Justice Jesse G. Reyes is Running for the Illinois Supreme Court

Justice Jesse G. Reyes of the Illinois Appellate Court (1st District) is running for the Illinois Supreme Court 2024 bench!

Justice Reyes gave an enthralling presentation at our program, Preserving the Trial Record for Appeal in Illinois Civil Cases. Justice Reyes has been overwhelmingly praised for his extraordinary insight into the legal system. He has been a pillar of the community and a member of the judiciary since 1997, serving both as an associate and elected judge of the Circuit Court of Cook County. In 2012, Justice Reyes became the first Latino to be elected to the Illinois Appellate Court.

Raised in humble beginnings in Chicago’s Pilsen and Bridgeport neighborhoods, Justice Reyes aspired to be a lawyer for as long as he could remember. Justice Reyes’s intellect and ambition are bolstered by his voracious appetite for reading books and sharing stories with his vast associations.

Justice Reyes is a recipient of several awards for distinguished service to the bench and bar including the Justice John Paul Stevens Award by the Chicago Bar Association, the Charles E. Freeman Judicial Merit Award by the Decalogue Society of Lawyers, and the Vanguard Award by the Hispanic Lawyers Association of Illinois.

The primary election will occur on March 19, 2024. Go vote! There is no one more qualified and dedicated to public service than Justice Jesse G. Reyes!

Nadine Wichern is Running for Circuit Judge of Cook County Chicago

One of our favorite speakers, NADINE WICHERN, is running for judge for the Circuit Court of Cook County! We highly recommend Nadine for the judgeship!

Nadine has frequently spoken at our programs, enlightening audiences about appellate litigation. These programs include Preserving the Trial Record for Appeal in Illinois Civil Cases, Persuasive Appellate Brief Writing, and our Appellate Practice Boot Camp.

Nadine has been lauded as an exceptional speaker and attorney, with a wealth of knowledge. She has an innate ability to connect with the audience at teach attorneys what they need to know about the subject matter in an understandable, clear and concise manner.

For more than two decades, Nadine has lived in Chicago and has built a prominent career in law dedicated entirely to public service. Nadine was selected for a prestigious clerkship on the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals and a fellowship before the United States Supreme Court. She has also litigated scores of appeals while serving as Chief of the Civil Appeals Division in the Illinois Attorney General’s Office and the City of Chicago’s Department of Law.

Primary elections are on March 19, 2024. Support Nadine at the polls and VOTE!

Important! California Adopts New Rule for Initial Disclosures in Discovery

This month’s Litigation Tip comes directly from one of our favorite boutique litigation firms in San Francisco: Lewis + Llewellyn.

Founding Partners Marc Lewis and Paul Llewellyn spoke at our litigation related seminars many years ago, and we frequently have attorneys from the firm speak at our annual Superior Court and Federal Court Boot Camps as well as our Depo training programs, including Evangeline Burbidge, Ryan Erickson and Becca Furman.

California Adopts New Rule for Initial Disclosures in Discovery

On September 30, 2023, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed Senate Bill No. 235 (SB235) into law, which amends California Code of Civil Procedure section 2016.090.  It institutes a new procedure for initial disclosures of information and documents.  Beginning on January 1, 2024, parties will be required to make initial witness and document disclosures within 60 days of another party’s request.  Failure to comply or act in good faith with the new law will result in a court-imposed sanction of $1,000.

The initial disclosures shall include:

“The names, addresses, telephone numbers, and email addresses of all persons likely to have discoverable information … that the disclosing party may use to support its claims or defenses, or that is relevant to the subject matter of the action or the order on any motion made in that action.”

“A copy, or a description by category and location, of all documents” and

Any insurance policies that may be used “to satisfy, in whole or in part, a judgment entered in the action or to indemnify or reimburse for payments made to satisfy the judgment.”

The new law also clarifies that “a party is not excused from its initial disclosures because it has not fully investigated the case, because it challenges the sufficiency of another party’s disclosures, or because another party has not made it’s disclosures.”  The rule will remain in effect until January 1, 2027.

These changes have the potential to streamline fact investigations and reduce the amount of written discovery exchanged between parties.  The new timeline will also require counsel to evaluate their position and case strategy much earlier to ensure all relevant information is captured in the initial disclosure.  Counsel would be well-advised to familiarize themselves with the new rule, which may catch opposing counsel off guard.

