The Docket - February 2023

THE DOCKET EDITORIAL BOARD

Jeffrey A. Berman,Co-Editor

Hon. Charles D. Johnson,Co-Editor

Jennifer C. Beeler

Kevin Berrill

Hon. Bolling W. Haxall

Hon. Daniel L. Jasica

Hon. Christopher M. Kennedy

Jennifer Luczkowiak

Kevin K. McCormick

Shyama Parikh

Stephen J. Rice

Neal A. Simon

Hon. James K. Simonian

Rebecca J. Whitcombe

Alex Zagor

STAFF

Greg Weider Executive Director

Jose Gonzalez

Assistant Executive Director

Nancy Rodriguez Receptionist

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Shout-Outs and Thank-You-Fors

Last week I was brainstorming ideas as to what to put in this Docket column, and I was wracking my brain for some new statute or anything else riveting in the legal com-

munity. Then it dawned on me that something I probably haven’t given enough attention to is putting into words the appreciation, shout-outs, and attention that should be given to the Chairs of our Committees. I also happen to have the perfect platform to give it. This column.

This inspiration recently came to me after attending the installation of our newest 19th Circuit Court Judges: Judge Ditton, Judge Joanem, and Judge Manak. Their installation was the first time that I had the distinct honor of presenting the robes. During the ceremony, a selected family member or friend gave remarks about each judge, and then, of course, the judges made their own remarks. I know the event was livestreamed and many people were there in person as well, so I won’t repeat what everyone said, but the

underlying theme among the speeches was “thank you.” They were thanking others for being role models or for pushing them to be better people and lawyers. There were thanks for their loyalty to the practice of law and legal community. Throughout the entirety of the installation I am not sure that there was another word used more than “thank you.” And so that is what I’m going to do right now by giving out thanks and shoutouts to some well-deserved committee chairs.

If you’re not part of the Civil Trials and Appeals Committee, then you may not know that Terry Mueller is serving as the chairperson along with co-chair John Steigauf, and this is their first year of serving in these positions. Terry and John have done a fantastic job of securing some amazing speakers that are of interest to the members

BY TARA R. DEVINE PRESIDENT

of their committee and beyond. On February 18, Terry was able to secure a presentation by attorney Josh Koskoff. Koskoff represented the Sandy Hook families who were devastatingly impacted by the mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School. He discussed the settlement reached with the gun manufacturers and did a great job explaining the history of gun manufacturing, exceptions to certain immunities, and the evidence he was able to collect and persuasively argue to get a settlement for these family members.

Terry and John were also able to secure a very busy Patrick Salvi to speak at their upcoming March committee meeting regarding the very recent record-breaking $363 million dollar Sterigenics trial and subsequent settlement. So, this is a shout-out to Terry and John for doing a fantas-

President’s Page

tic job in their first year for this committee.

Another committee chairperson who deserves special thanks is Mandi Florip, who is new to the LCBA and a new committee chair. Mandi has done an excellent job chairing the Local Government Committee and brings a wealth of talent and organizational skills, because she also serves as the Executive Director of the Lake County Municipal League and practices local governmental law. The Local Government Committee is going to do a joint New Elected Officials Training with the Lake County Municipal League in May—keep a lookout for it.

As I dictate this article I can already tell that I will likely forget to thank someone and their contributions, but the good news is I still have a couple more Docket columns to make up for it.

I would like to say thank you to Karissa Anderson and newly elected Judge John Joanem of the Community Outreach and Diversity Committee for their efforts. For years, they have presented so many opportunities for their members and for the LCBA generally, such as the Professional Clothing Drive and the Chili Cookoff and Food Drive. They have so many events and opportunities that it is hard for me to call out all of them, but their commitment to this Committee should not go unnoticed.

I need to thank the Docket editorial board (Steve Rice in particular) for putting up with my consistently late submissions and the amount of grammar

and spelling corrections that likely goes into each one of my articles before it hits print.

I need to thank the chairs of the Family Law Committee, Craig Mandell and Michael Strauss, for being such an active committee, for doing such a great job in organizing their seminar, and for hosting an amazing holiday party last week for their members. Their parties and seminars are not to be missed!

