You may enjoy farming, depend on the income, and have no intention of stepping away anytime soon. Still, questions about the operation’s future deserve attention while you have time to consider your options. “Not Ready to Retire? How to Start Farm Succession Planning Without Stepping Away” addresses a concern many owners share: how to prepare for the next generation while continuing to do the work they love.
Planning can begin while you remain actively involved. Starting farm succession planning does not, by itself, require you to retire, transfer ownership, or give up decision-making authority. It creates an opportunity to decide…
Continue Reading Not Ready to Retire? How to Start Farm Succession Planning Without Stepping Away

A password change might seem minor, but if you are heading toward divorce, suddenly losing access to financial information is important to notice. For example, you might find that your usual bank account password no longer works, investment statements go missing, or paper bills are replaced by electronic ones without warning. 
While there are valid reasons for a spouse to protect personal accounts, a password change alone does not mean someone is hiding assets. However, if new passwords come with unexplained withdrawals, missing records, or other unusual financial activity, it is time to pay closer attention. In these cases, our…
Continue Reading Why Sudden Changes In Passwords Can Matter Before Divorce

You can sell your house without a Realtor in Illinois. This is commonly called a For Sale By Owner (FSBO) transaction. You handle the pricing, marketing, showings, and negotiations yourself instead of hiring a listing agent.
However, selling without a Realtor does not eliminate the legal requirements involved in a real estate transaction. You’ll still need to address property disclosures, a purchase contract, inspections, title insurance, transfer taxes, and closing documents.
If you’re considering selling your home without a real estate agent in Chicago or the surrounding suburbs, here’s a step-by-step guide to the process.
Home repairs and inspection issues…
Continue Reading How to Sell Your House Without a Realtor in Illinois: A Step-by-Step Guide

In this episode, Ancel Glink’s Eugene Bolotnikov and TylerSmith take the stage at the APA-IL 2026 State Conference took the stage at the
2026 APA-IL State Conference to discuss the new regulatory framework for
E-Bikes and E-Mobility Devices in Illinois following passage of Public Act
104-0854. The discussion previewed the new restrictions on municipal
regulatory authority by the new state law and discussed options for communities
to address concerns regarding public safety.   

How is the shifting legal landscape affecting your
organization? Email us at podcast@ancelglink.com!

Highlights:

  • Regulating Electric Micromobility Devices: A breakdown of the new
    Illinois Vehicle

…
Continue Reading 110: “Watt” a Ride: Steering the Micromobility Shift in Illinois

Many employers have implemented AI tools without fully considering that the resulting chat histories may be discoverable in litigation. Like emails, text messages, Slack communications, and other electronically stored information (ESI), generative AI chat histories are increasingly relevant to litigation. Though often viewed by employees as informal brainstorming, employee prompts, AI-generated responses, uploaded documents, and usage logs may later be scrutinized in relevant employment disputes, commercial disputes, and investigations.
As employees increasingly rely on AI to assist with workplace decisions and business operations, organizations should evaluate whether their existing records management, preservation, and litigation hold practices adequately address AI
Continue Reading Are AI Chats Discoverable? What Employers Need to Know About Litigation,
ESI, and Generative AI


 
When It’s Time to Part Ways: Managing the Risks of Employee Termination

By: Fritz Ronald P. Amparado – – Financial Poise
Friday, October 30, 2026

Most U.S. employment relationships are “at will.” Either side can generally end the relationship at any time, without a fixed term or a showing of cause. That does not mean anything goes. The employer’s reason still must be lawful, and contracts, union agreements, and state or local laws can impose additional limits.
Poor performance, misconduct, insubordination, policy violations, and a genuine reduction in force can support termination. Discrimination, retaliation, and certain violations of public…
Continue Reading I’m Cited in The National Law Review Article “When It’s Time to Part Ways: Managing the Risks of Employee Termination”

Millions of Americans have selflessly served in the U.S. military, prioritizing our nation’s freedom over their personal well-being. For many citizens, their courage holds a significance far beyond a commitment to defend our country.
Celebrated annually on November 11, Veterans Day is a tribute to veterans and a token of thanks for their noble service, including those who suffered trauma, injuries, and illnesses due to their time in the military.
Some of these ailments are psychological in nature, like post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), while others may appear decades after service as a result of exposure to toxic substances like asbestos.
Continue Reading Veterans Day 2026: Supporting U.S. Veterans and Their Fight Against Mesothelioma

One of the plaintiffs challenging Illinois’s new hemp law just lost a similar fight in Missouri. The overlap deserves attention. So does the reasoning.

In its November 4 order, the Western District of Missouri dismissed MoHemp Trade Association v. Kehoe, brought by MoHemp, Lifted Liquids/Urb, and MNG 2005—the CBD Kratom operator also participating in the Illinois lawsuit we recently discussed, which now moves through expedited briefing.

Both cases challenge routing hemp products into state cannabis systems with limited licenses and local cultivation and manufacturing requirements. Missouri’s complaint also asserted vagueness and Farm Bill preemption; Illinois’s instead couples…
Continue Reading Missouri Rejects a Hemp Challenge. Illinois Should Watch the Reasoning.

