Articles Posted in Firm News

Yesterday the Union League Club of Chicago honored Judge Abner Mikva with its Distinguished Public Service Award. Judge Mikva is currently the senior director of the University of Chicago Law School’s Mandel Legal Aid Clinic. Chicago personal injury attorney Robert Kreisman was in attendance as he had served as a member of the Union League Club committee which was responsible for nominating Judge Mikva for this prestigious award.

The Union League Club’s Distinguished Service Award was created in 1955 and is given to individuals who have made a substantial contribution to either civic or public service. The award is not given annually as it takes a truly outstanding individual to warrant this honor. Past Distinguished Public Service Awards have been given to retired Illinois Supreme Court Justice Mary Ann McMorrow, George N. Leighton, a former U.S. District Court judge for the Northern District of Illinois; and the late Judge Abraham Lincoln Marovitz, who served on the federal bench in Chicago.

Judge Mikva received his law degree from the University of Chicago Law School and was admitted to the Illinois Bar in 1959. Following his Illinois bar admission, Judge Mikva began his legal career by clerking for the U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sherman Minton.

In the course of his career Judge Mikva has served on all branches of the federal government, working to promote civil rights and reduce segregation and prejudice in education, employment, and housing. He served on the legislative branch from the 1960’s through the 1970’s as a member of the House of Representatives for Chicago’s 10th District. He then served on the executive branch when he became legal counsel to former President Bill Clinton. In addition, he served 15 years on the judicial branch as a federal appellate court judge in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia, which included a stint as chief judge.

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The American Association of Justice (AAJ) is a national trial bar for plaintiff attorneys that fights to protect the rights of people who have been injured as the result of negligence or misconduct. Its members handle a wide range of cases, including personal injury, medical malpractice, and product liability. As part of its mission, the AAJ hosts national conferences where plaintiff lawyers can meet to discuss new trends in their legal practice areas and learn new skills to apply to their practice.

This past weekend, the AAJ Mega College held such a program in Scottsdale, AZ, and selected Chicago lawyer Robert Kreisman to be a faculty member and speaker at its event. Bob Kreisman’s presentation focused on how to strategically plan trial strategies used in opening statement. His presentation referenced the popular trial lawyer tools Rules of the Road: A Plaintiff Lawyer’s Guide to Proving Liability, Overcoming Jury Bias, Reptile: The 2009 Manual of the Plaintiff’s Revolution, and David Ball on Damages: A Plaintiff’s Attorney’s Guide to Personal Injury and Wrongful Death Cases. The presentation was well-received and highlighted some useful strategies for crafting a convincing case at trial.

And while the AAJ Mega College had informative seminars that resembled other AAJ conventions, it was in fact the first of its kind. Trial lawyers from across the U.S. were in attendance and ready to sharpen their trial skills, many in preparation for upcoming trials.

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On Thursday, April 22, 2010, the Public Affairs Committee of The Union League Club of Chicago will be hosting a screening of The Response, a 30-minute film documenting the U.S. military tribunals in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. The Response takes the audience inside the military tribunals to provide an insider’s view of the courtroom drama surrounding the Guantanamo Bay hearings.

The screening will be followed by a panel discussion. The film’s viewpoint will be represented by Sig Libowitz, the film’s writer and producer, and Peter Riegert, an actor in The Response and other films including Star, Animal House, Local Hero, and The Sopranos. Gary Isaac, a Chicago attorney with Mayer Brown who has personally been involved in Guantanamo litigation, will speak to some of the legal aspects of the military tribunals. Major General (Retired) Charles E. Tucker (USAF), the Executive Director of the International Human Rights Law Institute, will also provide his unique insight into the Guantanamo Bay tribunals.

Registration for the event starts at 4:00 p.m., with the screening beginning promptly at 4:30 p.m., followed by the panel discussion at 5:00 p.m. Tickets can be reserved by phone at (312) 435-5946. Payment may be made at the door by cash or check ($15) payable to the Union League Club of Chicago (65 West Jackson Boulevard, Chicago, Illinois). All cancellations are due by noon on Wednesday, April 21, 2010. Please be advised that the dress code for The Response screening is business casual.

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On February 24, 2010, the Public Affairs Committee of the Union League Club of Chicago welcomed the Honorable Edward M. Burke, the dean of the Chicago City Council. Mr. Burke has served as Alderman of Chicago’s 14th Ward for more than four decades. He is a recognized expert of the Chicago’s city budget matters and is Chairman of the City Council Committee on Finance.

The Public Affairs Committee hosted the event to hear Mr. Burke’s comments regarding the Democratic Party’s slate selection of Cook County judges. Mr. Burke stated that of the 11 slated candidates by the Democratic Party, only 7 of them succeeded at the polls. Questions were taken from the audience with respect to the effectiveness of this process and comparison to other court plans and the merit selection of judges. Mr. Burke commented that the election of a downstate Illinois Supreme Court justice accounted for nearly $8 million in campaign spending for the two candidates.

In attendance was Robert Kreisman, a member of the Public Affairs Committee.

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Morris Dees, the co-founder and lawyer of the Southern Poverty Law Center, was honored at the Union League Club of Chicago by the Decalogue Society of Lawyers. The event held on March 2, 2010 at the Union League Club of Chicago was attended by Cook County judges, elected officials and members of the Decalogue Society of Lawyers, the Union League Club of Chicago and the Southern Poverty Law Center.

