For the third year in a row, attorneys and staff at Chuhak & Tecson, P.C., are coming together to help make a difference in the Chicago community by volunteering at the Greater Chicago Food Depository.
On February 26 the firm will have normal business hours all day but will do a soft close in the afternoon so employees can pack boxes of food at the Depository. Feeding 678,000 Cook County residents annually, the agency relies on volunteers to repackage bulk products for shipment to a network of local food pantries, soup kitchens and shelters.
“Volunteering is a great opportunity to get to know people outside of the typical work environment, while at the same time engaging in community service for an important cause,” said Mitch Weinstein, a principal at Chuhak & Tecson who participated in the last two firm events at the Food Depository. “I find it serves as an excellent team building experience for both our attorneys and staff.”
Volunteering at the Greater Chicago Food Depository aligns with the firm’s ongoing commitment to bettering the Chicagoland area through community service. The firm sponsored 25 service projects to celebrate its 25th anniversary in 2012, and employees regularly participate in service-driven events and activities through the firm.
According to a recent report by Feeding America, the umbrella organization for the nation’s food banks, one in six residents of Cook County are “food insecure,” meaning they do not know when their next meal will be. The Greater Chicago Food Depository and its many volunteers are on a mission to combat those high numbers and offer healthy meal options for those in need.
In 2013, the Depository distributed 66 million pounds of fresh produce, dairy products, meats and nonperishable foods. That amount is equivalent to 138,365 meals per day.
Seeing their efforts go to such a worthy cause, Chuhak & Tecson volunteers are looking forward to this month’s trip to the Depository.
“Volunteering is important because government only provides a certain level of services to the community at large, and charities fill the gaps where government does not provide assistance,” Weinstein said. “Whether you donate time or money, contributions are essential to keep organizations like the Greater Chicago Food Depository working to fulfill their missions.”
In this week’s settlement of the estate of Urooj Khan, the $1 million lottery winner who died from cyanide poisoning, principal David Feinberg of Chuhak & Tecson, P.C., is pleased with the outcome for his client, the decedent’s 18-year-old daughter.
Jasmeen Khan receives $140,000—one third of the roughly $425,000 lump sum payout her father had claimed from the Illinois State Lottery—plus five condominiums he owned in Chicago. The other heir, Shabana Ansari, widow of the decedent and stepmother to Jasmeen, settled for approximately $35,000 and her husband’s half-share in the dry cleaning business he owned with a partner. She also gets the family home, which is hers through joint tenancy and is not part of the probate estate.
“This is a very good settlement for Jasmeen,” Feinberg said. “She’ll be a college student next year, and this not only gives her some financial security but also leaves open the possibility for her to pursue other legal action, if warranted and under certain circumstances, relating to her father’s passing.”
The case has drawn international attention since Khan died July 20, 2012, weeks after his lottery scratch-off ticket produced a million-dollar win and days before he would have received the check. At first, the death was attributed to natural causes and an autopsy was not required because the Cook County Medical Examiner found nothing suspicious. But further testing at the request of Khan’s brother uncovered cyanide poisoning as the cause of death, and the case became a murder investigation. Khan’s death has been ruled a homicide by police and remains under investigation.
Khan had no will and in Illinois, when a person dies intestate, 50 percent of the estate goes to the surviving spouse, and the remainder is divided equally between the children. Without the negotiated settlement, Jasmeen would have received a weaker package since some properties were outside the estate and, as a 50 percent heir, she would have also been responsible for certain administrative costs.
As it now stands, those costs will be borne by Khan’s widow, and Jasmeen gets a fifth condominium that was outside the estate.
“My client is walking away with 80 to 90 percent of the remaining liquid assets, plus all of the real estate properties within the estate,” Feinberg said.
Jasmeen had no interest in operating the commercial dry cleaning business, he said. Besides the amounts going to the heirs, another $250,000 from the jackpot prize has already been distributed somewhat evenly between the parties and was used for other expenses, fees and taxes.
Under the circumstances, it was an emotionally challenging case for all involved, but Feinberg focused on protecting his client’s interests both legally and financially.
“Here you have a child who lost a parent under mysterious circumstances, killed by cyanide poisoning, and as her attorney I am responsible for looking after her well-being,” he said. “My client is very happy with the settlement, and the only thing she still hopes for is a just resolution to the criminal investigation that will allow her to get some closure.
