Peter Francis Geraci arrested
 

Local TV-ad star and bankruptcy lawyer Peter Francis Geraci was arrested for assault today according to the Trib. Apparently he got into a scuffle with three other residents of his apartment building...

Buddy Myers anyone?
 

So they find a kid on a traffic stop on the north side and the driver can't name a single relative of the child. They think the kid was kidnapped from North Carolina after he disappeared with his 2 dogs 2 years ago.

The kid would be 7, but they want to wait for DNA tests before they give him back.

Is it just me, or shouldn't 7 year old Chicagoans remember that they lived with another family in North Carolina until 2 years ago?

I hate to cry foul, but this smells fishy in ways that go beyond the arrested driver.

Just a vent for a day.

Hello

Re: Buddy Myers
 

Based on what I've heard, it sure sounds like this is the kid from SC... similar scars and a speech impediment. Not surprised a kid of that age wouldn't remember something like that, look at the condition Elizabeth Smart was in when they found her, and she was much older.

What troubles me is it doesn't look like the kid has much to look forward to no matter how this turns out... Saw his mother and family on local news -- mother was 15 when she had him and gave up custody, now claims she is trying to turn her life around as an exotic dancer. Rest of family has similar issues. Obviously, if the DNA matches he should go back, but he's got a rough road.

Re: Buddy Myers
 

Surprise, surprise!! It's NOT him! Apparently the father's far-fetched story about the kid's mother being a prostitute he had a one-night-stand with years ago checks out... What are the odds?

And as I said before, what are the prospects for this kid?? Not very good...

Re: Buddy Myers
 

Heh heh,

>>Is it just me, or shouldn't 7 year old Chicagoans remember that they lived with another family in North Carolina until 2 years ago?<<

You heard it here first. However, this is almost certainly a story where I'd rather not hear the ending.

Coming up next, the true story of Peter Francis Geraci's troubles.

Or not.

Chicago Happenings
 

My bet is that it will take two things to get him out of office. First, a credible opponent. Second, a series of political issues that expose him for what he is. The quote from Thomas Needham (lawyer) a few years ago would be an awesome quote to use in any political campaign by a credible candidate. Specifically, and I'm paraphrasing, "we police the city at the level the citizenry will tolerate". As in (conversely), we have the high homicide rate because our citizens will tolerate it.

Anywhere else, the quote would have been a wet dream for a political opponent.

His sons are probably non-starters. The Mt. Carmel summer home incident 8 or 10 years ago has one marked as a baseball bat (or was it a shotgun?) wielding thug.

Indictment is probably not going to happen either, though there is plenty to indict many, many of his top hand-picked administrators and circle of friend.

Death? A close second. Its not like there are more than 5 or 6 paramedics in the city that would perform CPR on him if he has an (another?) heart attack. A few years ago, before the city got the 10 extra BLS ambulances, the fire department sent the "closest" ambulance to his home on Prairie (or is it Indiana) in response to a call for him. The closest available ambulance was more than 10 miles away, from somewhere near Ford City. That was during the period he was continually refusing to buy more ambulances, while refusing to reduce the non-emergency runs that paramedics went out on. After the incident he reversed his position quickly. The 10 BLS ambulances were arranged a few weeks after it took him 15 minutes to get one of the ALS ambulances that he had continually insisted were adequate for the city.

But death isn't the top choice. At some point, we will get another Harold Washington or someone else who can credibly challenge the Daley record. What continually amazes me is that it hasn't happened yet.

Hello

Da Mare
 

My take on Da Mare's job security --

He could be caught on tape in a crack den in an inflatable pool filled with mayonnaise and cash stolen from the city treasury wrestling with and engaged in various sexual acts with Saddam Hussein and various assorted barnyard animals...

If this were to happen, he might squeak by the next election with 60%....

Random accolades (Cook County Treasurer)
 

So I had a suspicion that my second installment '02 taxes were not paid by my mortgagor when only one payment was shown on paper at income tax time. The suspicion grew stronger when the mortgagor, Wells Fargo, mailed me a check a week ago for approximately the value of a tax payment.

Well, if you want to find out whether your taxes are paid, all you need to do is email the cook county treasurer's customer service address with your PIN number and question.

It took them 1 business day to tell me that my taxes were sold at auction on April 1, 2003. While my old mortgagor (Draper & Kramer) and my new mortgagor (Wells Fargo) get thumbs down for flubbing this in the first place, the Cook County Treasurer's Office (Maria Pappas) gets the highest marks for responsiveness to my inquiry. They gave me three different ways to contact the organization which I would deal with the redeem the taxes (though that will be done by the mortgagor). Since we are 10 or 100 times more likely to note something publicly when we are angry, I figured it would be nice to just once say that someone is doing a pretty good job.