 

Thank you to everyone at Lewis + Llewellyn for allowing us to re-publish your Litigation Tip of the Month and most especially for speaking at our litigation seminars year after year!

 

John Mullan is our Latest Featured Speaker!

John Mullan is our latest featured speaker!

John will present at our upcoming 2nd Annual Employment Law Year in Review, a two-part webinar held on January 16 and January 18, 2024.

John joined Rudy Exelrod Zieff & Lowe in 2002, and currently leads the class action practice group. He has a deep knowledge of state and federal employment laws, which protect workers from employers who do not provide proper compensation. John has successfully recovered tens of millions of dollars in unpaid wages for his clients from some of the largest employers in California. These class action lawsuits include allegations of unpaid wages, unpaid overtime wages, violations of meal and rest breaks, and gender discrimination. John frequently co-counsels large class action cases with other firms.

John is also an experienced litigator, representing individuals with employment law claims such as wrongful termination, harassment, discrimination, and whistleblower retaliation.  He represents many high profile clients, such as Tinder founder Whitney Wolfe in her sexual harassment lawsuit against the company.

John has been named a Northern California Super Lawyer since 2013, and was previously recognized as a “Rising Star for Northern California” by Super Lawyers. He is a graduate of the UC Berkeley School of Law, where he served as an executive editor of the Berkeley Journal of Employment and Labor Law.

We have had many partners from Rudy Exelrod Zieff & Lowe speak over the years – all to rave reviews – and John comes highly recommended by several of them.

Thank you for sharing your expertise with us, John! We’re looking forward to your presentation on employment law.

Kathryn B. Fox is our Latest Featured Speaker!

Kathryn B. Fox is senior counsel at Buchalter. She is a member of the firm’s Labor & Employment practice group and Vice-Chair of the Franchise Law industry group in the firm’s San Diego office.

Don’t miss Kathryn’s upcoming talk at our 2nd Annual Employment Law Year in Review, a two-part webinar on January 16 and 18 that entails a comprehensive discussion on California and federal employment law in 2023.

Ms. Fox advises employers on litigation avoidance and provides counseling on workplace law matters.  She has experience representing clients in single-plaintiff cases involving allegations of discrimination, harassment, retaliation, wrongful termination, and wage and hour issues. She also routinely advises and represents clients in class action and representative PAGA cases involving wage-and-hour allegations, including failure to pay regular and overtime wages, meal period and rest break violations, misclassification issues, piece-rate pay agreements, and reimbursement claims. Her representation of clients includes defending actions in state and federal court, in arbitrations, before the EEOC, DFEH, DLSE and EDD, and in mediation. Ms. Fox also provides trainings to clients on workplace privacy issues, preventing workplace harassment, and best practices for complying with California wage and hour laws.

Ms. Fox has been named a 2021-2023 “One to Watch” by Best Lawyers for her work in Labor and Employment Law: Management. Ms. Fox was also recognized as a 2021 “Rising Star” by Super Lawyers Magazine.

Just a coupler of highlights from Ms. Fox’s work include:

Successfully obtained a full dismissal of all claims against a large biotech company after filing demurrers and minimal discovery.

Obtained summary judgment for three defendants (two companies and the plaintiff’s manager) in a case involving allegations of age discrimination, wrongful termination, intentional infliction of emotional distress and breach of implied contract.

Thank you for sharing your expertise with us, Kathryn!

 

Tony J. Oncidi is our Latest Featured Speaker!

Tony J. Oncidi is our latest featured speaker!

Catch Tony’s upcoming talk at our 2nd Annual Employment Law Year in Review, a two-part webinar on a comprehensive discussion on California and Federal employment law for 2023. You don’t want to miss this!

Tony gave an enlightening, informative presentation at last year’s Employment Law Year in Review which is available for download here.

Tony is a partner at Proskauer Rose LLP and heads the West Coast Labor & Employment group in the firm’s Los Angeles office.

Tony represents employers and management in all aspects of labor relations and employment law, including litigation and preventive counseling, wage and hour matters, including class actions, wrongful termination, employee discipline, Title VII and the California Fair Employment and Housing Act, executive employment contract disputes, sexual harassment training and investigations, workplace violence, drug testing and privacy issues, Sarbanes-Oxley claims and employee raiding and trade secret protection. A substantial portion of Tony’s practice involves the defense of employers in large class actions, employment discrimination, harassment and wrongful termination litigation in state and federal court as well as arbitration proceedings, including FINRA matters.

