The Rules of Professional conduct were adopted on June 8, 2005 and will become effective September 1, 2005.

Court Order
Complete Rules

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ADD NSBA EVENTS DIRECTLY TO YOUR OUTLOOK CALENDAR

Simply click on the meeting you wish to download from the NSBA calendar and when prompted click the "Open" button. An Outlook appointment screen should then appear. Click the "Save & Close" button to save to your calendar.

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SUPREME COURT RULE AMENDMENTS

On September 1, 2005 rule amendments previously adopted by the Nebraska Supreme Court (July 13) became effective. Changes have been made to:

Disciplinary Rules
Professional Service Corporations
Limited Liability Professional Corporations Rules Creating, Controlling, and Regulating Nebraska State Bar Association Neb. Ct. R. for Adm. of Attys. 3 Nebraska Code of Judicial Conduct Neb. Ct. R. of Cty. Cts., Appendix 4 (Small Claims Form) Nebraska Rules of Professional Conduct

To view the individual changes, please click on the link below and look under RULE AMENDMENTS (made within the last 90 days)

http://court.nol.org/rules/

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JUDICIAL RESOURCES COMMISSION

The Judicial Resources Commission will hold its annual meeting
October 17, 2005. The Commission will also determine whether
judicial vacancies exist in the office of district judge of the 3rd Judicial District and 11th Judicial District.

http://court.nol.org/press/releases/101705hearing.htm

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BEST PRACTICES SEMINAR FOR THE FALL OF 2005

The Best Pratices Series for the fall of 2005 has been scheduled at the Regency Lodge in Omaha starting September 20th. Click here for additional information and the registration form.

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UNL STUDENT BAR ASSOCIATION PROJECT WISHLIST

The Student Bar Association at the University of Nebraska College of Law (SBA), in conjunction with Big Brother Big Sister, organizes an annual event called "Project Wishlist" to provide needy children with holiday gifts (i.e. necessities such as shoes, winter jackets, clothing etc.) that their families otherwise cannot provide. The SBA raises money for Project Wishlist beginning in September and volunteers take the children "shopping" at Gordman's on a Saturday morning in early December. In 2004, the SBA raised enough money to provide each of around 30 needy children with $100 dollars of "spending money," all of which the children spent on necessities, rather than on toys or luxury items. Donations for 2005's Project Wishlist are welcome and extremely appreciated in any amount! Please send any donations to:

SBA Project Wishlist
University of Nebraska College of Law
P.O. Box 830902
Lincoln NE 68583-0902

Checks are payable to "SBA." Thank you for your holiday spirit and any contributions you may make.

Matt Breuning
SBA President for the Class of 2007
402.510.9004
breuning@bigred.unl.edu

 

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GREAT PLAINS TAX INSTITUTE

The 2005 Great Plains Federal Tax Institute is meeting in Omaha at the Embassy Suites-Old Market on December 1 and 2, 2005

The program will feature current developments in Income, Estate, and Gift Tax and much more up-to-the-minute tax information of interest to CPAs, Attorneys, Financial Planners, Life Insurance Professionals and other Tax Professionals.

Click here for the current press release.

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VACATIONING THIS FALL? TRY GLOBAL HOLIDAYS FOR EXCELLENT TRAVEL PACKAGES

Want to go to Ireland, Switzerland, the Black Forest of Germany, Tuscany, the Italian Riviera or Beijing? Global Holidays is offering fall vacation packages to all of these destinations and more. January Caribbean cruises are also available now.

http://www.globalholidaysinc.com/

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RECEPTION/DINNER & GOLF OUTING HOSTED BY THE LINCOLN COUNTY BAR ASSOCIATION

Join the Executive Council and the Lincoln County Bar Association for a reception and golf on September 22nd and 23rd at the North Platte Country Club. Click here for the registration form.

If you need a sleeping room, the NSBA has a block of rooms at the Hampton Inn at 1-308-534-6000 and ask for the NSBA block of rooms.

