Prolific writer and frequent speaker on the False Claims Act, Stephen A. Wood, Principal and leader of the litigation practice group at Chuhak & Tecson, P.C. in Chicago, has joined the roster of featured contributors of the Washington Legal Foundation’s Legal Pulse.
In his inaugural submission, titled ”United States ex rel. Rose v. Stephens Institute: The Ninth Circuit Considers Escobar and its Materiality Mandate,” Steve examines the most recent Court of Appeals treatment of the Supreme Court’s effort to impose limits on implied false claims brought under the False Claims Act.
The Legal Pulse features commentary from many of the country’s most prestigious law firms and academic institutions on timely legal and regulatory developments of interest to those committed to a fair legal system, accountable government and free enterprise.
Read the full article here.
Chuhak & Tecson, P.C principal David J. Bloomberg will be a panelist for the Illinois Chapter Community Associations Institute (CAI) homeowner’s forum on Wednesday, October 10. This complimentary event, which will be held at the Vernon Area Public Library in Lincolnshire, is designed to help homeowners and board members of community associations meet and interact with leading industry professionals. Topics will include board responsibilities, election procedures and management expectations.
Leader of Chuhak & Tecson’s Condominium & Common Interest Community Association group, Bloomberg’s caseload ranges from commercial disputes issues involving condominium and common interest community associations to commercial disputes to product liability claims. His extensive experience encompasses all aspects of the litigation process, including case strategy and management, pre-trial motion practice, depositions, hearings, trial preparation and trial. David has presented CLE-accredited lectures on matters related to multi-party settlements, spoliation and effective deposition. He also speaks about litigation and other topics of interest to condominium, townhome and homeowner associations.
Registration is required to attend. Please visit www.cai-illinois.org/ for additional information.
On Oct. 18, Chuhak & Tecson, P.C. principal David J. Bloomberg will participate at the “Deconstructing Deconversion Conference” hosted by the Illinois Real Estate Journal. The conference, which will be held at the Montgomery Club in Chicago, will focus on the latest trends of the deconversion movement in Chicago. Topics will include the challenges of structuring a deal, the top neighborhoods and submarkets for deconversions and the legal pitfalls to consider with an attempted deconversion.
Bloomberg is the leader of Chuhak & Tecson’s Condominium & Common Interest Community Association group. He has represented both boards and developers in connection with the deconversion of condominium associations and has written extensively on the subject of Section 15 of the Illinois Condominium Act.
For additional information or to register, visit Deconstructing Deconversion Conference.
Chuhak & Tecson, P.C. proudly announces that Kevin Coyne, an experienced commercial real estate attorney, has joined the firm as leader of the firm’s 19-attorney Real Estate practice group.
Coyne provides seasoned counsel for clients in real estate acquisitions, dispositions and leasing transactions of all types and complexity. He has represented national franchises, restaurants, bars and professional practices and has substantial experience negotiating office, retail and industrial leases on the national and local levels for both landlords and tenants.
Mitchell Weinstein, president of Chuhak & Tecson, is confident that Coyne’s background, talents and commitment to client service will expand and enhance the firm’s real estate practice.
“We are delighted to welcome Kevin and look forward to the insights his leadership will bring to our vibrant real estate practice group,” Weinstein said. “Because of his extensive experience, Kevin will be an invaluable resource to our clients.”
Coyne believes the merging of his practice with Chuhak & Tecson will enhance his offerings to his clients.
“I look forward to working with a well-established team of real estate attorneys and with other firm colleagues who are in the broad range of disciplines Chuhak & Tecson offers,” Coyne said. “Together we will continue to provide excellent legal services for all of our clients.”
Previously a partner with Momkus McCluskey, LLC, Coyne currently serves on the City of Naperville’s Plan Commission and City Council as well as the DuPage County Stormwater Commission. These roles provide Coyne with unique insights for clients facing zoning, permitting and land use issues throughout Chicago and the surrounding suburbs. He is also an active member of the Naperville Chamber of Commerce and the International Council of Shopping Centers.
Coyne earned his Juris Doctor degree from DePaul University College of Law and is committed to continually expanding the scope of his legal knowledge, as demonstrated by his mid-career decision to return to law school to earn an advanced law degree (LL.M) in real estate law.
The first three years of a child’s life, filled with rapid brain growth and the development of cognitive, linguistic, social, emotional and motor skills, are critical to their future success. If a child is to truly have the opportunity to flourish and reach their full potential, they need a loving caregiver who affectionately sings, speaks or reads to them and has the knowledge and means to provide the child with a safe environment and healthy food. Family Focus, a Chicago-based nonprofit dedicated to promoting the well-being of children by supporting and strengthening families in and with their communities, understands this. That’s why they are committed to providing financially struggling parents with critical resources and educational programs that promote the healthy development of their baby.
For its 2018 Mix-and-Mingle on Tuesday, Oct. 23, at Rivers Restaurant, Chicago, Chuhak & Tecson’s Women Helping Women program (WHW) has partnered with Family Focus’ Nuestra Familia and its Baby Bucks program. Nuestra Familia is a support center serving families in Humboldt Park, the Hermosa communities, Cicero and Melrose Park. Hosted annually by the women attorneys of Chuhak & Tecson, WHW is an after-hours networking group that offers professional women the opportunity to build their businesses and support a charitable organization at the same time. While enjoying wine, specialty cocktails and hors d’oeuvres, each Mix-and-Mingle spotlights a different nonprofit agency serving women or women and their children in the Chicagoland area, and showers the organization with gifts and necessities.
Mothers and fathers participating in the Nuestra Familia program receive an incentive—Baby Bucks—for attending group meetings or programs that will positively impact the health of their baby. Baby Bucks are used to purchase much-needed baby items from the center’s store.
