Illinois bundle (2024)

In this one hour course, attorney Charles “Chuck” Dalziel, will take a deep dive into the current statutes and recent decisions that affect access to various types of court records. We will discuss how the U.S. Constitution and various federal statutes extend to the right to access court records depending on they type of case you are dealing with, including the limitations on using and obtaining juvenile court records. This course will also provide an overview on how to obtain court records and review relevant caselaw in this area.

Have you ever wondered how opposing counsel and experts view the same event? In 2017, a major nor’easter brought accumulating snow to much of the mid-Atlantic and Northeast. As a result of this storm, numerous slip and fall injuries on snow and ice created ongoing litigation. In this CLE course, a plaintiff’s attorney, a defense attorney, and an expert meteorologist will walk you through a hypothetical slip and fall case from their unique perspectives.

First, we will discuss the chronology of meteorological events that created the hazardous situation. Next, a plaintiff’s attorney will present their perspective, with a focus on when and how to retain and use a meteorologist expert. Lastly, the case will be presented from the perspective of the defense attorney, with a similar focus on the role of the meteorologist in slip and fall litigation.

In this program, attorneys will learn how to prevent their firm from being used as a tool for money laundering and how to recognize the risks associated with specific types of transactions. We will take a deep dive into what constitutes money laundering, how to best protect attorney trust accounts, and how lawyers can be guided by the American Bar Association’s (ABA) Good Practices for Lawyers to Detect and Combat Money Laundering.

In this appellate advocacy program, we explore how to prepare and deliver the best appellate oral argument for you, how to be the best advocate you can be, and how to maintain your credibility as an advocate. We address the fundamental appellate advocacy issues involved in appeals. And we focus heavily on principles of advocacy including how to be your authentic self as an advocate and how and why you should not fake it by trying to be someone you are not. We offer useful real world experiences along the way and useful tips and practice pointers so you tread carefully and safely in your appeal.

For the last five years, real estate has been at a premium in the cannabis industry – and so have rental rates. This seminar will review how the market has and has not changed for cannabis tenants and what both landlords and tenants should be concerned with when negotiating their relationship.

This course will provide attorneys with a basic overview of the current state of cannabis market. In this course, attorneys will familiarize themselves with general cannabis terms and definitions, as well as develop an understanding of the basic principles of cannabis and relevant considerations in the process of applying for a cannabis business license. The course will explore the various types of cannabis products, cannabis license types, and the federal cannabis laws on the horizon.

Want to learn about civility and attorney professionalism? Then, this course is right for you! This course will discuss and define attorney civility and discuss discrimination/bias in the context of the Rules of Professional Conduct. We will focus on Rules of Professional Conduct 8.4(d) and 8.4(g), citing real-life case examples of how attorneys have been disciplined for their conduct. Additionally, this course will discuss potential discrimination/bias that can occur in just running a law firm and how to avoid those pitfalls.

Perfectionism in the legal sector has always been a problem due to the crushing time pressures, demanding clients, and rampant poor self-care and substance use disorders plaguing practitioners and legal professionals. This "culture of perfectionism" has encouraged maladaptive coping techniques and led younger lawyers to conceal mistakes, oftentimes to the detriment of both firm and client. This program will explain the phenomenon of perfectionism and provide readily applicable tools to manage its negative impact. It will define perfectionism, the wonder of "adaptive" perfectionism and the dangers of maladaptive perfectionism. This course will also provide strategies for taming your inner perfectionist and explore simple, yet life-changing tools to manage perfectionistic tendencies.

This course examines the ethical and practical issues arising when a client appears to be in a state of diminished capacity, and it provides counsel with methods for detecting an impairment and with focused analysis of the relevant Model Rules of Professional Conduct. The updated terms of Rule 1.14, entitled “Client with Diminished Capacity,” will be explored, with special attention given to the integration of key tenets of the Model Rules governing client communications, confidentiality, conflicts of interest and termination of representation into Rule 1.14.

Drafting a trust can seem overwhelming. This course will help you navigate what kind of trust you will need as part of a Will or Revocable Trust and discuss key provisions that can be included. We will focus on practical drafting advice in order to ensure that attorneys have the tools necessary for success.

This program will help attorneys learn how to effectively prepare themselves and their clients for mediation. Michael Brusca will explain the pros and cons of mediation, how to choose the right mediator, and how to develop your mediation statement to set yourself and your client up for success in mediation.

In this course, attorney Nate Osborn, will provide a detailed overview of the essential aspects of drafting real estate operating agreements. This course will take attorneys through the steps of drafting real estate operating agreements and help them understand the related legal considerations involved. Attorneys should walk away from this course with a practical understanding of how to best advise clients who want to form a real estate LLC.