Tony is recognized as a leading lawyer by such highly respected publications and organizations as the Los Angeles Daily JournalThe Hollywood Reporter, and Chambers USA, which gives him the highest possible rating (“Band 1”) for Labor & Employment.  According to Chambers USA, clients say Tony is “brilliant at what he does… He is even keeled, has a high emotional IQ, is a great legal writer and orator, and never gives up.” Other clients report:  “Tony has an outstanding reputation” and he is “smart, cost effective and appropriately aggressive.” Tony is hailed as “outstanding,” particularly for his “ability to merge top-shelf lawyerly advice with pragmatic business acumen.” He is highly respected in the industry, with other commentators lauding him as a “phenomenal strategist” and “one of the top employment litigators in the country.”

We’re looking forward to hearing you present, Tony!

Rich Matthews is our Latest Featured Speaker!

Our latest featured speaker is Rich Matthews from Jurology!

Rich is a popular and knowledgeable speaker on jury issues. Rich repeatedly presents at our jury selection programs such as our two-part  Art of Jury Selection California program from July 12, 2022-July 14, 2022.

Rich will speak at our upcoming Mastering Jury Selection and Winning Jury Trials: The Right Story for the Right Panel, a two-part webinar on December 12, 2023 and December 14, 2023.

For more than 20 years, Rich has been an attorney, trial consultant, and “mythbuster” for a lot of the widespread but often incorrect beliefs about jurors and jury selection. Rich combines research with psychology with artistic craft to create the best frames and themes for your case . . . and get the best results from jurors or in settlement.

His expertise includes separating jury issues from the legal issues; crafting the themes and frames that will shape juror perception of a case; writing openings and closings like a human actually speaks to other humans and in a story format that will bring your audience to your case (rather than the reverse); witness preparation; and all things related to jury selection from juror questionnaires and voir dire questions to exercising cause and peremptory challenges.

Rich has innovated the use of focus group results at mediations and in negotiations to achieve better settlements in a shorter time than clients had experienced without them.

Rich has appeared on national television and in major publications offering commentary on high profile trials. He serves on the California Bar’s Litigation Section’s committee for comment on proposed revisions to California’s standard jury instructions, lending his juror expertise to improving the understandability and clarity of jury instructions.

Rich works nationwide and is located in San Francisco and received his J.D. from the University of Oregon School of Law.

Megan E. Thibert-Ind is our Latest Featured Speaker

Our latest featured speaker is Megan E. Thibert-Ind from Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, LLP!

Megan is a frequent speaker at our Illinois circuit court boot camp programs, most recently at our 12th Annual Illinois Circuit Court Boot Camp in December 2022.

Because of her in-depth knowledge and insight on civil litigation, Megan will be speaking at our upcoming 13th Annual Circuit Court Boot Camp program, which will be held in-person with a live streaming format in Chicago on December 8, 2024.

Megan Thibert-Ind is a health care and civil litigation partner in Manatt, Phelps & Phillips’s Chicago office. She has extensive experience representing businesses across Manatt’s industry sectors, including a focus on health care stakeholders—such as hospital systems and academic medical centers, ambulatory surgery and urgent care centers, pharmacy services providers, and life sciences companies—as they navigate a variety of complex business controversies, contractual and regulatory disputes, and post-acquisition challenges.

Megan also advises pharmaceutical companies on 340B Drug Pricing Program reimbursement and indemnification claims and provides guidance to life sciences companies facing product liability exposure.

Megan represents clients in litigation pending in state and federal courts nationwide and has handled numerous matters before the American Arbitration Association and other alternative dispute resolution tribunals. Additionally, she regularly navigates complex expert witness issues, including financial analysis, lost profits and damages, and causation and other liability issues.

Alongside her litigation work, Megan is noted for her service as an active member of the Chicago community and is dedicated to providing pro bono services across a range of subject matters. She has represented undocumented immigrants; victims of gender-based hate crimes, domestic violence and employment discrimination; not-for-profit arts organizations; and parents wrongfully indicated for abuse. She also serves on the board of directors of Legal Aid Chicago, the largest nonprofit civil legal services provider in Cook County.

Thank you for joining us again, Megan!  We appreciate you coming back.

 

CA Certificate Legal Specialist Exam Prep Tips for Appellate Law

We just held our Four-Part Exam Prep course for the Certified Legal Specialist Exam in Appellate Law. We have several other recorded packages for past exam prep programs in different subject areas available for purchase here (immigration, tax, Criminal and Workers Comp) as well.