I would like to thank Don Tyer and Sarah Raisch for leading the Criminal Law Committee, even though Sarah betrayed the entire Committee by becoming a plaintiff’s personal injury attorney (how dare she)! The work that they’ve done up until this point has been outstanding and I have no doubt that Don Tyer and his new co-chair, Caryn Barone, will continue their great work for the rest of the year.

As for the Judicial Selection and Retention Committee, a big thank you to Tom Campe for serving as the chairperson of this important body. He has devoted a significant amount of time to scheduling, coordinating, and conducting judicial candidate interviews over the past few months.

A big thank you to Patrick Brady and Divina Ayala for chairing the Young and New Lawyers Committee. They have done a great job organizing events early on and planning outings, such as the Cubs game this past fall, which was well attended and enjoyed great weather. They are currently working on a Meet the Judges event

for April—stay tuned!

Over at Trust and Estates, Kathryn Shores and Kathleen Georgevich have done a great job with their in-person meetings, seminar, and all of their speakers, and have been very successful in keeping their committee members engaged.

Jenn Carrol and Vanessa Seiler of the Debtor/Creditor Committee lead a small (for now) but mighty committee that meets regularly. Jenn and Vanessa are invested in expanding committee participation, which no doubt under their direction will continue to grow.

A big shout-out to Katrine Fleishman and David Alexander for their work with the Real Estate Committee. They are currently busy planning their upcoming seminar, on top of the meetings and CLE offerings they have already completed this past year.

I would also like to take a moment to thank Lorena Hernandez, Administrative Assistant to Chief Judge Mark Levitt, who helps behind the scenes and lets me know where and when I should be as it relates to courthouse activities. And, of course, a big thank you

to Chief Judge Levitt who graciously includes me as LCBA President in so many of these installations and ceremonies.

Don’t worry, I didn’t forget about the LCBA Board members, or Greg, Jose, and Nancy. I’m going to save another column for them because I still have a few more to go!

Lastly, thank YOU for reading The Docket and this article in its entirety!

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Nicholas Pugesek Ventrelli and Simon

Emily E. Shanley-Roberts Lake County State’s Attorney

Water Almost Everywhere, but Fewer Plastics

One of the greatest joys of my time as Chief Judge is the opportunity to pen a short column each month to highlight the happenings in the 19th Circuit and occasionally to inform you all about some momentous change in the law that will forever affect our practice. While this occasionally lends itself to a discussion of some importance on one topic, there are times when there is a lot happening but nothing that would merit an entire column. This is one of those times. Here comes a hodgepodge . . .

As you have undoubtedly heard, the Illinois Supreme Court stayed implementation of the much discussed and debated Safe-T Act statewide—literally at the 11th hour. Although our justice partners and the court were thoroughly prepared to begin court proceedings consistent with the act on January 1, we will now wait anxiously for our marching orders from the Court.

Christmas is always a time for fun and surprises, and this year we had several unpleasant surprises. The unbelievably cold weather caused a sprinkler line to burst in the atrium between the administration tower and the main court building on Christmas morning. Water flowed freely after the pipe burst for at least 30 minutes. This led to a good deal of water damage. In the center court area courtrooms 201 and 101 had the greatest damage. In addition to the courtroom damage, the atrium was affected as well. Everything from the third floor down was damaged or destroyed. Although ServePro was on the scene doing dewatering and dehumidifying, it will take considerable time to restore all of these areas for safe operational use.

As if the damage to the main courthouse weren’t enough, our juvenile courthouse was similarly afflicted. At the same time we were dealing with the Waukegan facility, a sprinkler line burst

ChiefPageJudge’s The

in the Vernon Hills facility. The damage was not nearly as significant but will take time to remediate. A bit of a rough start to the new year will hopefully be followed by great things in the future.