“She’s a smart girl with a bright, successful future ahead of her.”
If the parties had not settled, the case had the potential to become quite drawn out, Feinberg said, and he was concerned there would be no assets left for Jasmeen to inherit.
“This definitely was a win,” he said. “We were able to secure a financial benefit and also left open the opportunity to pursue other legal action if the facts support it. That was something that was important to my client. I feel like we got the best of both worlds here.”
On November 14, the women attorneys of Chuhak & Tecson, P.C. hosted the firm’s ninth biannual Women Helping Women event–at Lloyd’s Chicago. Drawing over 165 women, the evening of networking and philanthropy was the firm’s most well-attended event to date.
Women Helping Women is a networking group for women business leaders and entrepreneurs to mingle, build business and support a not for profit organization benefiting women, or women and their children, all at the same event.
For this event, WHW partnered with Grace House, a near west side residential program that provides interim housing, professional counseling and emotional support to women exiting the Illinois prison system.
Upon entering the event, guests were greeted with refreshments and added their holiday donations to tables overflowing with gifts. Scattered throughout the room, life-size mannequins dressed in festive sleepwear caught guests’ attention and became a topic of conversation as women mixed and mingled throughout the night.
Event attendees generously donated over 150 items of new sleepwear including robes, pajamas and slippers for Grace House residents for the coming winter months. Grace House also received over $2,000 in gift cards and monetary donations, including contributions from Chuhak & Tecson employees for Jeans Day, a firm-sponsored event where employees contribute to a select not for profit in exchange for wearing jeans to the office that day.
“The overall event and the donations received were very heartwarming,” said Sister Theresa Mayrand, Grace House administrator. “I am extremely grateful for the efforts made by our hosts and the many attendees of the evening. Grace House could not have felt more supported.”
Helena Constanzo, a resident of Grace House, shared how the residential program embraced her and gave her a second chance. Mayrand echoed this sentiment.
“Grace House is all about lovingly welcoming and embracing the women that come to our organization,” Mayrand said. “We very much appreciate that Women Helping Women embraced us in the same way. Because of the ladies’ generous donations, our residents will have a wonderful holiday.”
Beyond networking, the charitable component of these events is a highlight for Chuhak & Tecson’s women attorneys and their guests. “What makes our Women Helping Women initiative unique is its reflection of the firm’s commitment to charitable causes in the Chicago community,” said Chuhak & Tecson attorney Mimi Stein. “The blend of business development and philanthropy inspires and motivates women to not only come to the event, but stay, enjoy themselves and contribute to deserving organizations such as Grace House.”
After welcome remarks from principal Eileen Sethna, who has previously volunteered at Grace House, guests were invited to take part in the “biz dev” challenge. The challenge provides an opportunity for attendees to drop a business card into a fish bowl and retrieve someone else’s card. Guests then connect for a one-hour coffee or lunch meeting to network and discuss business development. This interactive but informal activity has been praised as a highlight at past WHW events, and Chuhak & Tecson looks forward to using it again during the 10th WHW event in spring 2014.
Chuhak & Tecson recently held a Jeans Day to raise money for Chicago Metropolitan Battered Women’s Network’s Wear that You Care Day, a city-wide law firm event that asked participants to donate at least $5 to wear denim to the office.
Chuhak & Tecson attorneys and staff raised over $1,500, 50 percent more than the firm’s original goal.
CMBWN is a not for profit organization that focuses on education and outreach programs to help fight domestic violence in the Chicago community. All money raised went to CMBWN’s Annual Court Watch Project, a yearly report written by community volunteers who observe and compile data from the Cook County Domestic Court. The goal of the Court Watch Report is to improve the overall effectiveness of the judicial system in Chicago.
Chuhak & Tecson partnered with CMBWN in spring 2010 for the firm’s biannual Women Helping Women event. Guests formed an assembly line and packed over 200 bags of personal care items for CMBWN’s network of women’s shelters.
As part of its continuing initiative to give back to the community, attorneys and staff from Chuhak & Tecson, P.C. will participate in the 20th Annual Race Judicata on Thursday, September 12. The 5k walk/run held along Lake Michigan benefits Chicago Volunteer Legal Services Foundation.
