The ABA Blawg 100 Submission Form
It’s that time of year again. Those of you regularly following blogs, even this one, are encouraged to submit your favorites to the American Bar Association. The Blawg 100 Amici submission form can be found here.
Friday Roundup
We thought this Friday would be a good time to highlight some great pieces from around the web that you may find interesting:
- There is an article up at Blair Kamin’s Cityscapes (formerly The Skyline) about Jeanne Gang’s Dwell Magazine featured project.
- Ken Adam’s has an extremely informative discussion going over at Adam’s Drafting regarding re-writing the American Arbitration Association’s Standard Arbitration Clause in light of the Manual of Style for Contract Drafting’s proposals on clearer contract language. The read is important for people honestly interested in their contract language and some possible implications of using the AAA’s recommended language.
- The Fair Housing Defense Blog has an article about occupancy standards and why they matter. For those dealing with FHA issues on a regular basis, this piece will pique your curiosity.
- Anyone who’s a fan of the Car Talk Puzzler will get a kick out of the Friday fun going on over at the venerable Drug and Device Law. You may also be curious about this piece they did over a week ago regarding some non-empirical evidence of the life of legal blogs. (For the record, ILCLB’s at One Year and 10 months.)
ICLB's Legislative Update - August 2009
This month’s legislation update is no surprise to those who have been following our posts on the mechanic’s lien act amendments and the amendments to the counties code.
House Bill – 236 has now become Public Act 96-0654 – Amends the Illinois Mechanic’s Lien Act (770 ILCS 60/1 et seq.) - GC lien claimants on owner-occupied single-family residences now need to give an owner written notice of the filing of a lien against the property within 10 days of the filing.
Senate Bill – 1511 has now become Public Act 96-721 – Amends the Illinois Counties Code (55 ILCS 5/1 et seq.)- Allows county boards outside incorporated towns are now allowed to require occupancy permits for residential dwellings located outside the incorporated areas. Removes the right to charge fees for the residential permits unless the residential fees are grandfathered in.
Senate Bill – 138 has now become Public Act 96-0704 – Amends the Capital Development Board Act (20 ILCS 3105/10.09-1) – Orders local governments without building codes to adopt the model codes or inform the Capital Development Board of the adopted codes. Sets requirements for building inspectors enforcing code requirement under the act.
For design professionals who operate under a limited liability company structure, a certificate of registration is now required from the Department of Financial and Professional Regulation. Public Act 96-0679 - This appears to be in addition to the professional design firm registration already required.
And on an off-blog note, bowling alleys now have a safe harbor of their own.
Senate Bill – 1335 has now become Public Act 96-0713, the Bowling Center Act.
The Bowling Center Act, establishes the requirements for certain exemptions from personal injury suits for bowling alleys caused by patrons wearing bowling shoes outside the alley if the proper signs are posted at all entrances and exits. Citizens can rest easy knowing that the definitions of both “bowler” and “bowling shoes” are now statutorily codified.
We've Moved!
In case you were wondering where the updates have been...
We recently moved offices to 222 N. LaSalle:
New content is on its way....
Blawg Review #207 is up...
You can find it over at Law 21. This weeks review is entitled “All The News That Fits.”
Blawg Review #205 is up...
This week’s host is George Wallace over at the Declarations and Exclusions Blog.
Legal Fees In a Construction Dispute?... You're Not Alone.
John Parnass over at Washington Construction Law, an excellent Washington State Construction Law resource, is reporting on this article from the Law Blog of the Wall Street Journal. The Donald is suing his attorneys over the fees they billed in representing him in a construction matter.
Great quotes from Trump regarding the underlying dispute and legal case over the breach of the earth-moving contract in the construction of a Golf Course:
"I have a Ph.D. in legal fees. I know when fees are fair and when they are not."
"Ninety percent of the conversations I had ... were about legal fees, not the case,"
"We won the case because I'm a great witness."
Whether or not they've got their own TV Show, clients should work with attorneys to establish a beneficial fee structure and ensure that they're getting value for their money.
Great quotes from Trump regarding the underlying dispute and legal case over the breach of the earth-moving contract in the construction of a Golf Course:
"I have a Ph.D. in legal fees. I know when fees are fair and when they are not."
"Ninety percent of the conversations I had ... were about legal fees, not the case,"
"We won the case because I'm a great witness."
Whether or not they've got their own TV Show, clients should work with attorneys to establish a beneficial fee structure and ensure that they're getting value for their money.
