Chicago's Legal Latte

After 16 years of litigating business disputes, attorney Brian Massimino has seen many of the same mistakes repeated time and again. Companies small and large (surprisingly even those with in-house counsel) often find themselves committing these errors. Some of these errors have the potential to be very costly. With a little forethought and diligence, you can avoid these errors and have a real impact on your company’s bottom line. In this podcast, Mr. Massimino explains areas of concern and which common habits to avoid.

When couples divorce, a home mortgage is often caught in the flux of divorce proceedings. Should the parties sell the house, or can one party buy out the other? In this podcast, senior mortgage broker, Mayra Rubio, provides answers from a financing perspective. She will address loans, equity, titles, and what happens if one party cannot qualify for financing on their own.

Lavelle Law attorney Joe Vito explains the pitfalls of compiling and submitting a nominating petition for municipal elections.

Businesses beware! On January 25, 2019, the Illinois Supreme Court issued a unanimous opinion resolving a contested interpretation of the state’s Biometric Information Privacy Act. In short, the high Court ruled in Rosenbach v. Six Flags Entm't Corp., that to state a claim under the Act, a plaintiff need not allege actual harm. In this podcast, attorney Brian Massimino explains why this decision has opened the floodgates for more litigation in this area.

In this podcast, actuary Neil Shore joins attorney David O’Leary. Mr. O’Leary is a tax and benefits partner at Lavelle Law. Mr. Shore is an actuary and partner at Shore Tompkins Actuarial Resources, LLC. They discuss the new qualified business income (QBI) deduction for business owners and the use of a cash balance plan as a strategy to maximize the owner’s QBI deduction.

In this podcast, family law attorney Patti Levinson discusses ways to prepare your family for the holidays after a divorce. She discusses how to minimize chaos, communicate with the other parent, keep some traditions and make some new ones, and plan something for yourself when the children are not with you. Remember, it is all about the children.

Family based petitions are some of the more common visa applications for those seeking to immigrate to the United States. This podcast, with attorney Haney Noureldin, provides an overview of the applications and procedures that are necessary to provide loved ones with proper immigration status here in the United States.

Deciding and choosing who will manage your assets in the event of your death or disability is one of the most important decisions you can make when creating or revising your estate plan. We call this person the “Trustee” under a Living Trust, and the “Executor” under a Will. As I always say to my clients, it is an obligation, not an honor, to be someone’s Trustee/Executor. The role often requires lots of time, effort, and true work to efficiently and effectively manage someone else’s assets for the benefit of the intended beneficiaries. This becomes especially complex if there are beneficiaries with special needs issues, ongoing trusts for dependent children, tax-haven strategies, business interests, rental properties, or other complicating factors. In this podcast, attorney Ryan Gardner explains some of the factors to consider when selecting your Trustee and Executor.

In this podcast, attorney Michael Roth discusses the various legal issues impacting children with special needs.

Title insurance protects homebuyers and lenders from past mistakes in the transfer of real property. Although the chance of a seller not having free and clear ownership of the property is quite low, it is important that every new homeowner obtain a title insurance policy. In this podcast, real estate attorney Chance Badertscher answers frequently asked questions about tile insurance.