Join us online from noon until 1 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 12 to enhance your knowledge on what the Uniform Commercial Code does and doesn’t mandate on the liquidation of collateral, the legal issues involved, and what happens if the liquidation isn’t commercially reasonable. Attorneys with basic practice experience who are responsible for the lawfully correct disposition of UCC-style collateral who attend this seminar will better understand: the need to confirm the borrower's default; the secured party’s obligations on debtor’s default; how to take possession of collateral; the debtor’s right to redeem collateral; the procedures for full and partial foreclosure; how and when to give notice of sale; the differences between a public or private sale; knowing when a sale is commercially reasonable; the application of sale proceeds; and the legal effects of a sale.

The Illinois Supreme Court handed down one opinion on Thursday, Aug. 1. In People v. Johnson, the court held that the act of shoplifting could be prosecuted as burglary as opposed to retail theft.  People v. Johnson By Kerry J. Bryson, Office of the State Appellate Defender In July 2014, Darren Johnson and another man entered the Rock Falls Walmart, placing two backpacks on top of a coin counting machine in the vestibule on their way into the store. Inside, they gathered some items of clothing and then, without paying for the clothing, returned to the vestibule, retrieved the backpacks, and loaded the clothing into the backpacks. They repeated this process a second time. A customer called the police, and Johnson was stopped outside of the store. Johnson admitted stealing the clothing, telling the police it was for his daughter.

Law firms often make easy targets for ransomware attacks. The primary reason is that firms are late to the security game. Criminals target firms with ransomware because they have low security, very sensitive data, and will pay to keep it.

In 1857, Abraham Lincoln was the defense attorney for Melissa Goings, who was charged with the murder of her husband, Roswell Goings—a 77-year-old man with a reputation for heavy drinking and spousal abuse. The abuse led to a tragic ending when, according to Melissa, Roswell tried to strangle her and she defended herself by striking him with a piece of firewood. Roswell died of the resulting skull fracture four days later. On the first day of trial, Lincoln conferred with Melissa during a break, but when court resumed, Melissa was nowhere to be found—and was never seen again in Metamora. When asked if he knew anything about her absence, Lincoln allegedly quipped that “she wanted to know where she could get a good drink of water and I told her there was mighty good water in Tennessee!” Don’t miss this full-day seminar from 8:45 a.m. until 4 p.m. Friday, Sept. 6 that examines the Melissa Goings case in the very courthouse where Lincoln was present.