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OMAHA BAR ASSOCIATIONS'S HURRICANE KATRINA RELIEF EFFORT

The Omaha Bar Association is implementing a Hurricane Katrina relief effort by its lawyers. We have 20 volunteer lawyers who will be taking calls through our Lawyer Referral Service number 280-3603 to assist people who have been evacuated to Omaha as a result of the hurricane.

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CLE UPDATES

NCLE SECTION CALENDAR

Click here for a calendar of 2005 CLE programs to be offered in upcoming months.

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FAIR HOUSING INFORMATION

The following Fair Housing information is provided by Lincoln attorney Al Eurek and was part of his preparation for the NCLE Real Estate Seminar. This information and these forms were not included with the materials, so download and add to your Real Estate Practice Manual. If you were not able to attend the seminar on September 8 and 9, watch for the LegalSpan version to be made available soon, or order the Two-Volume Practice Manual from NCLE. Contact Cara at 800-927-0117 or 402-742-8128 to order.

Accessibility Self Certification
Fair Housing Forms (page 1-15)
Fair Housing Forms (page 16-35)
Fair Housing Forms (page 36-49)
Fair Housing Forms (page 50-56)
Fair Housing Forms (page 57-71)

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DOMESTIC VIOLENCE/TRIAL SKILLS SEMINAR

If you practice in the area of family law or want to improve your courtroom skills in dealing with evidentiary issues relating to child custody and domestic violence matters, you will want to attend the October 7th program on Trial Skills in Domestic Violence cases co-sponsored by NCLE and NDVSAC and featuring litigator and educator Julie Kunce Field.

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ATTORNEY OFFERS TIPS TO HELP EXPECTANT PARENTS PREPARE

Dateline: September 15, 2005 ... Clarence, NY
Contact Name: Brette Sember
Contact Phone: 716-759-1706
E-mail: brette@brettesember.com
Web Address: http://brettesember.com/


CLARENCE, NY - September 15, 2005 - Pregnancy is a time of great
change. Watching the belly grow and getting the nursery ready are
exciting milestones. However, "Pregnancy is about more than doctor's
appointments and layettes," says Brette McWhorter Sember, retired
attorney and author of Your Practical Pregnancy Planner: Everything
You Need to Know About the Legal and Financial Aspects of Preparing
for Your New Baby (McGraw- Hill, 2005, ISBN 0-07-143877-7, $14.95).
"Pregnancy is a time of new responsibilities and choices, legally,
financially, and practically. Expectant parents have a lot to prepare
for and many parents are simply unaware of the many decisions they
need to make. My goal is to help pregnant moms and dad get organized
during pregnancy and make informed decisions."

Sember offers these tips for expectant parents:

1. Know your rights. New and expectant parents need to
educate themselves about informed consent, the right to refuse
treatment, the right to a second opinion, the right to ask for
additional newborn tests not required by your state, emergency
leave during pregnancy, maternity and paternity leave options,
The Pregnancy Discrimination Act, newborn screening choices,
and your rights with regard to your own and your child's
medical records. Pregnant women have a whole host of rights
that they are probably not aware of.

2. Create budgets. Pregnancy is an expensive time. Not only
are you purchasing an entire new wardrobe for yourself and
paying for frequent medical care, but you're also buying
pregnancy books, paying for childbirth classes, and buying
everything you need for your baby. Creating a pregnancy
budget will help you plan for these expenses. It's also
essential that parents create a parenting budget, so they can
see how much they are going to spending each month when they
add in the cost of diapers, wipes, formula, baby clothes, and
more once they are parents. In addition to this, parents need
to carefully compare their health insurance policies so that
they can choose the one that is most beneficial to them to use
as a family plan. Flexible spending accounts (FSAs) are an
important tool that can help expectant parents manage medical
costs.

3. Plan for the future. Pregnancy is the doorway into your
future as a parent. Take the time now to think about things
such as wills, guardians, life insurance, and college savings
accounts. It can be difficult to think about things that seem
unpleasant or far away, but taking a few minutes now to create
plans for the future will allow you to feel comfortable and
know that everything is in place and your family is protected.

