Thirty-three years selling a brewery’s beer. Fifty-one cases repackaged to conceal their age. One terminated distributorship. That’s the setup for this week’s Throwback Friday: BeerMart, Inc. v. Stroh Brewery Co., 804 F.2d 409 (7th Cir. 1986).

For brewers and wholesalers, the useful question goes beyond whether selling old (expired? past the sell by date? not fresh?) beer can support termination. Who set the freshness rules? What actually happened? Who supplied the beer? And did the contract give anyone a workable way to pay for pulling it?

Read the Seventh Circuit opinion PDF (published reporter copy, pages 409–413). The…
Continue Reading Throwback Friday: Thirty-Three Years of Distribution. Fifty-One Cases of Bad Judgment.

A safety milestone at an Illinois manufacturing facility recently made industry news, and it offers a good opportunity to talk about a term that shows up constantly in workplace safety discussions but rarely gets explained in plain language: the lost-time injury.
What Happened at AGI’s Marshall Facility
According to World Grain, Ag Growth International’s facility in Marshall, Illinois, reached five consecutive years without a lost-time injury, earning the company’s internal Safety Standout Award. The plant, which manufactures liquid and dry fertilizer blending and handling equipment, credited the achievement to consistent safety procedures, employee accountability, and a culture where workers speak…
Continue Reading What Lost-Time Injury Data Means for Workers

Kogut & Wilson is proud to share that the firm has been ranked by Best Lawyers® in the 2027 edition of Best Law Firms®. The firm earned Chicago Metropolitan Tier 1 rankings in both Family Law and Family Law Mediation, improving its Family Law Mediation ranking from Tier 2 last year.
The ranking follows the recognition of seven Kogut & Wilson attorneys in the 2027 editions of The Best Lawyers in America® and Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch® in America, including Eva M. Kogut, who was named a Best Lawyers® 2027 Chicago “Lawyer of the Year” in Collaborative…
Continue Reading Kogut & Wilson Earns Chicago Tier 1 Rankings in 2027 Best Law Firms® List

The advantages of divorce mediation in Illinois can go beyond saving money. For many spouses, mediation offers an opportunity to make thoughtful decisions about their children, finances, and future without turning every disagreement into a courtroom battle. You may not agree about why the marriage ended, but you may still be able to agree on how to move forward.
Divorce mediation gives spouses a structured setting to discuss disputed issues with the help of a neutral mediator. It does not guarantee a settlement, and it is not appropriate for every situation. However, when both people can participate safely and…
Continue Reading Advantages of Divorce Mediation in Illinois: A Practical Path Forward

For the second time this fall, Ankin Law has joined WGN-TV to honor an outstanding educator in the Chicagoland area.

This time, the law firm and television station traveled to Tinley Park to honor Mrs. Jan O’Neil of Kirby School District 140’s Grissom Middle School with the “Teacher of the Month Award” for October 2026.

O’Neil has been at the school for the past 26 years as a physical education teacher and was nominated by Karen Allen, a parent of one of her students. She was presented with a check for $1,000 by Ankin Law attorney and partner Chris Garrett…
Continue Reading Meet the October 2026 Ankin Law & WGN ‘Teacher of the Month’

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Law students have always had to make strong first impressions when interviewing for summer positions. Now, with many law firms moving up the timeline for hiring 2L summer associates, those first impressions become even more crucial earlier in students’ law school careers.
We asked three Illinois law school professionals for advice for law students on navigating professional attire for interviews and about affordable ways that students can build their closet.
What to wear to an interview
“For interviews, a suit should be the standard uniform,” said Katie Liss, Assistant Dean & Director of the DePaul University College…
Continue Reading What Is Professional Attire for the Legal Profession? A Guide for Law Students

Although the person who committed the assault may face criminal charges, the business that owns or operates the property could also bear civil liability for injuries. In Illinois, businesses have legal responsibilities toward people who lawfully enter their premises, and those responsibilities may include taking reasonable precautions against foreseeable criminal activity.

Key Takeaways

  • A business may be responsible for an assault in a parking lot if it owed you a duty of care and failed to take reasonable security precautions.
  • Prior criminal activity, inadequate lighting, broken security equipment, and ignored safety complaints may help establish negligence.
  • Illinois law does not

…
Continue Reading Can a Business Be Held Responsible for an Assault in a Parking Lot?

A pizza oven that couldn’t cook a pizza still managed to earn Bogle Vineyards a ten-day license suspension. It sat among cases of wine in a Raley’s display, missing the regulator parts needed to operate. California’s Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control nevertheless treated it as an unlawful benefit to the retailer.

The Department had ideas. Someone could buy the missing parts. Someone could ask for them. A little imagination, a trip to the hardware store, and the wine display starts looking like a kitchen.