CVLS is an organization of over 3,000 volunteer attorneys who provide free legal services to low-income Chicago residents. These volunteers make a positive impact on the lives of their clients by donating their time and efforts to those who otherwise would not have access to legal representation.
Since its founding in 1964, CVLS has served more than 18,000 low-income Chicagoans, handling more litigation and family law cases than any other legal aid program in Illinois. All proceeds from Race Judicata go toward general operating costs of CVLS and the organization’s goal of providing equal access to justice for all.
Last year’s race drew almost 4,000 participants from the Chicagoland area. This year, CVLS hopes to have over 5,000 people participate, which would make it the biggest event to date.
About 45 employees from Chuhak & Tecson, P.C. spent an afternoon volunteering at Greater Chicago Food Depository for the second year in a row.
Attorneys and staff at Chuhak & Tecson, P.C. came together to help ‘can’ hunger by volunteering their efforts in preparation for the Greater Chicago Food Depository’s 28th Annual Hunger Walk.
On June 26, about 45 Chuhak & Tecson employees volunteered their time for the second year in a row to helping fight hunger in Chicago. Together, their efforts and thousands of others are what help the Food Depository feed 678,000 Cook County residents on an annual basis. In 2012, the Depository distributed 64 million pounds of fresh produce, dairy products, meats and nonperishable foods. That amount is equivalent to an astonishing 134,800 meals per day.
“Volunteering as a group was not only a great way to build camaraderie within the firm, but a rewarding experience to know that we were part of a larger effort to help make a difference in the Chicago community,” said Kimberly Boike, principal at Chuhak & Tecson.
“One in six people in Cook County are food insecure and do not know where their next meal is coming from,” Boike said. “This statistic gave new perspective to all of us about the great need the Depository has for volunteers to help provide meals for hungry people in our community.”
This year, instead of packing bulk products into smaller batches to be sent to local food pantries, firm volunteers packed bags for the walkers who participated in the Food Depository’s Hunger Walk at Soldier Field on June 28.
Volunteers worked together to surpass their goal of 3,000 bags and compiled a total of 6,850 goodie bags for both children and adults who took part in the walk.
Chuhak & Tecson donated its 126 accumulated volunteer hours to New Moms, a not for profit that served as the firm’s Women Helping Women partner in May 2011. Since 1983, New Moms has provided long-term assistance to struggling, underprivileged pregnant and parenting adolescents and their children.
“We are grateful to Chuhak & Tecson for their continued support for the work that we do at New Moms,” said Anjanette Young, supervisor. “Through these and other efforts, we are able to equip disadvantaged parents with tools to achieve economic independence and family stability.”
Seeing their efforts go to such a worthy cause, Chuhak & Tecson volunteers are looking forward to their next trip to the Greater Chicago Food Depository and the time they can donate to help continue feeding Cook County.
For the second year in a row, attorneys and staff at Chuhak & Tecson, P.C., are coming together in a large-scale group effort to help make a difference in the Chicago community.
On Wednesday, June 26, the firm will do a half-day soft close so employees can pack boxes at the Greater Chicago Food Depository. Feeding 678,000 Cook County residents annually, the agency relies on volunteers to repackage bulk products for shipment to a network of local food pantries, soup kitchens and shelters.
“Participating last year was not only rewarding for its value to the community, but also built camaraderie within the firm,” said Adam Moreland, a principal at Chuhak & Tecson and a member of the firm’s management committee.
“They turned it into a competition,” Moreland said. “One group from the firm packed sausages, and one group packed pasta. They calculated how many boxes or pounds each group processed, and there was a winner. I was on Team Pasta, and it was a lot of fun.”
With attorneys and staff working together in an out-of-office environment, volunteering at the food depository serves as a good team-building exercise, he said, and helps employees from various groups throughout the firm get to know each other better.
In addition, it aligns with the firm’s ongoing commitment to bettering the Chicagoland area through community service.
“We are grateful that employees from Chuhak & Tecson are giving their time to assist the Greater Chicago Food Depository’s mission and truly make a difference in the fight against hunger,” said Angel La Luz, the charity’s director of volunteer engagement. “Volunteers are essential to feeding hungry people in our community and because of Chuhak & Tecson, more people will eat today.”
In 2012, the food depository distributed 64 million pounds of fresh produce, dairy products, meats and nonperishable foods. That amount is equivalent to an astonishing 134,800 meals per day.
