Section Newsletters

Articles From 2008

Help eliminate poverty housing and homelessness in Illinois, and earn pro bono credit to boot By Jim McGrath Corporate Law Departments, January 2008 Most everyone knows about the good work done by Habitat for Humanity, but you may not know that the habitat organizations in Illinois have a need for many legal services, and many of these would be very comfortable for inside corporate attorneys to help with.
Help wanted? Practical advice for landing a job By Robert Fink Young Lawyers Division, December 2008 Some DOs and DONT’s when applying for an associate position with a law firm based.
Highlights of the Probate Guardian ad Litem Training Seminar Presented by the ISBA Bench and Bar Section By Enid Kempe Olsen Elder Law, February 2008 On November 2, 2007 the ISBA Bench and Bar Section presented a Probate Guardian ad Litem Training Seminar at the ISBA Regional Office.
Home is where the court is By Heather M. Fritsch Women and the Law, October 2008 It occurred to me the other day that we, as lawyers, spend a great deal of our time at the courthouse. Well, let me take a step back.
Home is where the court is By Heather M. Fritsch Young Lawyers Division, June 2008 It occurred to me the other day that we, as lawyers, spend a great deal of our time at the courthouse.
Household Bank v. Lewis—The Illinois Supreme Court addresses the foreclosure crisis By Kristine Speck Bench and Bar, August 2008 The mortgage foreclosure rate in Illinois and nationwide has been a topic of concern since the real estate market began declining in 2005.
How does the Illinois Eavesdropping Statute apply in the educational setting? By Eric R. Waltmire Intellectual Property, May 2008 This article addresses how and when the Illinois Eavesdropping statute applies to recordings in the educational setting.
How federal regulations are used to build a punitive damages claim in trucking accident cases By Dawn M. Mefford Tort Law, December 2008 This article examines the requirements for imposing punitive damages on a trucking company and discusses the general burden a plaintiff must meet in order to submit a claim for punitive damages to the jury.
How green is your government? By Mary L. Milano Government Lawyers, September 2008 It arguably began in 2000, with the establishment by then-Governor Ryan of the Green Illinois Government Coordinating Council.
How I use Outlook; Part I By Aaron W. Brooks Legal Technology, Standing Committee on, July 2008 The author has always felt that most people underutilize Microsoft Outlook.
How much will I get paid as a Chicago lawyer taking an out-of-town case? By Pierina J. Infelise Young Lawyers Division, April 2008 Rule 1.5 of the ABA Model Rules on professional responsibility states, “A lawyer’s fees shall be reasonable,” and sets forth several factors to determine whether a lawyer’s fees are in fact reasonable.
How to practice part-time from afar By Patrick E. Ward General Practice, Solo, and Small Firm, December 2008 For several years before I decided to semi-retire, I had a picture of a beautiful, tranquil beach and the inscription below it which read: “Never be so busy making a living that you forget to make a life.”
How to run an ad campaign for your Web site By Peter LaSorsa Legal Technology, Standing Committee on, February 2008 In order to get people to your Web site one of two things must happen; first you must have a Web site that comes up high in a search or you must run a successful online advertising campaign. This article addresses the latter.
How to say ‘no’: A lawyer’s coming-of-age story By Brian Potts Young Lawyers Division, August 2008 Sometimes the most important word to use in a law practice is the most difficult for a new attorney to say.
I hung my shingle: What I’ve learned in two years of solo practice By Peter R. Olson General Practice, Solo, and Small Firm, January 2008 Author Peter Olson shares what has worked and what hasn't during his first years as a sole practitioner.
“I know something you don’t know”—What duty does a creditor’s attorney have when the attorney thinks the debtor is lying to the bankruptcy court? By Lawrence O. Taliana Commercial Banking, Collections, and Bankruptcy, August 2008 Most attorneys know that putting a client on the stand who plans to lie (just like murder or relating the depictions or accounts of a major league baseball game without the express written consent of the commissioner) is a bad thing.
I love my new computer By Todd H. Flaming Legal Technology, Standing Committee on, October 2008 Although I work in a Windows environment, I use a MacBook Air.