4. Ask questions. This is a time in your life when you're
making major changes, so don’t take anything for granted.
Parents need to understand their right to question their
health care providers about treatment and get real answers. If
you're going to be using child care, you need to start
planning before your baby is born. Interview day care
providers using the questionnaires in "Your Practical
Pregnancy Planner". It's also essential to ask questions of
your insurance agent to find out what kind of coverage exists
for a sitter or nanny using your car. Some parents are
unpleasantly surprised to learn that if they don't add the
nanny as a driver, she’s not covered.

5. Get organized. While you're waiting (and waiting and
waiting) for your baby to be born, use this time to get
organized. Do a safety check of your home, including tests
for lead paint and radon. Try different layouts for the
nursery using graph paper and to scale drawings before you
start moving furniture back and forth. Sign up for free
newsletters and magazines so you'll have an ongoing source of
information. Stock your pantry and freezer so you don't run
out of things the first few weeks the baby is home.

"Your Practical Pregnancy Planner: Everything You Need to Know About
the Legal and Financial Aspects of Planning for Your New Baby" is
filled with legal, financial, and practical information from pre-
conception to early parenting. It is published by McGraw-Hill and is
available at all bookstores as well as online. For more information
or to arrange an interview, contact Brette@BretteSember.com.

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UPCOMING LEGALSPAN SEMINARS

LegalSpan is one of the best bargains around and allows you to add to your store of CLE information from the convenience of your office or home computer. Give it a try today.

NCLE seminars recently uploaded to LegalSpan with video and text on specific topics: civil practice and procedure, probate, employment law, family law, and bankruptcy. Explore topics of particular interest to your practice and view the video of what speakers have recently said and obtain the written materials. Prices range from a special low of $20 to $30 per segment. Typical segments vary from one half to one hour in length.

ALSO – to be added to the lineup soon – the NCLE 2005 Real Estate Seminar.

ALSO look at our catalog to a schedule of LIVE WEBCASTS on a variety of topics. Each webcast is live (broadcast from other states) and airs on a particular date and time. You can attend a live seminar from the comfort of your own office or home. Prices vary depending on the length of the seminars, and range from one hour to six hours in length. Upcoming programs include: Oct. 7 – Trademark Licensing, Oct. 11 – the Energy Policy Act of 2005, Oct. 26 – Taking the Executive Deposition, Nov. 9 – Sarbanes-Oxley Whistleblower Claims, Nov. 16 – Arbitration. Visit the website and click on the webcasts category to obtain detailed information and view a demo.

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RESOURCES

PRACTICE MANAGEMENT TIP: TAX DEDUCTIONS

Know how your fees and/or costs can be tax deductible to your clients. If tax deductions are possible, share this information with your clients. Encourage them to have their accountant or tax preparer call you to get information that might maximize their deduction(s). Your clients will appreciate this extra effort--especially if you explain it at no charge!

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PRACTICE MANAGEMENT TIP: CALL TO MAKE SURE!

Here's a tip for personal injury attorneys and anyone else who writes checks from a trust account on behalf of clients: Take a minute before writing each check to call the payee to confirm the proper name and address to send the check. This simple phone call will help reduce the complaints from medical providers and others claiming they were never paid; you also won't have the hassle of reissuing a new check and stopping payment on the old check. And, since the check goes immediately to the proper address, it will help reduce the late-cashing of checks that can put a glitch in your trust account reconciliation process.

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PRACTICE MANAGEMENT TIP: BUSINESS OWNERS PACKAGE AND WORKERS COMPENSATION COVERAGE IS NOW AVAILABLE

"Now available! The Nebraska State Bar endorsed program for Business Owners Package and Workers Compensation coverage is now available through Marsh Affinity Group Services. This comprehensive coverage is available to Nebraska Bar members and provides coverage for Medical Payments, Building and Contents, Business Income, Equipment Breakdown and Money & Securities.

For more information please call Marsh at 1-800-626-9063."

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