Employers must comply with a litany of federal, state and local laws which govern virtually every aspect of the employer-employee relationship. Most employers wish to communicate the steps they will take to comply with the law in an employee handbook. This crucial document is responsible for distilling a variety of complex and constantly-changing legal topics into one easy-to-read guidebook for employees, and managers. We introduce a variety of concepts which counsel preparing these critical documents should be aware of, and how handbooks can be used as both a sword and a shield later in litigation. In doing so, we highlight a number of hot topics in the employment law space, including teleworking, medical and adult-use cannabis, and paid sick leave laws.

When lawyers meet clients who need assistance with family members suffering from a mental health impairment, traditional legal responses need to be viewed and approached through an appropriate mental health lens. Lawyers must be aware of what unique tools are available and  how traditional legal resources can be adapted for an individual suffering from a mental illness.

In this course, Megan Stumph-Turner of Baker Sterchi Cowden & Rice LLC, will take attorneys on an exploration of current hot topics and trends in real estate litigation, including antitrust litigation, litigation involving force majeure clauses in the post-pandemic era, and litigation due to construction delays and cost disputes. By the end of this course attorneys will gain an understanding of potential litigation their clients may face and how to better advise them on avoiding these issues.

This course is designed as a basic course for counsel with limited knowledge of franchise law and will introduce the basic legal considerations in franchising, whether you are representing a franchisor or a franchisee. We will cover the legal definition of a franchise and review the federal and state laws governing the franchise relationship. We will also explore where to find information regarding franchise brands, the dangers of becoming an accidental franchise, and some other legal considerations, beyond contract law, to keep in mind when representing the franchisor or the franchisee.

Contracting with the Federal Government is not like a business deal between two companies or a contract between a consumer and a commercial contractor. Thus, advising a Government contractor is not like advising another business client. This course will explore those differences. Among other topics, we will discuss the unique rights that the Government gives itself, what a contractor needs to know to protect itself, and what the risks are for a contractor that does not understand its legal obligations.

This program, taught by Russo & Gould LLP Partner Florina Altshiler, an experienced trial lawyer, will address key concepts in the psychology of jury selection. The course will review the social science behind selecting a jury in civil and criminal matters, helping attorneys learn to identify and eliminate jurors who will be problematic to their theory of the case, while also establishing the rapport necessary to engage them with their narrative of events. The program offers practical guidance on voir dire tactics, including best practices in interviewing jurors, introducing the case during jury selection, and avoiding objections during the selection process. It also addresses how to effectively use peremptory challenges. In addition to strategy, the course also covers the statutes, and procedures that govern jury selection. Finally, the presenter will discuss COVID-19 implications for jury trials, the latest updates to court procedures, and strategy.

This program will address the various ethical and practical concerns that lawyers and law firms may face when a lawyer decides to leave a firm. We will answer questions such as "Who handles communication with clients? Can the lawyer take their clients with them? If yes, what are the rules? Does the law firm have protections against its business interests? What can be disclosed when switching firms?" and many more.

The courtroom may seem like a scary place, but it does not have to be. This course will discuss the evidentiary and admissibility rules that every attorney needs to know and will guide you through what to do during trial so that you have the best chance of getting your evidence admitted into the record. The goal of this course is to untangle the complicated world of evidence and admissibility rules and procedures, so that no matter how inexperienced you may be, you will feel at home in the courtroom.

With legal practice reforms enabling law firms to build their tech stacks, coupled with the accelerating rate of innovation, now more than ever, embracing technology is necessary for litigators to stay afloat in the era of digitalization. This 1-hour long CLE will explore how innovation is the reshaping litigation practice. We will identify the pain points and risks that litigators face and how legal technology solutions can streamline workflows throughout the lifecycle of a civil action.

A trial is really won or lost through the evidence, not through a flashy closing argument. In trial, evidence is presented to the jury through both direct and cross examinations of the witnesses. This course will help you hone the necessary skills to successfully present testimony and exhibits to the jury through direct and cross examinations of fact witnesses at trial.

Culture and religion are at the forefront of the United States’ diverse population. Individuals hold true to their personal religious and cultural belief systems, even during the times of separation and divorce. Oftentimes, these individuals feel marginalized through the legal separation and divorce proceedings because their religious and cultural identities are not recognized. How do we give voice to these cultural and religious identities, so that our clients’ needs, and desires are heard and met in the divorce process? How do we make a legal divorce work for them, when their marriage is not? This program will provide an overview of the mediation process, and how it serves as a tool when approaching gray areas of diversity in religion, tradition, and customs that courts may not address in separation or divorce. These gray areas cover the topics of parenting, family dynamics in assets and debts, custody, and support.

