2004 Articles

What Every Lawyer Needs to Know About the Illinois Limited Liability Company Act

By Charles W. Murdock
August
2004
Article
, Page 420
A review of the Act by one of its drafters with a focus on provisions with which all lawyers should be familiar.

What limits on lawyer–notaries?

By Helen W. Gunnarsson
November
2004
LawPulse
, Page 562
Can lawyers notarize their clients' signatures on wills, POAs and the like? Some say "no," most say "yes."

What Series LLCs Can Do for You

By Lin Hanson
December
2004
Column
, Page 648
They can spread risk at lower cost in money and hassle.

What Till v SCS Credit Corp Means for Your Chapter 13 Clients

By James J. Haller
September
2004
Article
, Page 478
Till lowers the interest rate most Chapter 13 debtors pay to secured creditors. Here's post-Till guide to calculating rates.

What Weblogs Can Do for You

By T. Evan Schaeffer
May
2004
Column
, Page 269
Don't know about the great legal Weblogs out there? Don't know what a Weblog is? It's time you learned. You might decide to be a blogger yourself one day.

When Are Supervisors Personally Liable for Employment Law Violations?

By Jane M. McFetridge & Grace Hwang Lee
December
2004
Article
, Page 628
Can employees recover from a misbehaving supervisor in addition to the company? Sometimes yes, sometimes no.

When Can A Disabled Surviving Spouse Renounce a Will?

By Thomas A. Pasquesi
June
2004
Article
, Page 310
This article reviews the murky law of will renunciation by mentally incompetent surviving spouses.

When Can Landlords Refuse Tenant Requests to Sublease?

By Brian K. Kozminski
June
2004
Article
, Page 315
A look at a landlord's obligation to be "reasonable" when a tenant wants to sublet.

When Can You Retain Client Files for Failure to Pay Fees?

By Patrick Sean Ginty
February
2004
Article
, Page 97
While retaining liens can be effective, you should understand their scope and effect before you use them.

When DCFS Knocks: Representing a Client Accused of Child Abuse or Neglect

By David N. Schaffer
January
2004
Article
, Page 26
How to review the DCFS investigative file, appeal an indicated finding, conduct discovery, and prepare for the administrative review hearing.

When is “special service” good enough?

By Helen W. Gunnarsson
October
2004
LawPulse
, Page 508
How hard must you try to accomplish personal service before you can resort to service by publication? A recent first district case tackles the question.

When “one appellate court” disagrees with itself

By Helen W. Gunnarsson
December
2004
LawPulse
, Page 614
When appellate district panels disagree, which decision controls? The answer is far from certain.

Where obligor experiences a reduction in income as the result of a bad faith change in employment, the court will find no substantial change in circumstances justifying a reduction in child support

June
2004
Illinois Law Update
, Page 292
On March 4, 2004, the Fourth District Appellate Court affirmed the judgment of the Circuit Court of Champaign County, denying a father's petition to modify child support. 

Where the source of a state employee’s breached duty is his or her status as a professional, rather than his or her employment by the state, sovereign immunity will not attach.

June
2004
Illinois Law Update
, Page 292
On March 18, 2004, the Illinois Supreme Court affirmed the judgment of the appellate court, which reversed the trial court's grant of summary judgment to the defendants on the basis of sovereign immunity. 

Whistleblower cases: high-risk, high-return

By Helen W. Gunnarsson
March
2004
LawPulse
, Page 118
Whistleblower cases can be personally and financially rewarding, but know what you're getting into.

Will Blakely create sentencing chaos?

By Helen W. Gunnarsson
October
2004
LawPulse
, Page 508
Federal and many state courts are holding off on sentencing hearings in the wake of Blakely, but the case will have limited impact on Illinois state courts. Find out why.

You, too, can be title insurance agent

By Helen W. Gunnarsson
August
2004
LawPulse
, Page 390
Have – or hope to have – an active residential real estate practice? If you're not a title agent already, becoming one might well boost your bottom line.