Below is a list for how to prepare and study for the exam in Appellate Law, discussed at our Four Part Exam Prep course for the Certified Legal Specialist Exam in Appellate Law by Judith Posner of Benedon & Serlin LLP and Athena Roussos, C. Athena Roussos Appellate Law (and former grader of the exams).

You can also find our Free Exam Prep download here, which has about four hours of advice on how to prepare and take the exam, from prior programs in multiple subject areas.

 

With the exception of the discussions directly related to appellate law, the tips are universally applicable to all exam subject areas.  Below are some great tips!

The PURPOSE of the exam is to test your proficiency in the area of Appellate Law

  • Areas that should be well known to practitioners who specialize in Appellate Law
  • Not designed to test obscure areas

Multi-Choice Questions

  • Multi-choice questions test applicants’ knowledge of specific areas in a broad range of subjects
  • Typically involve a clear and definite answer; usually do not involve “pick the best choice”
  • Questions in past have had 4 possible choices
  • Difficulty level of the questions is varied
  • Usually, the facts in the question are pertinent (not thrown in to distract)
  • A “yes” or “no” question will usually have two “yes” and two “no” choices with different reasons given
    e., “Yes, because
    ” or “No, because
    __.”
  • Expect at least some procedural questions based on the Cal. Rules of Court, i.e., some questions have a distinct answer based on the rules of court, such as number of days given for filing a certain document.

Essay Questions

  • Essay questions are short and designed to be answered within 30 minutes – make sure to save enough time for both essays in each hour writing block
  • Essay questions include more “should” type questions (i.e., what should the attorney do in this situation?), and there may be a number of possibilities to consider rather than one correct answer
  • Focus is on issue spotting and analytical skills / application of law to facts
  • Sometimes will involve more than one subject area, such as ethics/professional responsibility and briefing
  • Answer is not always clear or definite – there may be arguable sides or a number of options to discuss
  • Facts are usually pertinent and not designed to trick you; explain the relevance (or non-relevance) of the facts in your answer
  • Helpful to outline essay questions in advance of writing to pick up on facts in question and cover areas raised by question; consider ethics and client counseling issues in addition to procedural aspects of question. Go back to your outline when you are done to make sure you wrote about everything in your outline
  • If applicable in a question, make sure to consider preliminary issues, such as the standard of review and presumptions on an appeal

Subject areas

  • See the Appellate Law 2023 Exam Subject Areas (in Pincus Handbook and available online at the bar’s website here)
  • Exam is almost entirely based on California state appellate court practice but does include USSC (petitions for certiorari)

Checklist of considerations

  1. Who is my client and what are my ethical obligations?
  2. What kind of order/judgment is at issue, and is it appealable?
  3. Is there a need for a stay or immediate relief? If so, how is it obtained?
  4. Is the record complete, and, if not, how do I ensure it becomes complete?
  5. What standard(s) of review apply, and how do they impact the likelihood of success on appeal?
  6. Were the issues properly preserved in the trial court to obtain appellate review?
  7. What are the technical briefing rules and requirements?
  8. Will there be oral argument? If so, are there new authorities to bring to the court’s attention? Is there a need for supplemental briefing?
  9. Upon review of the court’s opinion, are there errors needing correction? Is a petition for rehearing or review warranted? Certiorari?
  • Is publication ordered? Should it have been?
  • Have appellate costs been ordered? What about appellate fees? Where do you seek appellate costs and fees, if ordered, and when? Is the remittitur correct?

How to Prepare / Study Plans

  • Set aside enough time to study
  • Consider forming study groups with anyone else you might know who will be taking the exam
  • Do the sample essay questions and time yourself on them
  • Consider your strengths and weaknesses and what areas you need to focus on
    • What areas of appellate law are you more familiar or less familiar with?
    • How long has it been since you took an exam? If exam skills are rusty, you may want to take more time to prepare
  • Make sure you are familiar with the Cal. Rules of Court applicable to appeals
  • Brush up on the ethics rules that apply to appeals
  • Treatises on California appellate law such as Rutter Guide: Civil Appeals and Writs, CEB or Matthew Bender Treatises are great study aids

Practical Considerations

  • Get plenty of rest before the exam: it is a long day!
  • Have a comfortable workspace that is quiet and will be uninterrupted.
  • Remember to breathe!
  • If you fall behind in timing, do not despair; do your best to keep going.
  • Think of yourself as an appellate practitioner as you’re taking the exam, i.e., how would you advise a client who came to you with these questions.

