Power in Collaboration®
The Mechanic’s Lien Act provides a powerful tool for contractors, subcontractors and materials suppliers get paid. It also provides protection for homeowners, but they have to exercise those rights in order to benefit from those protections. In this video, David Arena reviews those rights and how homeowners use them to protect against mechanic’s liens.
Recent news accounts have informed us that Leona Helmsley, “the Queen of Mean,” died as she lived. She left a $12,000,000 trust for her pet dog, “Trouble,” while disinheriting at least two of her grandchildren. Ms. Helmsley was, fortunately for Trouble, not an Illinois resident. While Illinois has a “Pet Trust Act” which I drafted,… Read more »
In the February issue of this newsletter I wrote about an Illinois Appellate Court decision that dealt with the lien rights of design professionals. The article was “Another Appellate Court Smack Down for Architects and Engineers.” The Appellate Court held that design professionals can only have a lien if their services increase the value of… Read more »
In our July 2007 newsletter, I wrote about the government’s increased crack-down on illegal aliens and the employers who employ them. You may think that employers of illegals are immune from lawsuits filed by illegals for race, national origin, or any other kind of workplace discrimination. Wrong. As a recent Title VII sex harassment case… Read more »
During the recent residential real estate development boom, our client, a real estate broker, and his partners successfully negotiated for a large national builder, the acquisition of two farms. The first farm, consisting of 300 acres, sold for $16 million. The second farm, consisting of 450 acres, sold for $30 million. At a 5% commission… Read more »
It was a hot humid afternoon, the kind when the Cubs blow a 5 to 2 lead in the top of the ninth. I was wearing my light-blue double-worsted French-cuff blouse, black pumps, and black pencil skirt with back-slit detail. Perfect for court or taking in a set at Buddy Guy’s. The Blue Line was… Read more »
Illinois’ amended Limited Liability Company Act permits single member LLCs. This feature offers some unique opportunities to the sole proprietor. The big difference is, the LLC is a recognized legal entity for purposes of state law. It provides a liability shield like a corporation, but with far less formality. There is no requirement for the… Read more »
Alan L. Stefaniak In the March 2012 issue of this newsletter I addressed the Illinois Supreme Court’s decision in the case known as Cypress Creek. This is the decision that stood on its head the concept of enhancement when there are competing liens of a prior mortgage and mechanics lien claimants. In Cypress Creek the… Read more »
Our last issue explained how the Illinois Mechanics Lien Act provides a powerful collection tool to general contractors, subcontractors and material suppliers who provide labor or materials for the construction of improvements on private projects. The Act allows a contractor or material supplier to force the sale of an owner’s property to pay the contractor’s… Read more »
This fall, Julia Jensen Smolka had an article published with the Illinois State Bar Association Real Estate Section. The article is a summary of the Illinois Commercial Real Estate Broker’s Lien Act. Ms. Smolka won a ruling on appeal with the First District Appellate Court on the validity of a commercial real estate lien on… Read more »