SEMINARS
An Exclusive Offer from Neal & Leroy, LLC
Register to attend the Illinois Workers' Comp Forum and receive an additional $250 off the current price of the event.
Call 800.942.4494
and mention priority code
7723SPE to register
Please join
Mr. Kent Sezer at this year's
Illinois Workers' Comp Forum in Chicago.
Kent will be speaking on March 12, 2008 from 4:30 PM to 5:30 PM during the following session:
Finding Your Way Through the
Confusing Leave and Disability Law Labyrinth: FMLA, ADA, and Workers' Comp: Case
Study Solutions for Your Most Challenging ? Real-Life? Scenarios
For more details on this session as well as many others, please visit
www.ilwcforum.com today.
Langdon
Neal to speak at
LORMAN
Education Service's
Election Law in Illinois
seminar
on Tuesday, March 18th, 2008.
Langdon Neal
will be speaking on Election
Administration: Specific Legal Issues in Election Law. This
seminar is designed for attorneys, election officials, county and municipal
officials, city managers and others involved in the voting process.
Kent Sezer
to speak at
IICLE's
Litigating
Employment Discrimination Actions
on Wednesday, April 16th, 2008.
Kent will be speaking on
Illinois Remedies in Employment Discrimination.
Employment
discrimination claims can be costly to your client's
public image and significantly impact the bottom line of
even large enterprises. Avoid these resource-eating
monsters with guidance from the authors of IICLE's
Employment Discrimination
2007 Edition
practice handbook, including coverage of
•Sex discrimination and harassment
•Age discrimination
•Discrimination based on disability
•National origin discrimination
•Remedies under federal and state law
•and more
Click
here for
a complete program or to register online
ATTORNEY
PUBLICATIONS
Kelo - A victory for the
people
On June 23, 2005, the United States
Supreme Court in Kelo v. New London, No. 04-108, upheld
the City of New London, Connecticut's right to exercise eminent
domain for the purpose of furthering economic redevelopment.
The decision reaffirmed the use of
eminent domain as a legal tool to encourage urban redevelopment,
preserve wild lands and further the preservation of historic
structures.
One has only to look around the City
of Chicago to observe the many benefits of eminent domain.
New schools, parks, police stations and fire stations were all
built on land acquired by the city through the eminent domain
process. Whole sections of the city were redeveloped by
private parties using land assembled by city government.
Richard F. Friedman, partner at Neal
& Leroy, LLC, an authority on eminent domain issues and author
of articles on eminent domain topics and frequent lecturer on
the subject wrote in an opinion piece published by the Chicago
Tribune:
The Supreme Court eminent
domain decision in Kelo v. City of New London was not,
as some people, including the Tribune, described it, an
expansion of cities' power to acquire property ("Eminent
domain expanded; Court rules cities can seize homes for
economic development," Page 1 and "Is your home safe?"
Editorial, June 24). Moreover, the Kelo decision
was a great victory for the people.
More than 50 years ago, the
Court in its Berman v. Parker decision upheld the power
of cities to acquire private property for redevelopment
projects in blighted areas. Economic revitalization was
a purpose of such acquisitions.
Since then the cities have
acquired private property and successfully fostered
redevelopment by private investment in such historic projects
as Lake Meadows and North and South Loop projects in Chicago.
Justice John Paul Stevens'
opinion in the Kelo case cited Berman v. Parker
extensively and noted that economic development has always
been a goal of cities in acquiring private properties in
blighted areas.
Stevens took great pains to
show that a well-thought-out and comprehensive plan was a
prerequisite to these private acquisitions 50 years ago and
remains so today.
Thus, the court did not enlarge
the right of eminent domain but reaffirmed that economic
development is a proper goal for the exercise of eminent
domain.
The Kelo decision also
was a victory for democratic government. The court noted
that elected officials are responsible for determining the
kinds of projects that best suit their localities.
Judges, who are not responsible to the electorate, should not,
and are not equipped to, determine whether a project is in the
best interest of the community or is likely to be successful.
If a project does not have a substantial purpose or creates
undue burden on private homeowners, democratically elected
officials should respond or the voters who elected them will
respond at the ballot box.
In my experience as a
condemnation lawyer, city government is extremely sensitive to
displacement of families for public projects, even where the
right to condemn is unchallenged as a legal matter.