The Decalogue Merit Award was awarded to Mr. Dees for his tireless work in fighting hate groups ranging from the Klu Klux Klan to the White Aryan Resistance. Mr. Dees was responsible for numerous victories against hate groups, including a $6 million judgment that bankrupt the Aryan nations, a $12.5 million jury verdict against the California-based White Aryan Resistance for the death of a black student, and a $26 million verdict against the Carolina Klan for burning black churches.

However, these victories did not come without a price. In 1983, the Klansman burned the Southern Poverty Law Center’s offices. And while the arsonists were convicted, their leader almost successfully fulfilled a plot to kill Mr. Dees. Over the years, more than 30 men have been imprisoned for plots to harm Morris Dees or destroy the Southern Poverty Law Center property. This continued threat requires a high degree of security during public appearances.

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The Union League Club of Chicago’s Civic & Arts Foundation hosted the 2010 jazz improvisation competition at Buddy Guy’s Legends on February 17, 2010. From high school kids to semi-professionals beginning to make a splash on the Chicago jazz scene, the breadth of talent exhibited at Buddy Guy’s Legends was incredible.

At the competition, twelve performers ranging in age from 14 to 27 competed for a total of $17,000 in prize money. And although this was a competition for a cash prize, it was also a safe venue for emerging young musicians to showcase their unbelievable talents.

The competing performers were divided into three divisions according to their age. The first division included the 14 to 17 year-old musicians, second the 18 to 22 year-olds, and the last the 23 to 27 year-old musicians. One of the divisions’ first place winners received a Grand Prize, while two other winners received People’s Choice Awards that the live audience voted on by submitting ballots.

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Last week a group of Chicago law organizations presented a forum on the experiences of pro bono legal counsel working with the detainees at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. The forum was organized and sponsored by the Chicago Lawyer Chapter of the American Constitution Society, the John Marshall Law School Student Chapter of ACS, the American Civil Liberty Union of Illinois and the Chicago Council of Lawyers.

The forum took its inspiration from a new book entitled The Guantanamo Lawyers: Inside of Prison Outside the Law, which features a collection of narratives from roughly 100 lawyers.

The authors of The Guantanamo Lawyers stated that as many as 86% of the detainees were “bought” prisoners. This refers to the exchange of cash that individuals received for bringing “battlefield prisoners” to the U.S., an option that was popularized by leaflets distributed in Afghanistan following the September 11, 2001 attacks. However, in reality many of these “battlefield prisoners” are in fact were individuals from all walks of life who were exchanged for cash under the false premise that they were enemy combatants.

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Yesterday the Union League Club of Chicago’s Public Affairs Committee, through its external relations subcommittee chair, Chicago attorney Robert Kreisman, hosted the Cook County Assessor Forum Candidate in conjunction with the Henry George School of Social Science. The candidates included Raymond Figueroa, Democrat; Robert Shaw, Democrat; Robert Grota, Green; and Sharon Strobeck-Eckersall, Republican. The other democratic party candidate, Joseph Berrios, chose not to attend the forum.

The event was hosted by moderator Andy Shaw, Executive Director of the Better Government Association. Mr. Shaw, an award-winning Chicago journalist, spent 35 years covering politics, business, education and the day-to-day news of the City’s news bureau.

Each candidate was given several minutes to state his or her position, credentials, experience and why they wanted the post of Cook County Assessor. In addition, Andy Shaw asked the candidates several questions, which were taken around the room.

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This past Friday, the Union League Club of Chicago’s Public Affairs Committee presented the Cook County Board Presidential Candidate Forum. The forum was attended by candidates from all parties and was made possible by the Club’s Chicago Area Public Affairs Group and its External Relations subcommittee chair Chicago attorney Robert Kreisman.

The candidates included Cook County Board President Todd Stroger; Cook County Circuit Court Clerk Dorothy Brown; Terry O’Brien, the President of the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District; Chicago Alderman Toni Preckwinkle; former Illinois State Senator Roger Keats; and Green Party candidate Tom Tresser. In total the candidates included four Democrats, one Republican and one Green Party representative.

The forum was moderated by Andy Shaw, the executive director of Better Government Association and an award-winning Chicago journalist. As someone who spent 35 years covering politics, business, education and day-to-day news at a variety of media centers, Mr. Shaw was more than qualified for the job.

On hand was a variety of local, state and national elected officials as well as a host of press corps. A press conference was held immediately following the discussion and forum.

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Kreisman Law Offices is proud to announce that its founder, Chicago attorney Robert Kreisman, has been included in the 2010 Illinois Super Lawyers list.

According to the publishers of Illinois Super Lawyers 2010, there is a three-step process for deciding whether or not a candidate makes the cut. First, candidates must be nominated by their peers or hand-selected by Super Lawyers to even be considered for distinction.

After a candidate pool is created, the Super Lawyers department reviews each individual candidate based on a wide range of criteria, including professional achievement, honors and awards, pro bono/ community service, and other outstanding achievements.

The final step is a review of those candidates by peers, other Illinois attorneys, in the same or similar area of practice. This three step process acts to produce a “well-rounded list of attorneys”, with only 5% of the lawyers in Illinois meeting this rigorous criteria.

Robert Kreisman of Kreisman Law Offices is honored to have made the cut and be recognized for his achievements and success in obtaining favorable outcomes for his clients.

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