Hello

Calling all Windy City posters...
 

As the newly-appointed (by default??) Windy City Moderator, I would like to welcome everyone again to the Chicago Board of Lawtalkers and encourage you to feel free to post happenings in and around the Chicago area. This is Chicago, not Death Valley, so let's see some activity here!!

Anyone who knows my fictitious self here knows I am generally a very easy-going and laid back person, so I will be generally taking a laissez-faire approach to things here. Feel free to message me with questions or problems and I'll try to help as best I can. I'm learning too, you know.

That said, spammers or the like will be dealt with and ridiculed worse than a Glenbrook North Junior... :trout:

Happy Memorial Day.

Mr. Hand

Looks like Coltrane's gonna have to move...
 

or at least change his location to "Northerly Island"...

In a big shocker, a Cook County judge today threw out the lawsuit attempting to stop the demolition of Meigs Field., saying the land was always intended to be a park. Opponents say they will now seek a TRO in federal court to stop Daley's bulldozers.

In other news, those same bulldozers accidentally plowed into each of the Plaintiffs' homes today while they were in court. Twice.

Looks like Coltrane's gonna have to move...
 

While I hate the motivation that most likely existed for da Mare to do what he did, I'm still happy for the results. The only people who I personally knew to use Meigs were politicians and their staffers flying to and from Springfield. There is no need to make it a democrat or republican political issue, as Thompson, Edgar, Madigan and many other locals all used the service at one time or another. The Mayor would like nicer things that he actually can use, like bike paths, in his front yard!

Anyway, I'd hate to think that the judge did it on orders, but the judge was right. The entire lakefront, without exception AFAIK, was intended as parkland, and the whole city will benefit from an open lakefront. Kudos to the judge for the reasoning he gave.


Hello

Calling all Windy City posters...
 

Sounds a bit more reasonable than the iron fist approach used by raise ipsa to moderate the infirmation chicago board. kudos to you.

Looks like Coltrane's gonna have to move...
 

Shit.

They bulldozed my half pipe too.

Alright HAMILTON!

Calling all Windy City posters...
 

Iron Fist? I always thought of it more as the whine of Woody Allen.

Tax(c'mon, stay on topic or I'll tell you about having to take my Aunt Sadie to senior prom)wonk

Calling All Windy City Posters...
 

Coltrane, Wonk, thanks for stopping by... 3 posts in 5 minutes?? This job is getting way too stressful! Hope we don't crash the board...

Say It Ain't So-sa
 

Thank you Sammy for handing us a new topic...

Sammy Sosa gets caught using a corked bat, but claims he just used it for batting practice to put a show on for the fans.

My thoughts: To make it perfectly clear, I'm not a fan of Sammy's, though I respect his accomplishments in the game. I think the batting practice excuse is pure BS, and here's why. I think he knowingly kept that bat in the rack as a "slumpbuster". I.e., he broke it out whenever he was slumping and needed a little extra boost at the plate.

Story in the Sun-times notes that Sammy used a dark-colored bat (like the corked bat) to drive in the game-winning run in the 16th inning against the Astros over the weekend. Before that, he used a light colored bat in the game and struck out 5 times. He also has been in a home run drought, only hitting 6 this year... Coincidence??

For those who don't follow baseball, corked bats which have been discovered historically are a darker color because a wood stain is used to help conceal the drill hole in the end of the bat.

Love to hear everyone's thoughts, especially Cub fans...

Do you believe him?? Does this bring his other accomplishments into question?? Does this make you wonder about the truth of his denials on the dreaded steroids issue??

US Open in Chicago
 

As I'm sure you're well aware, professional golfers will be camped out in Chicago for the better part of the next month with the US Open underway at Olympia Fields this weekend and the Western Open at Cog Hill over the 4th.

As the self-appointed LawTalkers golf correspondent for the Open, I will be taking in some of the action and will report back next week with some of the sights... Still amazed I couldn't get press credentials.

If you're going to the Open at all, look me up. I'll be the guy in the golf hat, golf shirt and cargo shorts. Should be easy to spot...

McGuireWoods & Ross & Hardies
 

Is this merger a big deal?

not7y(no idea)S

McGuireWoods & Ross & Hardies
 

From what I know, it probably won't make a whole lot of waves. McGuire Woods just opened their Chicago office a few years ago in order to service some of their corporate clients with employee benefit work that could be better done in Chicago. They are a much bigger player (the only player?) at the home office in Virginia. I heard rumors that one of Jenner's asshole partners with a pretty sizeable book of business moved over to McGuire to get their lit practice going. Not sure how big the office is now, but I can't imagine it's more than around 50, and I'm too lazy to look up the actual numbers.