February 25 marks the return of an in-person Mock Trial Competition at the courthouse. For those unfamiliar with mock trials, a brief history is merited. Dating back centuries, these exercises provided an educational opportunity for young and aspiring lawyers. Given either hypothetical or real-life cases, students were given the chance to develop theories and practice their trial skills in a safe, educational environment. At the high school level in Illinois, the competition is governed by the Illinois State Bar Association. There are series of regional competitions culminating in the Mock Trial Invitational held in March in Springfield. We

BY CHIEF JUDGE MARK L. LEVITT

are very fortunate to have Judges Bishop and Rossetti organizing our invitational tournament. If you have never had the opportunity to see a mock trial in person, I encourage you to come check it out.

Finally, a note on courthouse operational changes. If you have been looking for your favorite vending items—or even some of the machines themselves—you undoubtedly noticed that they are gone. For those of you who have been called for jury duty and were looking for the coffee machine, it too is gone. This is all courtesy of the Lake County Board. The Board’s Planning, Building, Zoning, and Environment committee determined that these machines and the products they vend were inconsistent with the county’s policy on “single use plastics.” In case you were wondering, now you know.

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29TH ANNUAL FAMILY LAW CONFERENCE

Friday, February 17, 2023

• Welcome Reception

Saturday, February 18, 2023

• 4 hours of CLE (8:00 am-Noon)

• Haunted House Tour

Sunday, February 19, 2023

• 4 hours of CLE (8:00 am-Noon)

• Group Departure

Register online:

Savannah, Georgia

Kimpton Brice Hotel

February 17-19, 2023

Hotel Reservation information: call 877-482-7423 by January 17, 2023 and reference the Lake County Bar Association – Block BAR

www.lakebar.org

Seminar Tuition: REGISTER EARLY AND SAVE $95!

EARLY-BIRD TUITION (paid by 1/01/23)

PLEASE RSVP

Thursday Welcome Reception (arrangements only made for those who RSVP and have paid) # ______ included in tuition Seminar Materials are electronic.

Name: ______________________________________________________________ ARDC # ______________________

Guest ___________________________________________ Guest ___________________________________________

Firm: ____________________________________________ Address: ________________________________________ City: ______________________________________________________________State: __________ ZIP: ___________

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Return registration form to: Lake County Bar Association, 300 Grand Ave, STE A, Waukegan, IL 60085 • TEL 847-244-3143

February 2023

Meet the Board

In order to help LCBA members learn more about our LCBA leadership team, beginning with this edition, The Docket will include a Meet the Board page, spotlighting each month a different member of the LCBA Board of Directors

JOSEPH FUSZ

JosephFusz, Chief of the Cyber Crimes Division, and the Special Investigations Division of the Lake County State’s Attorney’s Office. Fusz is a longtime LCBA leader. He has previously chaired multiple committees, including the Bar Association’s Young & New Lawyers Committee, Membership Committee and the Civil Trial & Appeals Committee. Fusz has been an active member of the LCBA Board of Directors

for several years, previously serving as a board member, treasurer, vice president, and president. Joe is also a frequent speaker at LCBA seminars and CLE events. He is a graduate of the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, and Loyola University-New Orleans College of Law. He was also a visiting student at DePaul University College of Law. Fusz began his legal career as an Assistant State’s Attorney in Lake County,

previously served as an officer in the United States Marine Corps and has also worked in private practice in Cook and Lake County. Joe also served as President of the Jefferson Inn, the Lake County chapter of the American Inns of Court, another professional legal organization. He continues to serve as an adjunct faculty member in the Legal Studies Department at the College of Lake County in Grayslake, IL.

2023 LCBA OFFICE RENTAL PRICING

MEMBER CENTER “The Bar”

Accommodates up to 100 people

During business hours (8 am – 5 pm)

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• Meeting only (individual or group, no food or beverages served: Free

• Self-Service reception or party (provide own alcoholic beverages): $50 per hour

• Hosted beer & wine reception or party (beer & wine provided by Association): $250/ 1st hour, $50/hour after Non-Members:

(add $50/hour for after hour events)

• Meeting only (individual or group, no food or beverages served): $50 per hour

• Self-Service reception or party (provide own alcoholic beverages and food): $300/ 1st hour, $50/hour after

• Hosted beer & wine reception or party – Not Available

Non-Member, Not-for-Profit: (add $25/hour for after hour events)

• Meeting only (individual or group, no food or beverages served): $25 per hour

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With Hosted Beer & Wine - $150 flat fee (for 5 – 15 people), $200 (over 15 people)

Room rentals are based on availability. Rentals include use of A/V already in room (phone, TV, Speaker. WIFI). All rentals include free parking in our large, well-lit, 45 vehicle parking lot adjacent to the LCBA building.