The Third Appellate District required evidence and reversed the Department’s decision (upholding an intermediary tribunal’s…
Continue Reading The Pizza Oven Didn’t Work. California’s Tied-House Case Didn’t Either.

Chicago, IL – November 5, 2026 – Smith LaCien LLP has earned national and metropolitan rankings in the 2027 edition of Best Law Firms®, placing the firm among a select group representing approximately 2–4% of law firms nationwide recognized for practice group excellence.

In an increasingly crowded legal marketplace, Best Law Firms rankings distinguish practices that demonstrate exceptional professional excellence, depth of experience, and consistent client trust. The firm’s recognition across national and regional practice areas reflects both the strength of its legal talent and its sustained reputation within the profession

“This year’s recognition reflects the relentless dedication our attorneys…
Continue Reading Smith LaCien LLP Ranked Among Top Firms in 2027 Best Law Firms®

Settlement is generally a good thing in divorce and family law cases. Most people would prefer to resolve their differences…
The post Sometimes, the best way to resolve a family law case is to try it first appeared on Family Law Headquarters by Stange Law Firm.
The post Sometimes, the best way to resolve a family law case is to try it appeared first on Family Law Headquarters by Stange Law Firm.
Continue Reading Sometimes, the best way to resolve a family law case is to try it

Birth injury claims can be complicated, as patients need to prove that they suffered due to a medical provider’s improper care. Illinois sets a high bar to succeed in these claims, which means that families often need to seek outside help from a medical expert. If you are considering filing a birth injury claim, reach out to a Chicago, IL birth injury attorney who can help you build a case.
At Birth Injury Law Alliance, Ltd., we regularly work with medical experts in birth injury claims, using their insights to support our clients’ claims. Our thorough approach has resulted in…
Continue Reading How Are Medical Experts Used in Birth Injury Lawsuits?

Buying a business’s equipment, inventory, or other assets can help you avoid many of its debts. However, you can still be responsible for some debts, even if you buy only the assets. Unpaid taxes and liens can create problems after closing. If you plan to buy a business in 2026, an Uptown, Chicago corporate law attorney can help you review those risks before signing.
What Is the Difference Between an Asset Purchase and a Stock Purchase in Illinois?
In an asset purchase, you buy selected property. For example, this might include equipment, inventory, customer lists, or intellectual property. The seller…
Continue Reading Can You Buy a Business in Illinois Without Taking on Its Existing Debts?

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Key points:

  • Clio’s annual Legal Trends Report provides analysis of legal services industry based on law firm operating data, surveys of legal professionals and consumers, and qualitative interviews.
  • 85% of legal professionals surveyed said firms have adopted some level of AI, with half saying firms allow and encourage its use.
  • Firms are finding more ways to bill time, as AI reduces time spent on some individual tasks.
  • 73% of respondents at firms using AI say it has improved the quality or value of the work, while 64% said it is positively impacting revenue.
  • AI is also tied

…
Continue Reading Lawyers Are Billing More Time as AI Adoption Grows, According to 2026 Clio Legal Trends Report

Photo credit: Illinois Lawyers’ Assistance Program
Key points:

  • One in five Illinois lawyers rated their mental health as fair or poor in a new study sponsored by the Illinois Lawyers’ Assistance Program
  • Of this number, 32% said they had experienced suicidal ideation in the past year
  • 66% of lawyers said their workplaces negatively impact their mental and physical health and wellness and would consider leaving their job because of it
  • 39% of lawyers said they have observed cognitive decline in other lawyers and 21% said they have seen it in the judiciary
  • 33% of lawyers said they had experienced vicarious

…
Continue Reading 1 in 5 Illinois Lawyers Report Negative Mental Health, Illinois LAP Study Finds

If you hold a cannabis license with ten or more employees, odds are a cannabis labor peace agreement is sitting in your compliance binder right now. For years it was the price of admission: sign with a union, promise neutrality, or don’t get licensed. In the last six months, that deal started cracking. New York just repealed its mandate. A federal judge in New Jersey called the state’s version preempted. And on November 2, 2026, the Ninth Circuit put California’s fight back on the board.
So is your labor peace agreement still a license condition, a contract you’re stuck with,…
Continue Reading Cannabis Labor Peace Agreement: 5 Critical Shifts in 2026

An apple grower can tell you when the apples came off the tree. Turn those apples into cider, put the harvest year on the label, and federal alcohol regulators may tell you to remove it.

Make wine from grapes, however, and the rules provide a path for telling consumers the harvest year. Apparently, apples require more secrecy.

That distinction drives Garden Path Fermentation v. United States, No. 1:26-cv-03002-TOR (E.D. Wash. Oct. 15, 2026). The court dismissed the case over administrative exhaustion, stating: “Plaintiffs have failed to exhaust their administrative remedies.” (Order at 3.) The decision leaves a substantial…
Continue Reading Your cider has a vintage even if TTB will not let you print it