Articles Posted in Firm News

On January 20, I joined the ranks of the millions of Americans who took the time to watch the swearing in of our 44th president, Chicago’s own Barack Obama. I gathered with fellow Chicagoans at the Union League Club of Chicago to commemorate the Inauguration.

The gala brunch was sponsored by the Union League’s Public Affairs Committee. As I entered I was handed a small American flag and button to kick off the festivities. In addition to the buffet brunch, several televisions were provided so that everyone could get a prime view of the main event. The atmosphere was electric when the time came for the swearing-in and the inauguration speech by President Obama.

As the festivities wound down and we watched the departure of President Bush the sense was that we were on the brink of a new era. I know that all who attended were thrilled to have witnessed this historic transfer of power in this traditional and democratic fashion. It will be exciting to see what the next four years bring.

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Every year as the holidays approach I like to look back and reflect on the past year. What first comes to mind about 2008 are the political mile markers on both a national level with the presidential election, but also at a local level with the federal charges surrounding Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich. Hopefully 2009 brings less scandal to the windy city of Chicago.

At a more personal level, I am grateful to my staff for all their hard work this past year. Time and time again they show me their commitment to Kreisman Law Offices and I don’t know what I would do without them. We recently celebrated the year end together with our annual holiday outing to a Chicago restaurant. It’s nice to take time away from our hectic work pace and enjoy each other’s company.

And as the U.S. enters a new recession I appreciate even more the things in my life that no amount of money can buy- my family, my friends, and my health. While 2008 was a good year I am ready to take on 2009 and all its new opportunities and experiences.

So from myself and the rest of us at Kreisman Law Offices, have a safe, healthy, and happy holiday and our best wishes for the coming year.

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On Thanksgiving morning, Chicago attorney Bob Kreisman volunteered at the St. Louis Harbor Lights Salvation Army with family members from both St. Louis and Chicago. This is an annual event for the Kreisman family, who serve as waiters for those who come to enjoy the feast.

A total of 60 turkeys were cooked this year to feed the over 100 St. Louis homeless or facility residents who gathered at the Salvation Army. The feast was complete with ample portions of dressing, sweet potatoes, cranberry sauce, and of course, desserts. The atmosphere was festive and joyful as everyone gathered together to celebrate Thanksgiving.

The St. Louis Harbor Lights Salvation Army is a community center and provides social services, such as substance abuse and character building programs. It also provides Bible study, Sunday services, and music and arts for its visitors.

As the holiday season continues the Salvation Army has many more opportunities to volunteer your time or money to help those in need. Donations can be mailed to the Salvation Army, P.O. Box 1607, St. Louis, MO 63188-1607, or can be made via the Salvation Army website.

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This past Saturday the Magnificent Mile Lights Festival marked the beginning of the holiday season in Chicago. Like any good Chicago festival there was food, entertainment, fireworks, shopping, and of course the lighting of the trees along Michigan Avenue. Thousands of locals and visitors came out to participate and get a jump start on holiday cheer.

If you missed the Lights Festival there are several more festivals and events around Chicago to help jump start your holidays. Another lighting ceremony occurs at noon on December 2nd, when Mayor Daley lights the Chicago Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony. The tree is located in the Daley Plaza, which also hosts the Chicago Christkindlmarket, a German holiday market with food, drinks, and holiday crafts. And as long as you’re downtown, head over to State Street for some shopping and make sure you stop at Macy’s to take a peek at their annual holiday window display. Or if you’re looking for a more active experience, try ice skating at the Millennium Park Ice Rink, where you can skate amid Chicago’s impressive skyline.

For classic holiday entertainment, check out the Rockettes at The Radio City Christmas Spectacular, the sugar plum fairy dance in The Nutcracker, and Scrooge bah-humbug in A Christmas Carol.

I firmly believe in the importance of voter rights and the importance of promoting a free, fair and open voting experience for all eligible voters. For the 2008 Presidential Election I joined up with lawyers from across the country to protect the voting rights of citizens.

Even though I reside in Illinois I decided to serve in Dayton, Ohio on Election Day. Given the voter difficulties in recent presidential elections, particularly in the states of Florida and Ohio, I felt that I would be most useful in Ohio. I was assigned to the Dixon Wellness Worship Center, the polling place for Dayton’s Precinct 14-I. My job was to work outside of the polling place and answer any voting questions.

On Election Day I arrived an hour before the polls opened. Overall, my experience was very positive and had very few conflicts. The polling officials were seasoned and knowledgeable in dealing with the large turnout and ensured that the voting was orderly and well run. Several people showed up to the polling place unsure whether they were in the correct place. The polling officials and I were able to determine if they were in fact eligible to vote in this precinct, and if not, then where they should be voting.

At the end of the day I headed home feeling that I had contributed to our election process. As a lawyer I am in the unique position of making sure that the rights of others are not violated and can help those who can not stand up for themselves. While I didn’t witness any gross voter right violations in my precinct, I believe that it is important to take preventive measures to ensure that this remains the case nationwide.

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On October 18, 2008, Congressman Mark Kirk and challenger Dan Seals debated before area voters at Deerfield High School. Both candidates are running for the 10th Congressional District, which encompasses Chicago suburbs from Wilmette and north through Waukegan, Illinois. There were more than 800 people in attendance and loads of media reporting and videotaping the debate for later rebroadcast.

Representative Kirk, the Republican incumbent, said he was pro-choice, pro-environment and pro-education. He said that the Washington Post voted him the eighth most independent member of Congress. Kirk said that he opposed President Bush 59% of the time according to the Congressional Quarterly.