Recently, Chicago officials
cancelled a courthouse project on the west side because the
community objected to the displacement of too many residents.
Another of many examples is the
modification of a police station project on the Northwest side
to avoid displacing any homes.
These kinds of projects were
clearly public and the right to acquire private property for
court buildings, police and fire stations, and schools is
undoubted. These are instances were elected officials
accommodate communities' concerns without judicial oversight.
Stevens expressed faith in the
role of representative government. Thankfully, the
democratic process was the victor in the Kelo decision.
Chicago Tribune, Editorial,
June 28, 2005
POINTS
OF INTEREST
Richard F.
Friedman to Teach Historic Preservation Law Classes
The School of the Art Institute of Chicago
has asked Richard Friedman to teach Historic Preservation Law once
again this year. This is a graduate level course in the Master
of Science Program in the Art Institute’s Historic Preservation
Program.
The University of Chicago Law School has also
asked Richard Friedman to teach a seminar on Historic
Preservation Law. This is the first time that the U of C Law
School has offered a course on this topic, correcting a major
oversight.
Richard Friedman will be doing additional
teaching and lecturing: Northwestern University Continuing
Education Program. Historic Preservation Law, two Saturdays in
April, 2007 at Northwestern University; The New Eminent Domain
Law to the Illinois Right-of-Way Association, February 1,
2007and a lecture on Development Contingencies and Traps at a
seminar on Real Estate Purchases and Sales, March 20, 2007 for
Law Seminars International.
Richard F.
Friedman Won Rare Traverse in McHenry County
Richard Friedman won a rare traverse and
motion to dismiss in the McHenry County Circuit Court in
Woodstock, Illinois. The County of McHenry filed suite to
acquire a right of way that would divide the subdivision owned
by our client. Our client asked us to find a way to avoid
this damaging result. We examined the action of the
McHenry County Board and found that its authorizing resolution
was flawed because it did not properly describe the property to
be acquired. The court agreed with us, granted the
traverse and dismissed the complaint to condemn. Our
client now has the right to recover the fees and costs in
defending this case.
Neal & Leroy
opens satellite office in Wheaton
In a continuing effort to meet the needs of our clients, Neal &
Leroy has recently opened a satellite office in the western
suburb of Wheaton, Illinois. The office is in close proximity
to the DuPage County Courthouse. The address of our Wheaton
office is 300 South Carlton, Suite 120, Wheaton, IL 60187;
telephone: (630) 752-9598 and facsimile: (630) 752-9604.
Neal & Leroy Welcomes Two New Attorneys --
Scott R. Borstein and Jacinta Epting
Scott Borstein's practice concentrates in zoning, land use and
real estate. His experience is wide ranging, including
appearances before municipal and county boards, commissions and
committees on matters such as zoning, landmarks, vacations and
subdivisions. His is a member of the Chicago Bar
Association, the Illinois State Bar Association and the
California State Bar Association.
Jacinta Epting's area of practice is Eminent
Domain/Condemnation, Litigation and real estate. She
received her JD from University of Illinois College of Law and
is admitted to the Supreme Court of Illinois. She recently
authored a Supplement in the 205 IICLE Employment Termination
Handbook, entitled Public Employees.
View their
bios on our Attorney Directory page.
Post Office named after Judge
George N. Leighton, former federal judge and Of Counsel to
Neal & Leroy
On July 12, 2005, President Bush
signed Public Law 109-32, designating the post office in New
Bedford, Massachusetts the Honorable Judge George N. Leighton
Post Office Building. The building was so designated on
September 19, 2005. New Bedford is where Judge Leighton
was born on October 22, 1912. After retiring from the
federal bench, Judge Leighton joined Neal & Leroy and is
currently Of Counsel. Judge Leighton concentrates in the
area of civil rights and white collar crime. For more information please
click on link below to read more in an article printed on
September 19, 2005 in a Massachusetts local newspaper, The Standard Times. http://www.s-t.com/daily/09-05/09-19-05/a01lo833.htm
RECENT
AFFILIATIONS, BOARDS, MEMBERSHIPS
Langdon D. Neal has been named 2008
co-chair of the High Jump Organization. Established in
1989, High Jump is Chicago's leading academic enrichment program
for gifted middle school students with limited family income.
Jeanette Sublett
was recently appointed to the Illinois Supreme Court to the
Statewide Committee on Character and Fitness, First Judicial
District.