Around the water cooler

Calling all questions 

Do you ever wish that you could get a general counsel or in-house lawyer in a conference room so that you could pump them for information about improving your relationship with them — well you can. Sort of.

We are having a roundtable discussion with a group of general counsel attorneys and we want to know what we should ask them. What general questions do you have for them? What topics are you curious about? If you’ve got some ideas please email me, Olivia Clarke, at oclarke@lbpc.com.

We want your ideas and we want to provide you with the most useful and interesting story possible.

Around the water cooler

My first blog

Hi all, my name is Olivia Clarke and I will be one of Chicago Lawyer’s bloggers. I am also a reporter for the magazine and I welcome all your ideas and suggestions for future story ideas.

In addition to searching for story ideas, I am going to try to also discuss current events, Chicago happenings and movies. I want to provide members of the legal community with a place to talk about lighter topics as they wait for that next call or client meeting.

I recently wrote about lawyers volunteering their time, expertise and fundraising skills to presidential campaigns. I am looking for members of the legal community who would like to share their stories about volunteering their time to help different politicians, and the enjoyment they got from those experiences. You can share those stories in the comment or discussion section of this blog.

Around the water cooler: Lawyer endows IP speaker fund

Each week I will highlight a different case or legal happening, and solicit your thoughts on the impact of it in the legal community.

Welsh & Katz founding partner A. Sidney Katz endowed a new intellectual property law speaker fund at The George Washington University Law School called The A. Sidney Katz Intellectual Property Law Speaker Fund.

The law school plans to host at least four speakers each year, and is contemplating also hosting lectures of interest to law school students pursuing a career in intellectual property law. All of the events will take place at the university’s campus in Washington, D.C.

“I think it’s a way of keeping abreast of the changes in intellectual property law, and from people who are in the know,” Katz said. “There are a number of legislative proposals to revise the patent laws in the United States pending in Congress. I would expect those issues will be the subject of discussion also. It could help even our legislators get a handle on what the best reform should be for patents.

“Intellectual property is really become more and more important, I think, strategically for corporate America. There have been a number of recent and major developments in intellectual property.”

Katz received his law degree from the school in 1966 and serves on the Dean’s Intellectual Property Advisory Board. He’s also endowed the A. Sidney Katz Admissions and Financial Aid Reception Center in 2003, and the A. Sidney Katz Archway in 2006, which connects the University Yard to 20^th Street, between G and H Streets, on the school’s campus.

“When I went to George Washington in the 1960s, I think they had the most prominent patent law department in the country,” he said. “And I still think, in my view, that it ranks at the top of all the law schools with respect to particularly patent law. Because that’s my profession, I’ve stayed in touch with them.”

Husch Blackwell Sanders announced in June its intent to combine with Welsh & Katz.

Around the water cooler: Lawyer joining council

Each week I will highlight a different case or legal happening, and solicit your thoughts on the impact of it in the legal community.

Illinois State Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias recently appointed Anita Ponder to the Women’s Affairs Council.

The goals of the council include making recommendations to the Illinois State Treasurer regarding initiatives, policies and programs that will have a tangible, positive impact on the female community in Illinois.

Ponder, a partner in Drinker Biddle & Reath’s government and regulatory affairs group, said some of her responsibilities in the council include advising the treasurer’s office on broad community trends, upcoming events, potential partnerships and outreach opportunities. The council will also help the office develop programs, and connect with the community.

“I think this council will help the treasurer have an open dialogue with women throughout the state,” she said, “and build positive relationships that can help him kind of initiate and implement significant programs and services that make a difference in the lives of women in Illinois.”

She said the council will meet quarterly, and members will receive information regarding activities and initiative that they can also pass along to others.

“I’m very honored to be part of a group that I think will be making a significant difference in how the treasurer’s office will affect change in the lives of women,” she said.

Around the water cooler — Sailing with Alice O. Martin

Each week I will highlight a different case or legal happening, and solicit your thoughts on the impact of it in the legal community.

Alice O. Martin has been on water since about age 3.

Her father owned many powerboats that they used on Lake Erie. By the time she was a teen she was joining racing boat crews.

Now a partner and co-chair of the life sciences practice group at Barnes & Thornburg, she’s been racing in Chicago since about 1976 or 1977.

It’s not unusual for her to be one of only a small group of female skippers competing in a boat race. Her gender often makes her more noticeable, which can be good and bad. If she makes a mistake, then everyone notices it, she said.

“More women are getting involved at the crew level, and on some smaller boats,” she said. “But it is still basically a man’s sport. It’s a little rough. You have to be a little bit more aggressive, and a bit more thick-skinned.”

She plans to compete in the 100th Race to Mackinac, which begin July 19 off of the Chicago Harbor Lighthouse. With the largest fleet in race history, more than 400 crafts will make the 333-mile trek. The race centennial will be celebrated on Mackinac Island with a gala fireworks display on July 22.

She’s competed in about 15 Macs. She plans to do most of the driving of her boat, “Painkiller4,” which is named after a drink that uses Pusser’s rum, orange juice, pineapple juice, cream of coconut, and hallucinogenic nutmeg.