What to Expect

Logistics

Exam will take place on October 24, 2023 from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

See the Bar’s Scheduling Bulletin here.

  • You should have already registered for the exam. The timely filing deadline was Aug. 15, 2023. The final late filing deadline is Sept. 15, 2023.
  • Results will be released March 15, 2024.

Exam is REMOTE for most; however, in-person is available for some.

 

You must use a LAPTOP COMPUTER.

 

Exam is CLOSED BOOK.

  • Exam will be remotely proctored, using human proctors and artificial intelligence.
  • Any suspicious activity will be flagged.


Timing and Format

  • 8:00 a.m. to Noon: Eight 30-minute essays
  • Essay questions are given in 1-hour sessions with 2 essays per session
  • 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.: 75 multi-choice questions
  • 2 sessions of roughly 75 minutes per session

 

Subchapter V is Good for Business

The post below was written by Jeffrey Bast from Bast Amron. Jeffrey is a partner at Bast Amron and will be speaking at our upcoming Business Bankruptcy 101 Chapter 11 Nuts and Bolts Webinar on September 19 & 21, 2023. Most recently, Jeff spoke at our Business Bankruptcy 101: Chapter 11 Nuts and Bolts program in 2020 where he attendees loved him – mentioning that he gave a comprehensive, clear, and practical presentation.

Jeff has been practicing in the insolvency and litigation arena for more than 25 years. He guides business clients through all types of insolvency-related issues including bankruptcy and bankruptcy avoidance, emphasizing corporate reorganization, workouts, and liquidation. He is a frequent speaker and writer both in the U.S. and abroad on topics related to insolvency. Jeff has been recognized by his peers and numerous publications for professional excellence including: Best Lawyers in America, Chambers and Partners, Martindale Hubbell, South Florida Legal Guide, and Florida Super Lawyers.

Thank you for the insight, Jeff!

Subchapter V is Good for Business

July 11, 2023
By: Jeffrey Bast

If you are not a bankruptcy lawyer, read this and if you are a bankruptcy lawyer, you should too. If you represent small businesses, whether in deals or disputes, you should know about a useful tool that is being overlooked by many. It allows small businesses to restructure their debts and emerge with a clean bill of health and ownership intact. I am talking about Subchapter V bankruptcy. It was introduced as part of the Small Business Reorganization Act of 2019, and it came into effect at the end of February 2020. You probably did not even notice. In fairness, we did have a little pandemic just a few weeks later.

Subchapter V bankruptcy basically allows small business owners (with debts of no more than $7.5 million thanks to the CARES Act) to retain control of their business and reorganize their debts through a streamlined process without the burdens of a creditor’s committee or the expenses of monthly US Trustee fees. It is faster and cheaper than a typical chapter 11. This is particularly helpful for small business owners who may not have the resources or time to engage in lengthy creditor negotiations and court proceedings.

The streamlined Sub V process can be completed in a more efficient manner, saving both time and money for the owner. Small business owners can also take advantage of a number of other benefits including, the ability to reduce their debt obligations, sell encumbered assets, and assume or reject burdensome leases and other contracts. These tools can be a lifesaver for business owners facing overwhelming debt obligations, cash flow concerns, or the risk of losing litigation.

The most obvious benefit of Sub V is that it provides small business owners with a vehicle to save their businesses. Many small business owners facing financial distress may feel as though they have no other option but shut down. Perhaps worse, others will put themselves in personal debt, borrowing money, and even mortgaging homes to keep their business afloat. But now you can offer them a lifeline. Subchapter V bankruptcy can allow them to restructure and emerge from bankruptcy with clean balance sheets and more viable entities.

Of course, it’s important to note that Subchapter V bankruptcy is not right for every small business owner. Before deciding to file for bankruptcy, business owners should carefully consider their options and consult with a qualified business bankruptcy attorney. If your client is struggling financially or perhaps they risk losing that major litigation, Subchapter V may assist you in helping them get back on track.

If you’d like to learn more about Subchapter V, Jaime Leggett, also at Bast Amron, will spend a good 90 minutes on this topic at our upcoming Business Bankruptcy 101 Chapter 11 Nuts and Bolts Webinar on September 19 & 21, 2023 (the same one at which Jeff is speaking again).

It promises to be an excellent seminar!