“Not only does the Baby Bucks program make critical baby items accessible for families, but it provides them with a sense of independence by allowing them to choose what items their child needs,” said president and CEO of Family Focus, Merri Ex. “We are grateful that Women Helping Women is helping us gather winter items for babies.”
Chuhak & Tecson attorney James Gottlieb first made Women Helping Women aware of the Baby Bucks program and the other important work Family Focus is doing at Nuestra Familia center.
“I have served on the Family Focus board for four years and am proud of their continued growth,” said Gottlieb. “The mothers especially benefit from the Baby Bucks program and that, along with all the programming hosted by Nuestra Familia, creates positive and lasting effects in the lives of their children.”
Attendees for the upcoming event are encouraged to bring winter basics for babies—blankets, pajamas and snowsuits—which are in high demand at the center. A pre-event collection drive will be held for employees of Chuhak & Tecson so they may contribute to this cause as well.
The fall Mix-and-Mingle takes place from 5 to 7 p.m. at Rivers Restaurant, 30 S. Wacker Dr. If you would like to receive an invitation, please contact Jane La Grassa at jlagrassa@chuhak.com.
Chuhak & Tecson, P.C., is proud to announce that Principal Andrew P. Tecson has been honored along with his wife, Nancy Hagen, for the Partner in Caring Award for their work founding the glenhagen farm retreat.
This inaugural award, distributed by Clarke, a global environmental products and services company, recognizes environmentally friendly businesses that go beyond the bounds of business to give back to the people and community they serve.
Andy and Nancy, an accomplished musician and volunteer for several not for profit organizations, established glenhagen farm retreat in 2018 as a not for profit dedicated to providing educational and worship opportunities to people of all ages and walks of life. The camp is named in honor of Nancy’s late father, Glen Hagen, who strongly believed everyone should have equal opportunities for personal growth, learning and recreation.
This is not the first time Andy has been recognized for his steadfast commitment to community service. He was previously awarded the Seeds of Hope Award by Wheat Ridge Ministries, the Alumni Achievement Medal Award by Riverside Brookfield Township High School, and honored as Outstanding Community Leader by Advocate Christ Medical Center.
Andy’s father, Joseph A. Tecson, began serving as Clarke’s legal counsel in 1946 and Andy joined the team supporting Clarke in 1983. With Andy’s strategic counsel on mergers and acquisitions and corporate strategy, Clarke has realized its dream of growing into a national, and now international, public health company.
To learn more about glenhagen farm retreat click here.
Seasoned Business, Tax and Estate Planning attorney takes reins from Andrew Tecson, bringing extensive management and operational experience to the role
Chuhak & Tecson, P.C. proudly announces that Mitchell D. Weinstein has assumed the role of President of the firm. Succeeding firm co-founder Andrew Tecson who will continue as a Shareholder, Weinstein provides Chuhak & Tecson and its clients with seamless continuity, experienced leadership and a steadfast commitment to the firm’s core values of responsive service, creative collaboration and exceptional value.
The transition marks the first time in Chuhak & Tecson’s three decades of existence that its stewardship has been placed in the hands of someone who was not one of the firm’s founders. Tecson says that Weinstein is uniquely prepared to guide the firm as it moves forward.
“Mitch has been a hands-on leader in the firm for years, chairing numerous committees and taking active roles in firm governance, management and operations,” Tecson says. “We are confident that Mitch’s experience and judgment will ensure that we continue providing clients with the level of service and representation they’ve come to expect from us.”
Weinstein, a seasoned business, tax and estate planning attorney and practice group leader of the firm’s Corporate Transactions & Business Law group, says he is humbled and honored to be entrusted with the leadership of the firm he has called home for almost a quarter-century.
“I’m excited about the opportunity to keep Chuhak & Tecson on the trajectory of success it has been on since it was founded,” Weinstein says. “I know that I am following in the footsteps of fantastic lawyers and exceptional leaders who have made the firm an exemplar of high-quality client service as well as a great place to work and practice law.”
Weinstein joined Chuhak & Tecson two years after earning his J.D. from Northwestern University School of Law. His practice encompasses a wide range of estate planning, federal and state taxation, general corporate and real estate transaction matters.
A certified public accountant as well as an attorney, Weinstein helps family-owned and closely held businesses as well as midsized companies navigate day-to-day challenges and position them for long-term prosperity. His accounting background reinforces and complements his expansive knowledge of the law, allowing him to offer counsel that incorporates tax and financial considerations along with legal implications.
Weinstein says that his participation in Chuhak & Tecson’s management over the years not only has prepared him for his new role but has provided him with insights and perspectives which directly benefit his clients.
“Understanding the dynamics of working with and managing a diverse group of employees, ensuring consistency and quality in the services we provide, handling expected and unexpected logistical or financial issues–these are challenges every business faces,” Weinstein says. “When a matter arises for one of my clients, the odds are pretty good that I’ll be able to say, ‘I’ve been there.’”
In his estate planning practice, Weinstein helps clients preserve their assets and protect their loved ones and businesses. He counsels clients in all stages of their lives and provides comprehensive estate planning for those with modest estates and high net worth individuals alike. Weinstein also advises clients on the formation and operation of private foundations, including governance, tax issues and grant matters.
As Tecson leaves behind his duties as firm president, he is filled with pride at what the firm has accomplished and optimism for what lay ahead.
“For three decades, Chuhak & Tecson has earned the trust of its clients through superior responsiveness, extraordinary legal services and excellent value,” he says. “Under Mitch’s leadership, the firm will both thrive and evolve to meet its clients’ changing needs.”