Ross & Hardies is a pretty well respected firm, but from what I understand it's having trouble cutting ties to it's insurance industry clients (this could be old news, as I haven't heard much about them in a while) and has never really been a huge player in the market. In fact, I don't even know if they pay market. Maybe a little less than what Baker and Winston pay.

If it were my guess, I'd say McGuire Woods is controlling this deal. They probably have higher PPP and want to make bigger inroads into the litigation field. So, this is a good way for them to do it. I wouldn't be surprised if a couple R&H partners with insurance-based books get the axe or go out on their own.

Of course, I have to disclose that this is all conjecture on my part based on what little I know about the two firms. People with actual knowledge should feel free to correct me.

McGuireWoods & Ross & Hardies
 

Pretty much right on, MR. Ross is (was) a nice firm, but never on the radar screen of the top firms in town... Yet another 2nd or 3rd tier firm to be gobbled up by a larger national player in recent years. I think this puts the combined Chicago presence at 150 or so, and with Ted Tetzlaff leading the merger, they will try to make their presence felt. Gotta think there will be some "chopping of the dead wood", however...

This is definitely not a merger of equals, and with the "branding" trend of national firms, I think the Ross and Hardies names will go the way of "Battle and Booth" or whatever it was before they shortened it in short order...

McGuireWoods & Ross & Hardies
 

That's it, Tetzlaff.

Anyway, do you think it's a good move for McGuire Woods? How about for the R&H partners that don't get the axe?

McGuireWoods & Ross & Hardies
 

It's probably good for McGuire Woods, because they get some good reputable people and will get some notice here which they did not get before...

The Ross partners who stay will probably pull in more (haven't checked PPP lately). However, they may not like being a branch office after their long history on their own and may chafe under Tetzlaff's rule, as some at Jenner did before his departure...

US Open in Chicago
 

Had a great time at the US Open over the weekend, as the weather held up and the scores (finally) went up as well. Saw most of the top players, including a good bit of the champion Jim Furyk. You could just tell that he was feeling it by watching his swing and his reactions... The guy who knocked one off the top of the TV tower behind me obviously wasn't feeling it.

Tiger Woods just couldn't get anything going. As you would expect, his galleries were still huge, with people grabbing a spot 5 holes ahead of him just to see him hit one shot and walk by.

Have to say the event was very well run, as lines weren't terribly long and it seemed well organized. Crowd was very polite and supportive, especially of Tom Watson and his caddy Bruce Edwards, who has ALS. Except for the Vijay heckler moron, the whistler on Tiger's backswing and the topless poor imitation of Morganna the Kissing Bandit who tried to smooch Jim Furyk, the crowd behaved itself.

Not sure when the Open might come back to Chicago. It'll be at least 2010, but the 2006 PGA and the 2012 Ryder Cup are set for Medinah, and there's always the Western Open over the 4th...

j&g to dissolve ???
 

any news on when jenkens & Gilcrist will dissolve the firm ?

Reports of its death have been
 

Greatly exagerrated. Jenkens is an pretty big firm, and it has many offices. Sure, Daugerdas will probably be looking for a new job, if he doesn't get indicted (and let's face it, he propably won't). But if their close and personal friendship with Enron didn't kill the firm, this won't kill it either.

Wonk??
 

Normally I wouldn't ask, but with your recent history I have to know...

Wonk, that new avatar of yours isn't a self-portrait, I hope??:shock:

Wonk??
 

Don't be rEdiculous....


my skull is much thicker

BREAKING NEWS! Altheimer to Close Doors
 

Chicagobusiness.com is reporting that partners at Altheimer & Gray, the 88-year old firm that currently is the 13th largest firm in Chicago, are expected to vote to dissolve the firm on Monday, June 30th. Reported reasons for the closure include strategic differences, a downturn in business and some recent defections...

Best of luck to our 160+ Altheimer friends and the rest of their staff. More news to follow as developments warrant...

http://www.chicagobusiness.com/cgi-bin/news.pl?id=9310

retirement benefits redux 2003
 

So I read the retired managing partner's email and the press reports. His retirement benefits were stopped and he hopes to find a way to replace them?

That doesn't sound like a 401K to me, but I'm obviously just guessing here. If not, were retirees benefits being funded with income from ongoing operations? Were partners still drawing after retiring?

If so, then fuck him and the horse he rode in on. These firms will all die some day. From our view, it is supposedly one of the reasons that Pennie & Edmonds can't find a groom (emphasis on "one of").

So, if anyone can confirm whether retirees were still drawing from the pot after retirement, other than a standard government-sanctioned retirement plan, it would help many of us determine what lessen there is to learn from this.