Her crew for the Mac will consist of nine people and herself.  Her crew will alternate shifts in four-hour increments, unless the weather gets bad.

“It’s very challenging,” she said about racing. “It’s one of the places where it is you against the elements. It promotes teamwork. I’ve met a lot of interesting crews, and it’s very physically demanding. It keeps you in good shape. And it’s unpredictable, so it’s a good problem-solving activity.”

Sailing helps her connect with some of her clients, Martin said. She’s brought some clients out on her boat for social sails, and a few clients have been on past crews.

Clients tend to trust her lawyering skills even more after they see her on her boat maneuvering through potentially challenging situations, she said.

Her boat at the Mac may be easy to see because it has a very large, pink, shiny wheel; and she sometimes wears a pink flamingo hat and pink boa.

“We do win races,” she said. “We are serious about the races, but when we finish we like to have a lot of fun.”

Around the water cooler — Q & A with Dave Glatz

Each week we will pose these three questions to different lawyers in the legal community.

This week we talk with Dave Glatz, a partner at Bell, Boyd & Lloyd, who has been practicing almost 10 years.

– What do you find the most interesting about your practice?

The variety. Every day it’s something new. The intellectual challenge is constant.

— What makes a good lawyer?

Technical knowledge is always necessary, but I think communications skills, attention to detail, and commitment to excellence are key.

– What is the biggest legal news right now and what is its impact?

In my area of practice - M & A and Securities - the economy is the big story.

Deal flow has slowed considerably but the middle market still has some life. The credit markets have tightened up, this has led to a decrease in financing for private equity firms on the buy side and has caused investment companies and mutual fund complexes to find alternative sources of leverage financing for their funds.

Around the water cooler: Sailing

Each week I highlight a different case or legal happening, and solicit your thoughts on the impact of it in the legal community.

Leif Sigmond said he’s been sailing practically his whole life.

He grew up in New Jersey in a family that enjoyed sailing. Now 43, sailing continues to be a passion.

“There are no cell phones ringing,” said Sigmond, a partner and former managing partner at McDonnell Boehnen Hulbert & Berghoff. “No one from the office is calling.

“What I really enjoy when racing sailboats is, you are so focused on trying to win the race or sail the boat as fast as you can that you are not thinking about work. It is a really nice getaway from being a lawyer.”

Most weekends during the summer, from about mid-May to mid-September, he races. And if he’s not racing then he’s sailing for fun.

His firm is the official law firm sponsor of the 100th Race to Mackinac.

Sigmond will participate in the race this year with his Tartan Ten or T-10 boat, named Norboy. His dad grew up in Norway and his family was in the sardine canning business. When his father was a boy, he was pictured on the Norboy brand of sardines. He named the boat in his father’s honor because he taught Sigmond how to sail.

The 100th Race to Mackinac will begin July 19 off the Chicago Harbor Lighthouse. With the largest fleet in race history, more than 400 crafts will make the 333-mile trek. The race centennial will be celebrated on Mackinac Island with a gala fireworks display on July 22.

He said his boat will have a crew of six, and they will sail night and day — a situation that many do not realize. He describes the amenities to that of camping out. The weather is often unexpected, and the race takes a lot of strategy.

“It’s really an interesting race,” Sigmond said. “The Mac race is really something. It’s a Lake Michigan legend, and every sailor knows about it and talks about it. You plan your summer around that race.”

Co-skippers and patent attorneys, Sigmond, and Gary M. Ropski, president of Brinks Hofer Gilson & Lione, recently took third place for their USA team when they crossed the finish line in the Patent Cup Regatta held in Venice, Italy, off Lido Island in the Adriatic Sea.

Participating for the second time in this event, Sigmond, Ropski, and their crew sailed a Giro 34, also known as a G34, manufactured by the French yacht design company, Groupe Finot. None of the boats were individually named except for a letter designation. The USA boat was boat “L.” All of the boats were identically rigged.

In 2006, the Sigmond-Ropski team earned the first-ever first place USA victory in the Patent Cup race, which was at the Chicago Yacht.

In addition to Sigmond and Ropski, members of this year’s third-place winning U.S. team included: Marcus Thymian and Michael Gannon, both attorneys at McDonnell Boehnen; Derek Minihane, in-house counsel at Intermolecular in San Jose; and Michael Pophal, in-house counsel at Energizer in Cleveland.

Established in 1989 by two friends, a German patent attorney, and a French patent attorney, the Patent Cup, unique to the field of intellectual property law, was created to foster camaraderie and help cultivate strong relations among patent attorneys from around the world as well as provide opportunities for new and exciting sailing venues.

According to the Patent Cup charter, each sailing boat must have a crew consisting primarily of patent attorneys. Every year the race is held in a different country with the host country responsible for the organization, terms and conditions of the race, the boats chosen and all other arrangements for the event.

Around the water cooler — Commercial Solutions Service Group

Each week I will highlight a different case or legal happening, and solicit your thoughts on the impact of it in the legal community.

