Chicago Area

Join us in Chicago on May 8th for this unique opportunity to learn directly from federal judges and mediators on all aspects of settlement! Learn the tips of the trade as several panels of federal judges, retired federal judges, and mediators share everything you need to know about settlement in the federal courts. Attorneys with all level of experience practicing in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois and the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals who attend this seminar will gain a better understanding of: meeting the judges’ expectations for pre-settlement preparations; preparing your client for settlement; how to conduct the settlement conference, including conference procedures and techniques to help both parties come to a settlement agreement; how to handle settlement compliance issues and the court’s ability to enforce the settlement agreements; and the Seventh Circuit’s settlement program procedures.

The program is presented by the ISBA Federal Civil Practice Section and qualifies for 4.0 hours MCLE credit, including 4.0 hours Professional Responsibility MCLE credit (subject to approval).

Click here for more information and to register.

The Illinois Supreme Court and Justice Mary Jane Theis announced Tuesday the appointment of attorneys Andrea M. Buford and Pamela McLean Meyerson as Cook County Circuit Judges.

Ms. Buford was appointed by the Court to fill the at-large vacancy created by the retirement of Pamela E. H. Veal. The appointment is effective May 17, 2013 and will terminate December 1, 2014, when the position is filled by the 2014 General Election.

Attorney Robert Howard was called one of “the lawyers who reformed Chicago.”

Mr. Howard used the law to fight police spying, help desegregate schools, and empower African-American police officers. He also campaigned for the election of two African-American “firsts”: Chicago Mayor Harold Washington and President Barack Obama.

Political consultant Don Rose included Mr. Howard among the “The Lawyers Who Reformed Chicago” in a 2011 analysis he wrote for www.theweekbehind.com. Mr. Howard and two other attorneys filed suit around 1974 to investigate illegal police spying in what became known as the “Red Squad” case.

During the late 1960s and early 1970s, opposition to the Vietnam War — and the push for civil rights and other causes — created a cultural upheaval. Some Chicago Police officers infiltrated groups that were deemed subversive, but often were composed of social-justice activists or organizations unfriendly to Mayor Richard J. Daley. The police intelligence squad — known as the Red Squad — amassed thousands of files on people and associations. Sometimes, the squad used rumors to try to destabilize so-called anti-establishment groups. Surveillance targets included author Studs Terkel; Aldermen Leon Despres and Dick Simpson; Dr. Quentin Young, the head of medicine at Cook County Hospital; Chicago Defender Publisher John Sengstacke; Clergy and Laity Concerned; the Ethical Humanist Society of Chicago; the Organization for a Better Austin, and Operation PUSH.

The Chicago law firm of Arnstein & Lehr LLP is proud to announce it is strengthening its Environmental and Litigation Practices by hiring Matthew E. Cohn and Megan Pike.

Matthew has litigated disputes and counseled clients on a wide spectrum of environmental issues including permitting under the Clean Air Act and Clean Water Act, the investigation, cleanup, and allocation of liability on contaminated properties, and due diligence for real estate and corporate transactions. Prior to the practice of law, Matthew was a hydrogeologist at a global environmental engineering and consulting firm. Clients have found his scientific experience useful in solving their environmental problems. Matthew also serves on the plan commission of the Village of Buffalo Grove, and with his municipal experience, he has counseled clients with development projects.

Matthew previously practiced law at Meckler Bulger Tilson Marick & Pearson LLP where he focused on traditional environmental law and insurance coverage disputes arising from environmental concerns. He is the current chair of the Illinois State Bar Associations’ Environmental Law Section Council. He earned his J.D. from IIT Chicago Kent College of Law in 2000, graduating with honors, and B.S. and M.S. degrees in geology from Bucknell University and Indiana University, respectively.