Photo credit: Yulanda Curtis
Our Professionalism Spotlight series highlights Illinois legal professionals who demonstrate the ideals of professionalism in their careers.
In this Professionalism Spotlight, we spoke to Yulanda Curtis, Director of Clinical Education, Clinical Professor of Law, and Veterans Legal Clinic Director at the University of Illinois College of Law.
In recognition of Veterans Day (November 11), we spoke with Yulanda about her work with law students providing legal aid to veterans.
What do you do in your current position, and how did you get there?
My work is centered on advocating for veterans and helping them navigate the civil legal…
Continue Reading Professionalism Spotlight on Yulanda Curtis: ‘A Veteran’s Legal Problem Rarely Exists in Isolation’

Two confirmed cases of Legionnaires’ disease have been linked to the Hilton Garden Inn North Shore in Evanston, Illinois, after health officials detected Legionella bacteria in the hotel’s hot tub water system. Both individuals had visited the hotel’s pool and hot tub areas in August 2026. 

The incident raises concerns about the safety of hotel water systems and the responsibility of property owners to protect guests from preventable health hazards.

If you or a loved one contracted Legionnaires’ disease, contact Ankin Law to discuss your right to compensation. Call (312) 600-0000 for a free consultation. Our Chicago personal injury…
Continue Reading 2 Legionnaires’ Disease Cases Linked to Evanston Hotel

Before getting started on the blog entry of the week, some housekeeping is in order. My wife and I are celebrating our 25th anniversary next week, and we will be taking a very special trip abroad. So, after this week, my next blog entry is going to be the first week of December. Hoping everyone has a great Thanksgiving holiday, and I will be back blogging the first week of December. Our blog entry for this week is a triple play. We are going to discuss three different topics: religious accommodation and how it might go further than the ADA; a…
Continue Reading Religious Accommodation, Indian Tribal Immunity, and Cats in Hardware Stores

The Illinois hemp lawsuit has bought the plaintiffs a little breathing room ahead of the State’s November 12 deadline.

On November 5, the Illinois Healthy Alternatives Association and five businesses—MNG 2005 (CBD Kratom), Green Street 79, Life Element (CBD Botanicals), OPT Holdings Technologies, and Zada Ventures (Cubbington’s Cabinet)—sued Attorney General Kwame Raoul and five agency heads in the Northern District of Illinois, Case No. 1:26-cv-13799. They seek a temporary restraining order and preliminary and permanent injunctions against the Illinois Hemp Act.

The law’s November 12 changes route products exceeding 0.4 mg total THC per container into Illinois’s licensed cannabis…
Continue Reading Illinois Hemp Lawsuit: A Short Reprieve and a Fight Over Who Gets to Sell

Stanley Black & Decker, Inc. v. The P’ships & Uninc. Assocs. Identified on Schedule “A”, No. 26-cv-1387, (N.D. Ill. Aug. 21, 2026) (Rowland, J.).In this Schedule A case, Judge Rowland granted plaintiff Stanley Black & Decker’s (“SBD”) motion for a preliminary injunction against two Temu sellers, Super Hardware Factory and Tire Inflation S, that allegedly sold power tools bearing SBD’s XR trademarks. The Court, however, narrowed the injunction and asset restraint to the accused products.Five of the seven likelihood of confusion factors favored SBD, and none favored defendants. Notably, Super Hardware’s use of its own HANWISE house mark did…
Continue Reading Defendant Bears the Burden of Establishing Fair Use in a Preliminary Injunction Proceeding

A construction company can generate millions of dollars in annual revenue. It can own expensive machinery and equipment. It can even have numerous projects underway. However, none of these characteristics automatically determine the construction company’s value. Some businesses generate relatively predictable revenue because of recurring customer relationships. Construction companies often don’t. Rather, they depend on obtaining new contracts, successfully completing projects, and accurately estimating the costs of labor, materials, and equipment. A contractor may report substantial revenue but actually earn relatively little profit, especially when projects have cost overruns, delays, and unexpected expenses. Construction companies also operate unlike other businesses.
Continue Reading Valuing And Dividing A Construction Company In An Illinois Divorce

Prenuptial agreements are supposed to guarantee certain outcomes in a possible divorce. In Illinois, prenuptial agreements do a very good job guaranteeing outcomes in regard to denying statutorily required property division in a divorce. Illinois prenuptial agreements are not as effective at guaranteeing a denial of maintenance (formerly known as alimony). When potential clients call my office inquiring about a prenuptial agreement, I tell them “You are probably looking for one of three kinds of prenups. Let me describe them and tell me which one sounds the most like what you have in mind: 1) You want to keep the…
Continue Reading Maintenance and Prenuptial Agreements In An Illinois Divorce

Criminal sexual assault becomes aggravated when Illinois law recognizes an additional factor, like a weapon or bodily harm. Separate rules cover certain children and people with severe intellectual disabilities. An aggravated charge can carry a longer prison sentence. If you face charges in 2026, an Oakbrook Terrace, IL criminal sexual assault defense lawyer can review the exact allegation and explain its possible penalties.
What Makes Criminal Sexual Assault an Aggravated Offense in Illinois?
Under 720 ILCS 5/11-1.30, several circumstances can increase a criminal sexual assault charge to aggravated criminal sexual assault. These include:

  • Being armed with a gun

Continue Reading When Does Criminal Sexual Assault Become Aggravated in Illinois?