Dan Seals, Democrat, is making his second attempt to unseat his opponent. Seals repeatedly linked Kirk with President George W. Bush, citing that Kirk voted with the Bush Administration 90% of the time. Seals attacked Kirk for voting against the equal pay for woman in the workplace bill, also known as the Paycheck Fairness Act.

The heated debaters traded barbs regarding woman’s rights, the Bush administration, and their positions on other social issues. Even though the candidates had a few moments of agreement, the debate was acrimonious, fueled by the crowd eager to wildly cheer or boo either of the candidates.

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Last week I was privileged to attend the Ninth Annual Justice John Paul Stevens Award Luncheon on at Chicago’s Standard Club. This year the event was especially noteworthy because the awards namesake, Justice Stevens, was in attendance.

The award luncheon was started in 2000 by former law clerks to Justice Stevens. Justice Stevens has served on the Supreme Court bench for 33 years (he was nominated by then President Gerald Ford in 1975 to take the place of retiring Justice William O. Douglas), and is approaching the all-time record for service. The justice appeared well and delivered his remarks in a robust and strong-voiced delivery that could be associated with a much younger person.

The 88 year-old U.S. Supreme Court Justice spoke in depth about former Chicago Mayor Richard J. Daley and the current mayor, Richard M. Daley. Justice Stevens is a Chicago native, and after clerking for a Supreme Court Justice, Stevens returned to Chicago to practice law. Upon his return Justice Stevens paired up with Richard J. Daley, a state representative at the time, to fight for integration and civil rights within Chicago’s law societies. Justice Stevens commended both Mayor Daleys for their efforts in Chicago.

In addition, Justice Stevens spoke about the legal definitions of words like “people” and “liberty” in the written law, the constitution and in opinions found in cases. How these words are interpreted shapes our understanding of the law in different settings.

Also honored was attorney John B. Simon, United States Court of Appeals Judge Ann C. Williams and Illinois Supreme Court Chief Justice Thomas R. Fitzgerald. All of the award recipients spoke about their legal careers and honored they were to have received the award bearing Justice Stevens’s name in his presence.

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Today I attended Metropolitan Mandate: How the Next President Will Maximize Metro Potential, which was presented by Chicago’s Metropolitan Planning Council (MPC). At least 1,000 Chicago-area civic, government, corporate and community leaders were in attendance. This event was set up to address the issues facing metropolitan areas across the U.S., including Chicago.

It was introduced that 4 of 5 Americans live in or around a metropolitan area. These metropolitan areas are responsible for producing about 85% of the gross national product each year. Each presidential candidate had a surrogate speaker that voiced how they would address metropolitan area concerns such as transportation and urban economic development when they would become president. They took questions from the moderator.

Illinois House Representative. Jim Durkin spoke for Republican Presidential Candidate John McCain. Since 2007 Durkin has been co-chairing Senator McCain’s presidential campaign in Illinois. Born and bred in Illinois Rep. Durkin’s background in both politics and the Chicago region he was selected as one who is knowledgeable of Senator McCain’s plans and goals.

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As the junior year came to an end, I knew I wanted to do something more with my summer than sleep in and hang out. With my future looming on the horizon, I also knew it was time to start mulling over many of the agonizing decisions facing me this fall.

The piles of college mail gathering dust on my kitchen counter, agonizing career-planning meetings with my counselor, and the cornucopia of job fairs taking place each weekend all had me thinking. Each time I ripped open another envelope, sat down for another discussion, or wandered aimlessly about the aisles of a fair, I felt hopelessly lost. How am I expected to choose my career path based on a few pamphlets or a couple pieces of advice? As a rising senior in a Chicago area high school, I finally realized that what I really needed was what hours in a high school classroom could never give me: hands-on experience.

That’s what landed me here, as a summer intern at Kreisman Law Offices in Chicago. I’d always been told I’d “make a great lawyer”, but most of the people telling me this had little to no experience in law, and were probably only remarking on several qualities they assumed to be the makings of a lawyer. Still, it sparked my interest.

To me law is an exciting field: one that was always changing, yet had a constant novel purpose. However, I also heard horror stories of lawyers acting as money-hungry, self-absorbed, and ruthless liars or cheaters. But I discovered that both the public’ and my images of the modern attorney are completely false. The word ‘lawyer’ is not one-size-fits-all. My internship here at Kreisman Law Offices gave me a crucial backstage pass to the real substance of law, and how it functions on a day-to-day basis.

My experience here can only be described as priceless. Sure, I picked up a general knowledge of the court system, a smattering of law vernacular, as well as basic job experience. And of course I also gained a fundamental understanding of the differences between different types of firms, lawyers, and courts. I was taught how to abstract depositions, research law, and use databases, all of which were great learning experiences.

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Chicago medical malpractice lawyer, Bob Kreisman, attended the American Association of Justice annual convention in Philadelphia from July 12 through July 16, 2008. The meetings were held in Philadelphia’s Center City, in the shadow of its famous city hall. The conference had seminars for every field of trial practice.
For those who were particularly interested in the upcoming elections, there were luncheons, town hall meetings and late night discussions. Senator Claire McCaskill of Missouri spoke with Kansas governor Kathleen Sebelius. Pennsylvania’s governor Ed Rendell and Senator Arlin Specter, also of Pennsylvania, drew large crowds to different events. Also, nominees for both the House of Representatives and Senate were on hand for speaking engagements. Minnesota’s democratic hopeful Al Franken spoke on Monday afternoon to a packed house with Governor Brian Schweitzer of Montana.

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