The most confusing, time consuming, stressful, and infrequent transaction your clients will face is purchasing a home. Because of this, most consumers simply check-out and become overly-reliant on the loan officer to protect their interests. Consumers say, “Let the experts handle it. I’m here for the coffee.” This is a mistake. A home loan is a “zero-sum” game for the loan officer – either the loan closes or it doesn’t. There is a commission or there isn’t. As a result, some loan officers stack as many applications into their crowded pipeline as they can…whether their team can handle it or not. Bottom line? Consumers need to protect themselves on the most complex and consequential and scary transaction of their lives.

This course is intended for lawyers who work directly or indirectly with clients involved in a home purchase. There are several key levers that lenders are concerned about. This course will discuss those levers and review strategies attorneys can take to best serve their clients. By the end of this course, attorneys should have a better understanding of how to set a level playing field between a novice home buyer and expert loan officers/lenders.

Humans are hard-wired to connect. We are biologically programmed to need other humans, and a feeling of belonging and connection drives our happiness and well-being. Despite this, many of us will know what it's like to be lonely. Loneliness arises from either a lack of social relationships or a lack of close emotional bonds with those we have relationships with. It can occur because we work from home and don't interact with colleagues often or have the time to pursue social connection, we live alone and rarely see others, or it may be that we just don't have the quality of connection in our everyday lives, we don't have people we feel close to or share values with. Connection exists between people when they feel seen, heard and valued, when they can give and receive without judgment and when they derive sustenance and strength from that relationship.

Although increased use of technology has brought people virtually closer, it has reduced the opportunities for face-to-face communication and instilled a sense of psychological loneliness. No screen interaction can ever equal the connections made in real time and space. While it is normal to occasionally feel lonely, long-term loneliness is associated with an increased risk of certain mental health problems, including depression, anxiety and increased stress. During this program, we will consider the risk factors for loneliness, what loneliness looks like in the legal landscape, what legal employers and individuals can do to combat loneliness, and how to build a culture of connection and community.

Judges are granting more motions to dismiss—and getting past the starting gate is tougher than it was in past decades. Making matters worse, by the time you respond, the judge has already heard the defendant’s side of the story and may feel ready to dismiss your case. How can you make a comeback and ensure your case proceeds to discovery? Join professional brief writer Jonathan Hilton as he shares ten tips you can put into practice right away in opposing these common motions.

Do you have an interest in working with funds and/or investment advisors? Are you vaguely familiar with certain exemptions in the Investment Company Act of 1940 and Investment Advisers Act of 1940, but are unsure of the undertakings necessary when there is not an exemption?  This course will lay the foundation for both of the 1940 Acts, and will outline the components of each, including all of the exemptions (not just Section 3(c)(1) and Section 3(c)(7)).

This course will help you learn to effectively manage difficult defense attorneys. Seasoned trial attorney Mike Brusca uses lessons learned from years of practice, basic child psychology, and solid communication principles to help you create natural consequences and strategies to navigate difficult interactions at all stages of litigation and depositions.

This course will provide attorneys with an in-depth overview of what comprises sports law. We will discuss the key aspects of case law in sports law and define various industry dynamics required to understand the space. Finally, this course will review how sports law can be added into an existing law practice.

Americans owe more than $1.75 trillion in student loan debt. The Supreme Court struck down the Biden Administration’s student loan relief plan on June 30, 2023. With repayments set to resume in a few short months, millions of student loan borrowers will be seeking legal advice about their options.This course will cover trending topics in student debt relief including the Biden Administration’s new actions to provide debt relief for student loan borrowers. Designed for consumer and debt relief attorneys, the program will explore repayment options, loan forgiveness programs and new guidelines on the discharge of student loan debt in bankruptcy.

Looking to represent clients in the Cannabis Industry? This course will give participant a basic understanding of the most important issues facing cannabis businesses today, including the current interplay between state and federal law, permitting processes, real estate considerations and cannabis, corporate entity formation, taxation, buying and selling of cannabis businesses, residency requirements and the dormant commerce clause, bankruptcy and receivership laws, nuisance and RICO actions, and employment law and cannabis.

Attorney Wellness has become a popular topic and one which is moving into the mainstream when practicing law. No longer a sign of weakness, addressing and adopting wellness strategies in your life can be an attribute that improves your practice and your life. In this 1 hour course, Jackie Cara, a practicing attorney and long time member of the NYS and Nassau County Lawyer Assistance Committees shares insight into why “wellness” is important now, why it’s becoming a professional imperative, and how to spot a problem with yourself or a fellow practitioner.

This program will provide a general overview of Private Credit for attorneys who hope to gain a better understanding of this popular asset class. Attorney Gabriel Yomi Dabiri, Co-Leader of Polsinelli's Private Debt and Cross Border Finance team, will take a deep dive into the recent rise of Private Credit, what characteristics differentiate Private Credit, and the state of the Private Credit market. This program will also discuss the chronology of Private Credit deals and attempt to forecast the future of the Private Credit market.