BUSINESS AND CORPORATE LAW
The firm specializes in addressing all of your general business needs – from deciding which business entity to form for your entrepreneurial endeavor, to determining how to capitalize your dream, or just your next big project, and all the procedural and regulatory requirements along the way, including Regulation D filings and securities registrations. We can also assist in handling business transactions related to the structure of the entity, from membership and stock redemptions and corporate re-structurings to winding up the entity’s business affairs, as well as helping you observe all the corporate formalities.
TAX LAW
Whether you have questions about your Federal or State income tax filings, or questions about whether your real estate holdings have been appropriately assessed, the firm can address your tax needs. The firm can also assist if you have a dispute with the IRS or the Illinois Department of Revenue regarding a tax issue or alleged tax liability (present or past), including audits, and can handle your administrative tax appeal before either agency, as well as any appellate litigation that may result from an adverse administrative decision from either agency.
COMMERCIAL/VENDOR CONTRACTS
From drafting vendor contracts for supply and equipment acquisitions to reviewing license and franchise agreements, the firm can handle all your commercial contract needs. It takes a careful eye and specialized background and experience to ensure that you are properly protected in your business dealings. That’s why we take a pro-active approach to contracts – anticipating hidden dangers, analyzing alternate scenarios, and assessing the risks involved with each one so you can make informed decisions regarding your business. We leave nothing to chance when scrutinizing commercial transactions – just like you.
COMMERCIAL LITIGATION
Even when well-prepared, things can still go wrong, leaving you to wonder what to do next and to whom to turn to for help. Look no further than the firm that has successfully handled thousands of cases in nearly every venue and Illinois jurisdiction for the past 18 years. Our many satisfied clients have come to expect a high level of technical competency, a deep reservoir of substantive legal knowledge, and skilled courtroom abilities from complaint to appeal in order to handle even the most aggressive opposing counsel, which is why they regularly return to the firm when faced with the daunting prospect of litigation.
LABOR/EMPLOYMENT AND HR/PERSONNEL
Employment issues are a routine part of business, but when they happen to your company, they are anything but routine. That’s why the firm doesn’t take a “one-size-fits-all” approach to your company’s employment matters. From advising your HR personnel regarding recent changes in ERISA, COBRA, and HIPAA, to assisting in establishing a SEP or 401K plan, and from drafting appropriate personnel policies and procedures, to handling even the most sensitive employee retention problems (including discharge hearings, and filings before the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the Illinois Human Rights Commission), the firm will take the time to listen to your needs and customize a solution that is right for your business.
DEBT COLLECTION AND MECHANIC’S LIENS
When the time comes to collect, rest assured that the firm is well-versed in the art and science of collection, having handled hundreds of collection disputes (from the typical small claim to much larger actions) in both State and Federal courts. It is truly a skilled litigator that can quickly and efficiently take a matter from complaint to judgment, but one must also have the ability to pre-assess the true financial value of a case up front and advise a client, before filing, whether a judgment once obtained will be worth more than the paper on which it is written. We routinely conduct pre-litigation asset searches to let you know, from the outset, whether a collection action will be worthwhile or a waste of your time and money. The firm will tenaciously pursue judgment debtors until collection is accomplished.
GOVERNMENT AND MUNICIPAL LAW
With more than a dozen years of government experience, the firm has the substantive and procedural knowledge and background to efficiently and cost-effectively address your company’s interactions with the government, whether it is municipal, county, State, or Federal. The firm’s extensive list of contacts at all levels of government make establishing reliable lines of communication, or repairing strained relationships, with public liaisons seemingly effortless. The firm’s pro-active communication strategies help the parties identify common ground and understand areas of potential difficulty or liability, thereby streamlining the process and expediting resolution, allowing you to get back to growing your business.
REGULATORY COMPLIANCE AND ADMINISTRATIVE LAW
The firm has the regulatory experience and administrative law background to be somewhat visionary in its approach to compliance matters. By keeping abreast of ever-changing regulatory requirements and new developments in the law that affect your business, the firm is able to “see around corners” to identify and address the next big challenge for your business. Anticipating these challenges ahead of the curve enables the firm to help your business head off potential liabilities before they become bureaucratic nightmares. In the event your business becomes involved in an administrative hearing, the firm has years of experience to aggressively advocate for your business interests.
REAL ESTATE AND DEVELOPMENT
The firm takes a comprehensive approach to real estate, so there’s no need to retain multiple attorneys to handle a single transaction. From your initial letter of intent to the funded closing, the firm can address all of your real estate needs, including option agreements, annexation agreements, PUD agreements, TIF districts, re-zoning and entitlement work, public hearings, and condemnation. Through its extensive network of local contacts, the firm can assist in managing and guiding your development project from inception to funding to ground-breaking, crafting innovative solutions and identifying potential pitfalls along the way and pro-actively addressing them so your project moves quickly and smoothly from start to finish.
BUSINESS SUCCESSION, ESTATE PLANNING AND ELDER LAW
Planning for the future well-being of your company is one of the most important tasks an owner can undertake, yet too often the task gets overlooked in the myriad of day-to-day matters that an owner needs to address. That’s where the firm’s expertise can assist you in handling this critical issue efficiently and comprehensively, so you can have peace of mind knowing that your company’s future won’t be left to chance. The firm can also assist you and your loved ones with routine estate planning matters, such as wills, trusts, guardianships, family limited partnerships, life insurance trusts, charitable trusts, living wills, powers of attorney, and probate, as well as assist them in applying for government benefits (Medicaid, SSI, SSDI, or Veteran’s benefits).
CANNABIS INDUSTRY SERVICES