Chicago Area

[caption id="attachment_11139" align="alignright" width="300" caption="Appearing on Medical Malpractice – Start to Finish will be (from left): program moderator Samuel A. Kavathas, Karen M. Enright, Hon. Elizabeth Budzinski and Ronald W. Kalish."][/caption] [caption id="attachment_11140" align="alignright" width="300" caption="Appearing on Personal Injury – Start to Finish will be (from left) Hon. Thomas V. Lyons, II, Ronald W. Kalish, Karen M. Enright, and program moderator Samuel A. Kavathas."][/caption] Medical Malpractice - Start to Finish and Personal Injury - Start to Finish, half-hour programs presented by the Illinois State Bar Association, will air on Chicago Access Network Television, Channel 21 in May and June. Medical Malpractice will air on Tuesdays, May 18 and June 1, at 10 p.m. Appearing on the show will be: program moderator Sam Kavathas of Kavathas & Castenes; Karen M.

Marla H. Kanemitsu, Special Counsel in the Chicago office of Kelley Drye & Warren LLP, was selected as a recipient of the 2010 Burton Awards for Legal Achievement recipients. The award honors excellence in legal scholarship and writing. Their article, “Insurance Coverage for Climate Change Suits: The Battle Has Begun,” was published in the Environmental Claims Journal. It analyzed two climate change-related lawsuits: Steadfast Insurance Co. v. The AES Corporation and Native Village of Kivalina, et al. v. ExxonMobil Corp., et al. Ms. Kanemitsu’s practice focuses on insurance recovery, international trade and customs and consumer financial services. Each year, only 30 articles are chosen from entries submitted by the nation’s largest and most prestigious law firms. The Eleventh Anniversary Burton Awards event will be held in the Library of Congress on June 14, 2010. The program is a non-profit academic effort. Guest speakers this year include Supreme Court Justice Ruth Ginsberg; author Bryan Garner; and Jeffrey Toobin a senior analyst for CNN Worldwide and author of The Nine: Inside the Secret World of the Supreme Court. Journalist and political commentator Bill Press will be the master of ceremonies.

[caption id="attachment_11369" align="alignright" width="150" caption="Lawrence A. Wojcik"][/caption] DLA Piper announced today that Lawrence A. Wojcik has received the 7th Circuit Bar Association’s Pro Bono and Public Service Award for his pro bono work in the US District Courts in the State of Illinois. Wojcik was honored at the Association’s Annual Dinner on May 3 at the InterContinental Hotel in Chicago, where Solicitor General of the US, Hon. Elena Kagan and Justice John Paul Stevens were speakers. Last year, Wojcik devoted over 770 hours to pro bono work, leading a team in a major piece of litigation involving prisoners at Tamms Correctional Center, Illinois' "Supermax" prison facility, and several juvenile justice initiatives related to his position on the American Bar Association's Juvenile Justice Committee. “Throughout his 30 year legal career, Larry has made pro bono work an integral part of his legal practice, and has represented pro bono clients on a wide variety of issues, including child support, landlord-tenant, legislative policy reform, juvenile justice and the Illinois correctional system,” said William Rudnick, managing partner of DLA Piper’s Chicago office. “In doing so, he has acted as a mentor and role model to other lawyers at the firm and in the community, and we congratulate him on this well-deserved honor.”

Lauren S. Shapiro has joined the Chicago Office of Robbins Schwartz Nicholas Lifton & Taylor, Ltd., where she will concentrate on labor and employment law.  She counsels employers in all aspects of labor and employment law including hiring, terminations, reductions in force, employee discipline issues, labor relations, policies and practices, employment agreements, settlement agreements, severance matters and federal and state employment discrimination matters. Prior to joining Robbins Schwartz, Lauren served as an Associate General Counsel for the International Union of Operating Engineers, Local 150. Since its founding in 1970, Robbins, Schwartz, Nicholas, Lifton & Taylor Ltd. has provided a full range of legal services to educational institutions, public entities and private sector clients.  With offices in Chicago, Joliet, Decatur and Collinsville, Robbins, Schwartz is uniquely positioned to serve schools, colleges and municipal bodies, as well as clients in the corporate sector throughout Illinois.  For a complete description of the legal services provided by Robbins Schwartz visit the Firm’s website at www.rsnlt.com