Hello

Chicago Porch Collapse
 

12 young people were killed and over 50 were injured on the North Side of Chicago over the weekend when a three-story porch collapsed during a party. News accounts indicate that one of the victims, Henry "Jay" Wischerath, 24, had just completed his first year at the University of Chicago law school, and that other U of C students were in attendance.

Our condolences go out to the families and friends of Mr. Wischerath and the other victims of this terrible tragedy, as well as to the U of C law school community.

A link to a news account of the tragedy follows:

http://www.suntimes.com/output/news/...s-porch30.html

Chicago Porch Collapse
 

Another one of the victims was the 23 year old daughter of a partner in the Milwaukee office of Godfrey and Kahn. She was a recent grad of Duke who was working in Chicago. Very sad.

Chicago Porch Collapse
 

Very sad indeed.

The property owner was my old landlord a while back. We were on the second floor deck of our apartment MANY times when the girls above had huge parties on the third floor deck. Scary.

BTW, they put W/D in their apartments, and then made you get a card that you have to charge money on to do laundry. Wash = $1.50. Dry = $1.50. You couldn't use REAL money. You had to use the card. So fuck them. I hope they get taken DOWN.

Not that I'm counting bodies, but....
 

How are our unhappy friends from Altheimer faring? Is the market absorbing them, or not?

Not that I'm counting bodies, but....
 

Not hearing much right now, Wonk, partly I think because these are the "dog days" and things seem to slow down a bit this time of year. Of course, anyone with information is welcome to post it here or PM me with it with confidentiality assured...

Poll: Status of Chicago Law
 

One of Chicago's nicknames is the "Second City", and it seems like some members of the local populace, lawyers included, have an inferiority complex when it comes to what Chicago has to offer, both as a city and in terms of the quality of its lawyering. Despite being home to some of the best firms in the country and some of its most high-profile attorneys, particularly litigators, there still seems to be a lingering feeling of inadequacy among some local counsel...

So that's what I want to discuss, with both Chicago and counsel from around the country... How do you and lawyers in your area (if outside Chicago) really perceive the Chicago market and the quality of its firms and lawyers?? I don't want this to turn into a flame war or a "My city is better than yours" back and forth tirade, but I want to hear what people think of Chicago law and an honest assessment of its strengths and weaknesses...

Look forward to hearing your responses...

Not that I'm counting bodies, but....
 

Today's Trib. seems to indicate that the attorneys from Altheimer are having better luck in general than you might think in today's economy. Looks like 19 or so attorneys and staff have migrated to Neal Gerber, another 12 are going to Perkins Coie's expanding Chicago office and a couple are heading to Jenner.

Hope others are having as much luck...

Poll: Status of Chicago Law
 

I find that tax lawyers tend to be more geographically distributed. There are top tax lawyers in NYC, Chicago, Washington, DC, LA, etc.

Some of the best tax practitioners in the country are in Chicago and we rely on them regularly.

Not that I'm counting bodies, but...
 

Today's Trib. reports that another 4 former Altheimer partners, including Jeremy Margolis, will be joining Sonnenschein...

Chicago 2004 Vault Survey Highlights
 

The 2004 Vault Survey of over 12,000 large firm associates has been released, and several Chicago firms fared very well. The full charts can be viewed at www.vault.com and you can also order a full book of the survey results there:

In the Top 100 Prestige Rankings, Kirkland led the way for Chicago-based firms at 11th, followed by Sidley at 16, Mayer Brown at 34, Winston at 40, Baker at 44, MWE at 47, Jenner at 51, Sonnenschein at 58 and KMZR at 92...

In the "Best to Work For" category, a Chicago firm, Winston & Strawn, took the top spot in the survey for the entire country. Jenner finished 10th. No other Chicago-based firm made the top 20, which is all that is released on the site.

In the Diversity category, Jenner placed 2nd nationally, with Winston 7th. Again, they were the only Chicago-based firms mentioned in the top 20.

Question: Do surveys like this have any influence on you when considering employment out of law school or in lateralling?? I'd be interested in hearing peoples' thoughts...

Dog Days of Summer Poll
 

It's the Dog Days of Summer in Chicago, many lawyers and judges are on vacation, and the wheels of justice have slowed a bit for the time being (a least for me, NTTAWWT).

Which brings me to the poll topic...

Question 1: How busy are you and your colleagues right now? I get the sense from friends that things aren't really hopping right now. Also, significant legal news after the Altheimer meltdown is pretty much nonexistent.

Question 2: How are you spending your summer? Know any great off-the-beaten-path activities or bars/restaurants that you're willing to share? I, myself, will be taking advantage of this probably brief hiatus and have a few places in mind to check out... I'll report back and look forward to your suggestions as well.

First thing on my list is to hit Comiskey for a Sox game and check out the FBI digging up part of one of the parking lots looking for the body of a long-dead mobster (true story)... Good times.