The elder boom: Are you ready?By Daniel M. MooreElder Law, March 2004The python is about to have another case of indigestion. The front end of the Boomer generation, likened by some to a pig in a long, extended python of flat birth rates, is about to enter its 'elderly' phase.
Electronic case filing in the Central District of IllinoisBy Michael P. McCuskeyCivil Practice and Procedure, October 2004The U.S. District Court for the Central District of Illinois implemented its new automated Case Management/Electronic Case Filing system (CM/ECF) on September 1, 2004.
Employee benefits tax update: Pension plan underfunding issuesBy Thomas VasiljevichFederal Taxation, June 2004Declining plan asset values caused by negative market returns, low interest rates and poor economic conditions have all contributed to the current defined benefit pension plan "crisis."
Employee terminationBy SueAnn Sage BillimackBusiness Advice and Financial Planning, October 2004Business lawyers are frequently called upon to advise their clients with respect to employment terminations.
Employer blows filing deadlineBy Michael R. LiedLabor and Employment Law, November 2004Ferrari v. Illinois Department of Human Rights, _____ Ill. App. 3d ____, 815 N.E.2d 417, 287 Ill. Dec. 14 (4th Dist. 2004), is a cautionary case for employers-miss filing deadlines at your peril.
Enforceable settlement or unenforceable penalty?By Champ W. Davis, Jr.Alternative Dispute Resolution, December 2004The rule that a liquidated damage provision is unenforceable if it is a "penalty" has been applied to settlement agreements in which one party has granted a "discount" to the other if the terms of the settlement are met in a timely fashion.
Envirodyne case summaryBy John B. TruskowskiState and Local Taxation, February 2004In a rare decision by a federal appellate court involving Illinois taxes, the Seventh Circuit ruled that two subsidiaries of a holding company were not part of a unitary business group.
Environmental insurance successBy Raymond T. ReottEnvironmental and Natural Resources Law, January 2004Experienced practitioners representing industrial entities know that the comprehensive general liability ("CGL") insurance policies purchased by those entities often can be used to provide coverage for various types of environmental claims.
An essay on marriage and civil unionsBy Dennis A. RendlemanHuman and Civil Rights, February 2004Consider, if you will, the latest social wedge-issue being used to divide Americans: the shibboleth "Gay Marriage."
Estate and gift tax changes for 2004By Mike DroneAgricultural Law, April 2004Several changes in the estate and gift tax law go into effect in 2004.
Estate and gift tax updateBy Sarah Delano PavlikFederal Taxation, December 2004Two significant opinions have been released regarding family limited partnerships and Section 2036 of the Internal Revenue Code, one by the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals and one by the Third Circuit Court of Appeals
Estate and gift tax updateBy Edward J. Schoen, Jr.Federal Taxation, June 2004In TAM 200341002, a father created an irrevocable trust and appointed one of his children as trustee.
Estate and gift tax updateBy Sarah Delano PavlikFederal Taxation, May 20041. 2004 Numbers. As of January 1, 2004, the federal and Illinois estate tax exemption amount is $1.5 million, and the unified credit amount is $555,800.
Estate and gift tax updateBy Kelli E. MadiganFederal Taxation, February 2004Decedent's estate was entitled to an estate tax charitable deduction under §2055(a) equal to the present value of the remainder interest in two trusts reformed under local law pursuant to Reg. §20.2055-2(e)(2).
Ethics reform a top priority in 2003 fall veto sessionBy James W. ChipmanAdministrative Law, February 2004After months of intense negotiations, the Illinois General Assembly passed an ethics package that included all of the components Gov. Blagojevich outlined in his amendatory veto of the original legislation last summer.
Exchange tax dollars for investment dollarsBy Hugh E. PollardState and Local Taxation, September 2004Would you like to show your clients how to increase their wealth using tax-deferred dollars?
Expansion of the Transfer TaxBy Dana M. NaumanReal Estate Law, March 2004The Illinois Real Estate Transfer Tax has been amended by Public Act 93-0657, which now imposes the tax when a controlling interest in a real estate entity is transferred.
Expedited child support programBy Yehuda LebovitsAdministrative Law, April 2004The Illinois Supreme Court created the Expedited Child Support Program in 1992 when it approved the Plan submitted by the Chief Judge of the Circuit Court pursuant to Supreme Court Rule 100.1. Hearings on cases began in June of 1993.
Family Limited Partnerships: Yes!… No!… Well, maybe!By Robert WeberTrusts and Estates, December 2004After the Courts came in with their decisions in the Strangi case, and the Hackl case, the IRS rubbed their hands in glee, and estate planners went out looking for black clothes and sack cloth to mourn the end of the Family Limited Partnership method to try to preserve estate assets.