In late 2019, Chinese health officials informed the World Health Organization (“WHO”) of a mysterious pneumonia outbreak.[1] Now, a quickly spreading virus known as Coronavirus (“COVID-19”) has infected people in multiple countries around the world. To date, almost half a million people have contracted the virus, and just over 22,000 cases have resulted in death worldwide.[2] Twenty-one states in the United States have issued stay-at-home orders, affecting more than 50% of the population.[3] Many practicing attorneys in the United States must continue their practice and contact with their clients remotely. One challenge attorneys may face, among many…
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In Illinois a summons is the official way a court notifies you that a case has been started against you. Summons In Civil Court In civil court there are specific rules that must be followed to ensure that a summons and accompanying documents are served properly. See 735 ILCS 5/2-201(a): “Every action, unless otherwise expressly provided by statute, shall be commenced by the filing of a complaint. The clerk shall issue summons upon request of the plaintiff. The form and substance of the summons, and of all other process, and the issuance of alias process, and the service of copies…
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A subpoena in criminal court is a court order that a witness appear in court to provide sworn testimony. In Illinois a criminal subpoena is expressly authorized by statute. See 725 ILCS 5/115-17. Clerk; issuance of subpoenas. “It is the duty of the clerk of the court to issue subpoenas, either on the part of the people or of the accused, directed to the sheriff or coroner of any county of this State. An attorney admitted to practice in the State of Illinois, as an officer of the court, may also issue subpoenas in a pending action. A witness…
HeplerBroom understands how staying abreast of the latest developments related to COVID-19 is important to your business and planning for the future. We have assembled some of the executive, legislative, and regulatory actions related to COVID-19 that may affect you. Indiana has recently taken a number of actions to manage this public health crisis, which are summarized below. EMERGENCY SERVICES Like many other states, in response to the coronavirus epidemic, the Governor issued an Executive Order to the Indiana Emergency Operations Center, Indiana National Guard, Food Service Establishments, Hospitals and Health Centers, and the General Public. The executive order directs…
HeplerBroom understands how staying abreast of the latest developments related to COVID-19 is important to your business and planning for the future. We have assembled some of Missouri’s additional executive, legislative, and regulatory actions related to COVID-19 that may affect you and summarized them below. HUMAN RESOURCES Across the United States, 3.3 million initial unemployment claims were filed last week. In Missouri alone, unemployment claims jumped from 4,016 to 40,508 in just one week. The nationwide weekly unemployment filings were the highest reported since 1982. These jumps are a result of the spread of COVID-19 and the stay-at-home orders, resulting…
HeplerBroom understands how staying abreast of the latest developments related to COVID-19 is important to your business and planning for the future. We have assembled some of Illinois’ additional executive, legislative, and regulatory actions related to COVID-19 that may affect you and summarized them below. HUMAN RESOURCES The Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES) reported that monthly unemployment claims totaled 133,763. This unemployment number is almost five times what it was over the same period in 2019 when unemployment was at a near-record low. No doubt, COVID-19 has significantly affected the State of Illinois by causing a skyrocket in unemployment…
Congress has just approved a $2 Trillion stimulus bill to assist individuals, businesses and governmental authorities faced with economic hardship and uncertainty as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.  The bill was promptly signed into law by President Trump.  Here is a summary of the key components of the legislation: Payments to Individuals and Families The bill provides for direct payments by the federal government to all qualifying individuals in the United States.  Qualifying single individuals who earn up to $75,000 will be paid $1,200, married couples will receive $2,400, and additional payments would be made in the amount of…
The defendant in People v. Parada, 2019 IL App (1st) 161987, appealed the decision of the trial court dismissing his petition for relief under the Post-Conviction Hearing Act at the second stage of proceedings, arguing on appeal that he made a substantial showing that he was denied his right to effective assistance of appellate counsel where appellate counsel failed to file a docketing statement, a record on appeal, and an appellate brief, resulting in the dismissal of the appeal. Ultimately, because the appeal was pending while appellant was a fugitive, and the appellate court dismissed the appeal through no…
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Married couples choose to divorce for countless reasons. Sometimes, spouses simply grow apart or realize that it was a mistake to get married in the first place. In these cases, spouses may not want to be married any longer, but they still have a high level of respect and concern for each other. On the other hand, some divorcing spouses are vengeful and combative. Divorces involving infidelity, deceit, domestic violence, or vindictiveness may require a very different approach than more amicable divorces. If you have reason to believe that your divorce might be hostile, you may wonder if there…
As you read this, your world has been turned upside down in a few short weeks. Even if you already worked from home, you probably now have a spouse or partner joining you, plus perhaps a child or two, not to mention some stir-crazy animal members of the family. And you are trying to do all this without a decent haircut or your “real” hair color. If you are someone who depended on your work in a factory or plant, a theater, or a restaurant for wages, you are undoubtedly in a very frightening new world. Our Economy is Connected…
A professional limited liability company is a specialized type of limited liability company that is meant for licensed professionals, such as dentists, chiropractors, physicians, accounters, architects, etc. PLLCs exists because many states do not allow LLCs to be formed by professionals whose work requires a license. In this article, we discuss the difference between a PLLC and an LLC, forming a PLLC, and what to do after forming your PLLC.…
Contributed by Suzanne Newcomb and Brian Wacker, March 27, 2020 On March 18, President Trump signed into law the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA). A component of the FFCRA is the Emergency Paid Sick Leave Act (EPSLA), which requires covered employers to provide employees with paid sick leave or expanded family and medical leave for specified reasons related to the COVID-19 corona virus starting April 1. Generally, EPSLA requires covered employers to provide all employees with two weeks (up to 80-hours) of paid sick leave at the regular rate of pay when the employee is unable to work…
HeplerBroom understands how staying abreast of the latest developments related to COVID-19 is important to your business and planning for the future. We have assembled some of the executive, legislative, and regulatory actions related to COVID-19 that may affect you. Missouri has recently taken a number of actions to manage this public health crisis, which are summarized below. SOCIAL & CIVIL LIFE Several Missouri counties have issued executive stay-at-home orders. These counties include Cass, Jackson, Clay, Platte, Johnson, Kansas City, Columbia, and Boone. Some counties issued orders through April 24 but leave open the option to extend if necessary. The purpose…
HeplerBroom understands how staying abreast of the latest developments related to COVID-19 is important to your business and planning for the future. We have assembled some of the executive, legislative, and regulatory actions related to COVID-19 that may affect you. Illinois has recently taken a number of actions to manage this public health crisis, which are summarized below. HUMAN RESOURCES Under current law, the One day in Seven Rest Act (“ODISRA”) requires that employees receive at least 24 consecutive hours of rest in every calendar week. As a response to COVID-19, and in an effort to support employers who require…
WORK IN A TIME OF CORONAVIRUS The Legal Issues Facing Employers During A Global Pandemic By Seth Matus, Of Counsel Like most people, I have spent the past few weeks in a state of bemused dread, watching schools and universities close, civic and sporting events get cancelled or postponed around the world and now, millions of people being ordered to stay at home as much as possible, including all residents of Illinois. To survive this unprecedented uncertainty, employers are being forced to make difficult business decisions.  Even in this emergency situation however, managers need to consider numerous employment laws as…