Arnstein & Lehr recently formed its Commercial Solutions Service Group to assist clients in navigating the increasingly complex legal issues that have emerged in connection with situations of financial distress in today’s economy.

The service group is comprised of attorneys from its Chicago and Florida offices, who work in a variety of legal disciplines, including banks and financial institutions; bankruptcy & creditors’ rights; condominium and community associations; construction; litigation; real estate; and tax practice groups.

The new service group anticipates aiding clients in a variety of situations, including, according to the firm:

– Banks weighing their legal options when faced with the possibility of taking over management of a property that is partially built

– Builders and developers facing construction issues and financial difficulties as a result of the housing collapse

– Protecting contractors with enforcement of mechanics’ liens on real estate

– Counseling condo associations whose funding has been impacted and limited by foreclosure proceedings

– Aiding lenders and borrowers in avoiding lengthy Chapter 11 proceedings

– Navigating the myriad tax concerns that emerge during workouts

– Aiding retailers and landlords of retail properties during bankruptcy proceedings

Dino Armiros, a partner and co-chair of the service group, said the firm decided to name it a “service group” instead of a “practice group” because the group contains lawyers from different practice areas.

“We want to create an awareness in the business community that Arnstein & Lehr has the depth of expertise to handle all facets of a distress situation,” Armiros said. “We’re capable of advising people on their business solutions, rather than simply their legal options.”

Samuel Levine, partner and co-chair of the group, said this group provides an opportunity for different facets of the firm’s practices to work together.

“The problems we faced today are more complex than in the past,” Levine said. “You are able to have the client use the expertise of a wide range of people.”

Around the water cooler — Q & A with Carmel Cosgrave

Each week we will pose these three questions to different lawyers in the legal community.

This week we talk with Carmel M. Cosgrave, partner and chair of the healthcare practice group at SmithAmundsen. The group handles a variety of litigation matters and non-litigation for the healthcare industry.  She also handles complex cases outside of the healthcare arena. She has been practicing for more than 27 years.

– What do you find the most interesting about your practice?

What I love about my practice is that it is constantly changing and evolving.  I enjoy learning new things, whether it is about the law, an industry, technology, or an organization. I have been fortunate to be able to handle a wide variety of work in my years of practice. My job has never been boring.

– What makes a good lawyer?

I think there are many traits that make for a good lawyer. As a litigator, I think one of the most important traits is inquisitiveness. A good litigator is constantly asking questions and trying to determine what the best outcome should be for her client.

– What is the biggest legal news right now, and what is its impact?

The biggest legal news is e-discovery, and the effect that the changes in the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure are having on litigation. The ramifications are being felt not just in federal court, but state court as well.  I feel that the high cost of discovery, and particularly electronic discovery, has caused a decrease in the volume of cases being filed. The stakes have to be pretty high to justify the expense of electronic discovery.  While this has many positive effects for society, such as fewer frivolous lawsuits, it may ultimately put the court system out of reach for many litigants.

Around the water cooler — A pro bono project

Each week I will highlight a different case or legal happening, and solicit your thoughts on the impact of it in the legal community.

The Northwest Side Housing Center’s Affordability Gap Loan program is a loan product that reduces the amount a family owes on their home by up to $50,000. The homeowner can finance out of a loan with predatory characteristics, and into a quality mortgage they can afford for the long term.

Eligible homeowner must live in zip codes 60634, 60707 (Chicago portion), 60639, 60641, 60647, 60651, and 60618; and meet certain income guidelines.

During the 15-year term of the Gap Loan, the homeowner makes no payments on that loan. After 15 years or upon sale of the home or refinance, the borrower is responsible for repaying the amount of the loan plus a percentage of the appreciation.

The housing center will work with qualified applicants to refinance by obtaining quality mortgages more suited to their incomes. The gap loan is used to make up the difference between the loans since the new mortgages tend to be for lesser amounts - based on what the applicant can truly afford as well as the reduced value of most homes.

The program will make more than $500,000 available to homeowners facing foreclosure, and whose original loans had predatory characteristics.

There is also an incentive for paying it off early in the first five years.  Housing counseling is also a key component of the program.

Chapman and Cutler partner John Hitt, who provided legal services on a pro bono basis to the housing center, said he helped structure the program and draft the loan documents.

The legal legwork turned out to be fairly complicated, Hitt said. They tried to find similar programs around the country, but could not find any.

Residents of Chicago’s Northwest Side has been especially hard hit by the housing melt-down, with more than 1,700 home foreclosures started since 2007, an increase by over 500 percent in the past 15 years, according to the law firm’s press release.

The first loan closed about a month ago, and everyone involved hopes the word will get out about the program so that others take advantage of it, and so other financial institutions are encouraged to participate, Hitt said.

“I think it’s particularly gratifying for a couple of reasons,” he said. “We’re trying to use this program to get funds to help keep people in their homes and help stabilize the neighborhood, and that is obviously a good thing.”

For more information about the Gap Loan Program, please contact Liz Caton at (773) 836-1179.

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