The ice person cometh By John F. Fatino International and Immigration Law, March 2008 Increasingly, corporate counsel and other employment practitioners have become concerned about the enforcement activities of both the federal and state governments concerning the hiring of undocumented workers.
The ice person cometh By John F. Fatino Corporate Law Departments, January 2008 Increasingly, corporate counsel and other employment practitioners have become concerned about the enforcement activities of both the federal and state governments concerning the hiring of undocumented workers.
ICE raids and regulations By Eileen Momblanco & Morgan Russell Administrative Law, December 2008 In April 2006, the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (“ICE”) announced a more aggressive immigration enforcement campaign to hold employers more strictly accountable for employing undocumented workers.
If the U.S. detains foreign visitors arriving at the airport, is consular notice required? By Cindy G. Buys & Mark E. Wojcik International and Immigration Law, May 2008 The issue of consular notice is presently before the U.S. Supreme Court in Medellin v. Texas, No. 06-984. 
If you build your own corner office they will come! By Sharon L. Eiseman Women and the Law, March 2008 This article is about a recent interview the author conducted and is intended as a preview of a future roundtable discussion/exploration about women attorneys making the tough career choices—mostly to ‘go it on their own.’
If you do not ask the respondent to pay for the medical provider’s expenses does the medical provider count as a choice? By Richard D. Hannigan Workers’ Compensation Law, June 2008 In Comfort Masters v. The Workers’ Compensation Commission et al. (Onasis Youanis) No. 1—07—1951WC, filed May 20, 2008 by the Appellate Court of Illinois, First District, Workers’ Compensation Commission Division, the five justices unanimously answered in the negative.
Illinois acts to protect biometric information By Michael R. Lied Labor and Employment Law, December 2008 Illinois recently enacted the Biometric Information Privacy Act, Public Act 95-0994.
Illinois Appellate Court affirms Department of Revenue’s treatment of electricity for Investment Tax Credit purposes and limits Uniformity Clause application for credits By David J. Kupiec & Natalie M. Martin State and Local Taxation, February 2008 In Exelon Corporation v. Illinois Department of Revenue and Brian A. Hamer, No. 1-06-3388 (Ill. App.Ct., 1st Jud. Dist) (September 24, 2007), the Illinois Appellate Court affirmed the Circuit Court’s Summary Judgment Order, which affirmed the Illinois Department of Revenue’s (Department’s) Decision denying an electric utility company a Personal Property Tax Replacement Income Tax Investment Credit and denying that the Uniformity Clause of the Illinois Constitution was violated by the Department’s granting of such credit to gas companies and a combined gas and electric utility company.
Illinois Appellate Court declines to broaden employee rights or to narrow the Employment-At-Will Doctrine By Paul E. Freehling Labor and Employment Law, February 2008 Imaginative counsel for employees regularly try to persuade Illinois courts to adopt new rationales for restricting the employment-at-will doctrine.
Illinois Appellate Court rules that restrictive covenant prohibiting real estate sales manager from soliciting former employer’s agents is not unreasonable as a matter of law By Janet V. Siegel Corporate Law Departments, October 2008 In Baird and Warner Residential Sales, Inc. v. Mazzone, No. 1-07-2179, the Illinois Appellate Court, First District reversed the circuit court’s determination that a restrictive covenant between Patricia Mazzone and her former employer, real estate broker Baird & Warner, was unenforceable as a matter of law. 
Illinois Department of Revenue 2008 Practitioners Meeting State and Local Taxation, December 2008 The Illinois Department of Revenue has scheduled its annual Tax Practitioners’ Meetings.
Illinois Department of Revenue proposing numerous new and revised Illinois income tax regulations By David J. Kupiec & Natalie M. Martin State and Local Taxation, September 2008 The Illinois Department of Revenue is in the process of updating existing and drafting new income tax regulations primarily to address recently enacted income tax legislation, Public Acts 95-0233 (SB 1544) and 95-0707 (SB783).
Illinois drilling permits—The upward trend advances By James K. Weston, Sr. Mineral Law, December 2008 An analysis of drilling permit applications in the last few years reflects a flattening of production activity.