Foundation & Committee Minutes

LAKE COUNTY BAR FOUNDATION BOARD OF TRUSTEES MEETING

November 15, 2022

IN ATTENDANCE:

BY ZOOM:

Joann Fratianni

Hon. Michael Nerheim

Scott Gibson

Michael Ori

David Stepanich

Melanie Rummel

Jennifer Ashley

Nicholas Riewer

Kristie Fingerhut

BY PHONE:

Perry Smith

Nandia Black

ALSO IN ATTENDANCE:

Greg Weider, Executive Director, LCBA, LCBF.

I. CALL TO ORDER: Meeting was called to order

by Secretary Joann Fratianni at 5:08 p.m.

II. APPROVAL OF MINUTES:

The Minutes of October 18, 2022 were presented for approval. Motion to approve the minutes was made by Melanie Rummel and seconded by Nandia Black. Motion carried.

III. TREASURER’S REPORT:

A. STATUS AND BALANCES OF LCBF ACCOUNTS:

Treasurer Perry Smith reported that we received a Building Fund Pledge from Lake Forest Bank and Trust in the amount of $10,000. We are being charged $25.00 per month for a debit card that is not being used in the Building Fund Account. We are receiving money from the

LCBA for dues checkoff on a quarterly basis. On September 30, 2022 we received $1,500 from the Lake County Bar Association in a transfer to our Operations Account. All total balances of the accounts are provided in the agenda materials. Motion to approve the Treasurer’s report made by Michael Ori and seconded by Nick Riewer. Motion carried.

B. WARRANT/APPROVAL OF EXPENSES PAID:

The Warrants for Expenses for October, 2022 were presented for approval. Motion to approve the expenses made by Nandia Black and seconded by Michael Ori. Motion carried.

IV. OLD BUSINESS: PROPERTY TAX UPDATE:

Greg Weider reported that Amy Lonergan was able to reach an agreement with the State of Illinois for a waiver of 82% of our property tax as an exemption. We still need to apply every year by completing a form for this exemption. The Board agreed that we should send a thank you letter to Amy Lonergan for all her work in obtaining this reduction.

V. NEW BUSINESS:

A. FUNDRAISING COMMITTEE UPDATE:

1. FEBRUARY/ MARCH FUNDRAISING EVENT:

Jennifer Ashley report-

ed the Fundraising subcommittee has been working on an event at 28 Mile Distilling Company in Highwood. This event will be a Battle of the Bands and we are proposing a date of February 23, 2023 from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. We are tentatively having at least five bands play for a total of twenty minutes each. We are seeking sponsorships along with donations for $100.00 gift cards for gift baskets. We are hoping that every LCBF member could provide a $100.00 gift card from a local business or by donation. David Stepanich was able to get a price from the 28 Mile of $500.00 for rental of the room and $250.00 for a sound system. They are in the process of finding a charity to recommend as a beneficiary of the event. Motion to approve the event and the $750.00 for expenses was made by Perry Smith and Seconded by Melanie Rummel. Motion carried.

VI.

ADJOURNMENT:

Motion to Adjourn was made by Jennifer Ashley and seconded by Melanie Rummel. Motion carried and the Meeting was adjourned at 5:26 p.m.

Respectfully submitted,

Joann M. Fratianni Secretary

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Board of Directors’ Meeting

December 15, 2022

Minutes of the regular meeting of the Board of Directors of the Lake County Bar Association held via zoom video conference, on

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Tara Devine President

Katharine Hatch First Vice President

Daniel Hodgkinson Second Vice President

Kevin Berrill Treasurer

Jeffrey Berman Secretary

Joseph Fusz Past President

Hon. Jacquelyn Melius Director

Craig Mandell Director

Jeffrey O’Kelley Director

Sarah Raisch Director

Jeremy Harter Director

Judy Maldonado Director

Greg Weider Executive Director

December 15, 2022.

