Author Index Helen W. Gunnarsson

Bill requiring DNA samples awaits Ryan’s signature

By Helen W. Gunnarsson
July
2002
LawPulse
, Page 338
Prosecutors and criminal defense attorneys alike praise the legislation, which requires everyone convicted of a felony to provide DNA for a statewide database.

Boyd laid down the law on spoliation

By Helen W. Gunnarsson
July
2002
LawPulse
, Page 338
Want to learn the law governing destruction of evidence in Illinois? Start with this 1995 Illinois Supreme Court decision.

Future injuries; the high court charts a new course

By Helen W. Gunnarsson
July
2002
LawPulse
, Page 338
When the Illinois Supreme Court held that plaintiffs can be compensated for the risk of future injury, it departed from precedent and followed the trend.

Perspectives on death-penalty reform

By Helen W. Gunnarsson
July
2002
LawPulse
, Page 338
A prosecutor and criminal defense attorney react to the recommendations of Governor Ryan's Commission on Capital Punishment.

Uncle Sam sidesteps tenancy-by-the-entirety restrictions

By Helen W. Gunnarsson
July
2002
LawPulse
, Page 338
A recent U.S. Supreme Court case holds that tax liens against one spouse attach to property held in tenancy by the entirety by both spouses, putting the IRS in a better position than other creditors.

The high court overturns Illinois grandparents’ visitation statute

By Helen W. Gunnarsson
June
2002
LawPulse
, Page 282
The Illinois Supreme Court rules that the grandparents' visitation law unconstitutionally infringes upon parents' rights.

High-tech filing comes to bankruptcy court…

By Helen W. Gunnarsson
June
2002
LawPulse
, Page 282
Bankruptcy court for Illinois' southern district now requires electronic filing.

New 7CA limits on arbitration agreements

By Helen W. Gunnarsson
June
2002
LawPulse
, Page 282
Employer-employee arbitration agreements that require each party to pay its own attorney fees in civil rights and sexual harassment cases are unenforceable, the seventh circuit rules.

The supreme court does a retake on quick-take

By Helen W. Gunnarsson
June
2002
LawPulse
, Page 282
The Illinois Supreme Court has limited the power of governments to acquire property and transfer it to private owners.

…and to secretary of state’s office

By Helen W. Gunnarsson
June
2002
LawPulse
, Page 282
You can now file articles of incorporation by fax, with more soon to come.

The ABCs of the ADA

By Helen W. Gunnarsson
May
2002
LawPulse
, Page 226
Every lawyer should know something about this far-reaching statute.

Proposed legislation would revamp Illinois child-support enforcement

By Helen W. Gunnarsson
May
2002
LawPulse
, Page 226
HB 5140 would reduce the bureaucratic complexity of child-support enforcement by putting it in state's attorneys' hands.

Rule 213 changes take effect July 1

By Helen W. Gunnarsson
May
2002
LawPulse
, Page 226
Litigators from both the plaintiffs' and defense bar like the amended rule's new three-class system for opinion witnesses: lay, independent expert, and controlled expert.

A sizzling Rice soup for public officials?

By Helen W. Gunnarsson
May
2002
LawPulse
, Page 226
Public bodies violate the Open Meetings Act by acting on items that didn't appear on the agenda, the fourth district ruled recently in Rice v Board of Trustees.

Will “reform” drive lawyers out of bankruptcy practice?

By Helen W. Gunnarsson
May
2002
LawPulse
, Page 226
Proposed requirements of debtors' lawyers in HR 333 could make petitioners' practice more trouble than it's worth.

An even brighter start for college savers

By Helen W. Gunnarsson
April
2002
LawPulse
, Page 168
Beginning last January 1, section 529 college savings plans allow contributions to grow tax-free.

A new law makes tenancy by the entirety easier

By Helen W. Gunnarsson
April
2002
LawPulse
, Page 168
Thanks to recent legislation, lawyers can create this under-appreciated form of ownership for their married clients without expressly stating in the deed that the parties are husband and wife.

No honor in “redskins,” says Native American bar group

By Helen W. Gunnarsson
April
2002
LawPulse
, Page 168
"Redskins" is hate speech and not fit for use as a sports mascot, according to the Illinois Native American Bar Association.

Nonprofit hospitals not “public entities” under the Tort Immunity Act

By Helen W. Gunnarsson
April
2002
LawPulse
, Page 168
According to a recent Illinois Supreme Court ruling, most nonprofit hospitals are not immune from liability under the Tort Immunity Act, and plaintiffs have two years, not one, to bring malpractice suits against them.

Union protection extended to nonunion workers (or “I never promised them a Weingarten”)

By Helen W. Gunnarsson
April
2002
LawPulse
, Page 168
A federal circuit court ruling gives nonunion workers the right to have a coworker present at an employer's investigatory interview.

IRPTA; goodbye and good riddance

By Helen W. Gunnarsson
March
2002
LawPulse
, Page 114
Real estate lawyers applaud the demise of the Illinois Responsible Property Transfer Act, which they say produced useless paperwork and little else.

Making mediation work

By Helen W. Gunnarsson
March
2002
LawPulse
, Page 114
Experienced lawyer-mediators offer tips for getting the most out of this increasingly popular alternative to litigation.

Prenups help couples put their cards on the table

By Helen W. Gunnarsson
March
2002
LawPulse
, Page 114
Even though courts have broad discretion to ignore prenuptial agreements, couples can benefit from the process of creating them, a family practitioner says.

Probate Court Report #1: Protect children of divorce before probate

By Helen W. Gunnarsson
March
2002
LawPulse
, Page 114
Take steps during the divorce to protect ex-spouses/children after their ex-partner/parent's death, or they might get no higher priority in probate court than magazine subscriptions and utility bills.

Probate Court Report #2: Take care with heirship

By Helen W. Gunnarsson
March
2002
LawPulse
, Page 114
Do a little probate work? Then take heed: failing to properly prepare an affidavit of heirship can lead to embarrassment or worse if the will falls through.

All in the Family

By Helen W. Gunnarsson
February
2002
LawPulse
, Page 62
Perhaps your family-owned-business clients can take advantage of this special estate-tax exclusion.

A New, Improved Rule 213?

By Helen W. Gunnarsson
February
2002
LawPulse
, Page 62
Rule 213, introduced a few years ago to solve problems caused by old Rule 220, is causing problems of its own. The Supreme Court Rules Committee has proposed another fix for the rule governing admission of opinion testimony.

New Legislation: Real-Estate Roundup

By Helen W. Gunnarsson
February
2002
LawPulse
, Page 62
Real estate; they're not making any more of it. But that doesn't mean they aren't passing new real-estate-related laws.

Preventive Legal Care for Workplace Violence

By Helen W. Gunnarsson
February
2002
LawPulse
, Page 62
Counsel your employer-clients to address workplace violence before it happens.

Avoiding settlement surprises

By Helen W. Gunnarsson
January
2002
LawPulse
, Page 10
What do you do to keep a settlement from unraveling? And what do you do when it unravels despite your best efforts? Seasoned negotiators offer advice.

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