“It’s such an amazing endeavor to connect the entire city in support of a cause I think most people can agree is worthwhile: feeding the hungry,” Moreland stated.
A half-day of packing food at Greater Chicago Food Depository was the largest of 25 service projects Chuhak & Tecson participated in last year in honor of its silver anniversary. One year after “25 Ways to Give Back,” there was great interest in a repeat visit, Moreland said.
“Some of our other endeavors last year were on a smaller scale, but the food depository can handle large numbers. It’s set up to work with groups that want to contribute to the enhancement and growth of the community,” he said, “allowing our firm and our employees to partner together on something meaningful to all of us. We’re looking forward to continuing that this year and in the future.”
Kathy Ruffulo has spoken to all kinds of audiences about the good things happening at Aspire, but her recent experience at the Women Helping Women Spring Mix-and-Mingle was especially refreshing.
Hosted twice a year by the women attorneys of Chuhak & Tecson, P.C., WHW is a networking group for women business leaders and entrepreneurs to mingle, build business and support a not for profit organization benefiting women, or women and their children, all at the same event. On April 25, the guest of honor was Aspire, which serves children and adults with developmental delays and disabilities.
“I think the peace that I walked away with at the end of the evening came from being with all these amazing women and feeling like they really connected with our mission,” said Ruffulo, vice president of children’s services at Aspire. “I’ve been to a lot of these kinds of events, but this one had a whole different feel. There was just a really nice spirit in the room of people who cared.”
Ruffulo also walked away with toys and games donated by guests to help Aspire moms help their children. Some will be used at the office during therapy appointments, but many will be sent home with families to use in parent-child play therapy all week long.
Guests donated more than 500 items, including 24 puzzles, 40 games, 10 boxes of Legos, and enough art and craft supplies to keep lots of little hands busy for quite a while.
“There’s a kid in every one of us,” Ruffulo said, “and there were three of us going through the toys afterward and just giggling.”
Ruffulo is looking forward to buying even more toys with the $100 Amazon gift card and over $400 in cash the organization received as well.
Women Helping Women has been hosting biannual mixers since 2009, and the momentum builds with every event. With almost 150 women enjoying wine, hors d’oeuvres and camaraderie, the April 25 event was the largest to date.
“I thought it was a fabulous event and our best ever,” said Loretto Kennedy, principal at Chuhak & Tecson. “The buzz in the room and the connections and the conversation were constantly invigorating and interesting.
“The really unique thing about Women Helping Women is that whether it’s your first time there or you’ve come to every event, it’s a very welcoming and gracious group,” Kennedy said. “People are really looking to talk to each other, recognizing that meeting people in many different industries helps you build a broad set of contacts.
“I heard nothing but rave reviews from the women who attended.”
Kennedy said WHW committee members are frequently complimented on the interesting community organizations they select for mix-and-mingles. She knows of at least two guests who pursued further involvement with Aspire after the April event.
“We work hard to identify and partner with organizations that will benefit from the exposure to a roomful of powerful and influential women,” she said, “and also benefit in whatever way our guests support them with donations.”
Chuhak & Tecson Principal Stacey Bromberg conducted welcome remarks at the event and introduced Ruffulo, who spoke about the mothers of children with disabilities.
“We work with over 500 children a year, and that means 500 mothers,” Ruffulo said. “When parents make that first phone call and tell us their story for the first time—‘my baby has Down syndrome’ or ‘my child is behind in school’ or ‘my baby was born premature’—the underlying factor is that they are all experiencing fear and confusion.
“How we work with families,” she said, “especially moms, is to help them understand not only their child’s disability but also their child’s strengths and to give them hope, because we’re about reaching dreams.”
Donielle Burton, an Aspire mom, told her own story after Ruffulo spoke. Burton talked about how she and her husband had shared a dream for their son that he would be able to go to school with his typically developing peers.
“That was the hope she got at Aspire,” Ruffulo said, “and her child is now in a full-day program at a public school.”
Kennedy has a nephew who is autistic, “so these remarks hit particularly close to home,” she said. “Our family provides a lot of love and compassion for him.
“Aspire provides that same kind of support for its clients as if they were family, too,” Kennedy said. “It’s a wonderful example for all of us.”