CALL TO ORDER

President Devine called the meeting to order at 12:07 p.m.

ROLL CALL

Roll call indicated a quRoll call indicated a quorum was established, with the following individuals present: Tara Devine, President; Katharine Hatch, First Vice President, Kevin Berrill (by telephone), Treasurer; Jeffrey Berman, Secretary; Joseph Fusz, Past President; Craig Mandell, Director; Jeremy Harter, Director; Hon. Jacquelyn Melius, Director; Jeffrey O’Kelley, Director; Sarah Raisch, Director (by telephone); Greg Weider, Executive Director.

ACTION ITEMS

Consent Agenda Items

• November 15, 2022

Board of Directors Meeting Minutes - The Draft minutes from the November 15,

2022 meeting of the Board of Directors was included in the agenda packet. There were no requests for additions, corrections, or changes to the draft minutes.

• October New Members - A motion was made and seconded to approve the Consent Agenda. Upon unanimous voice vote, the motion was declared carried. The Consent Agenda is approved.

Treasurer’s Report

The November 2022 Financial Report and supporting materials were included in the Agenda packet. Discussion followed. In sum, we are still tracking the budget. A motion was made and seconded to approve the Treasurer’s Report. Upon unanimous voice vote, the motion was declared carried. The Treasurer’s Report is approved.

OLD BUSINESS

LCBA Holiday Party Recap

President Devine made

BY JEFFREY A. BERMAN SECRETARY

a presentation regarding the very successful Holiday Party on December 2nd. Discussion followed.

Past Due Membership Calls

Executive Director Weider and President

Devine made a presentation regarding on-going efforts by the Executive Board to call members who have not yet paid to renew their membership for the current year. Discussion followed.

NEW BUSINESS Committee Attendance/ Free CLE

Spreadsheets showing recent committee meeting and Brown Bag/ Free CLE attendance were included in the agenda packet. Executive Director Weider and President Devine explained the reasons and purposes underlying the analyses. Discussion followed.

LCBA/LCBF Board Nominations Process

President Devine made a presentation regarding

the process, and pertinent timelines / deadlines.

Brown Bag/ Free CLE. Discussion followed.

JSRC Update

President Devine provided an update regarding the status of the ongoing efforts of the Committee.

Discussion followed.

OTHER MATTERS

Committee Liaison Reports

Board members provided Committee updates.

Executive Director Report

Executive Director Weider presented his Executive Director Report for November, including updates on the calendar of upcoming events.

ADJOURNMENT

A motion was made

to adjourn. Upon unanimous voice vote, the motion was declared carried. The meeting concluded at 12:33 p.m. The next Board of Directors Meeting is scheduled to take place on Thursday, January 19, 2023.

LAWYER REFERRAL SERVICE

WHY SHOULD YOU JOIN?

The LCBA Lawyer Referral Service (LRS) is a valuable member benefit as well as a public service. LRS provides member attorneys with an opportunity to build business through client referrals. The service benefits the public by helping callers quickly find an attorney in the area of law in which they need help.

The LRS program is designed to assist persons who are able to pay normal attorney fees but whose ability to locate legal representation is frustrated by a lack of experience with the legal system, a lack of information about the type of services needed, or a fear of the potential costs of seeing a lawyer.

Cost is only $200 annually for a Standard listing or $350 for a Premium listing. Download the application at www.lakebar.org/ page/LRS or contact the LCBA office for more information.

Monthly

Committee Meetings

• RSVP to a meeting at www.lakebar.org.

• Meetings subject to change. Please check your weekly e-news, the on-line calendar at www.lakebar.org or call the LCBA Office @ (847) 244-3143.

• Please feel free to bring your lunch to the LCBA office for any noon meetings. Food and beverages at restaurants are purchased on a individual basis.