NEWS
January 2012. Mitchell and Gorman named Super Lawyers. Delmer Mitchell and Brett Gorman have been named Illinois Super Lawyers for 2012 in the area of business litigation. Super Lawyer selections are made annually in a statewide nomination process in which candidates are evaluated for peer recognition and professional achievement. Mr. Mitchell has been named as a Super Lawyer each year since 2005.
November 2011. Oswald Admitted to Practice in Illinois. Natalie L. Oswald successfully passed the Illinois Bar examination and was admitted to the practice of law in Illinois in November 2011. Oswald focuses her practice on business and other transactional law.
September 2011. Article by Oakley Published by ISBA Newsletter. Hal Oakley authored an article entitled Covenants not to compete in Illinois-The Muddle of the legitimate business interest test, which was published in ISBA Intellectual Property Newsletter, Vol. 51, No. 1 (September 2011).
June 2011. Oswald to Join Firm. Natalie L. Oswald will join SRNM on August 1, 2011 as an associate in the transactions and business law group. Ms. Oswald is a graduate of the University of Missouri-Columbia School of Law, J.D. (2006) and Truman State University, B.S. in Accounting (2003; magna cum laude). She is admitted in Missouri and will sit for the Illinois bar examination in July. From June 2005 through January 2010, Ms. Oswald was employed by PricewaterhouseCoopers in St. Louis, Missouri. In September 2008 she was promoted to senior associate. Since January 2010, Ms. Oswald has been a senior fiscal analyst with the University of Missouri-Columbia: Office of Sponsored Programs Administration. She has volunteered with many community services, including St. Louis Area Food Bank, Edgewood Children’s Center and Volunteer Income Tax Assistance.
May 2011. Article by Oakley Published by ISBA Newsletter. Hal Oakley authored an article entitled Covenants not to compete in Illinois-The Assault on the Legitimate Business Interest Test, which was published in ISBA Health Care Lawyers, Vol. 27, No. 4 (May 2011).
February 2011. Three Successful Trials Litigation Partner Jim Hansen successfully tried three cases from August through December, 2010.
In the first trial he represented a contractor who constructed a pond on a farm for a husband and wife. Defendants refused to make payment for amounts due and owing on the project. After a two-day bench trial in Adams County, Illinois, judgment was entered on behalf of our client. The judgment was subsequently satisfied by the defendants.
In the second trial, again in Adams County, Hansen represented a contractor who performed remodeling of a building on behalf of the building owner and lessee. After a bench trial, judgment was entered on behalf of our client for the full amount sought against the building owner.
The third trial was a two-day bench trial conducted in Shelby County, Missouri. Mr. Hansen represented two individuals who had entered into a real estate sales contract for the purchase of 1,242 acres in Shelby County. The individuals were using the purchase for an IRC §1031 tax-free exchange. Shortly before closing, our clients were notified the sale would not take place and they lost their tax benefits. After hearing testimony from the parties and experts, judgment was entered on behalf of our clients for the amounts lost by each in the tax-free exchange as well as attorney's fees pursuant to the contract. Defendant has filed an appeal.
November 2010. Quincy Ranked #8 by Forbes Magazine as Best Small City to Raise a Family. Forbes Magazine has named Quincy, Illinois, our firm’s home town, as #8 among the 15 "Best Small Cities to Raise a Family". Mayor John Spring said "It says we are doing some great things – and that we should be proud of ourselves for all of the improvements that have been made." The Forbes rankings formula was based on "solid average incomes, good educational prospects, low costs, short commute times and high rates of home ownership" according to the Forbes article. Amy Looten, who is executive director of the Quincy Area Chamber of Commerce, said "Quincy truly is a great place to raise a family, and I hope this helps the rest of the world get to know what we’ve known all along."
November 2010. Mitchell named Super Lawyer. Delmer Mitchell was named as a Super Lawyer for 2011 by the Illinois Super Lawyer Magazine in the area of business litigation. Mr. Mitchell has been named as Super Lawyer each year since 2005.
October 2010. Mitchell, Gorman and Pratt Judge Mock Trials. On October 23, 2010 Del Mitchell, Brett Gorman and Chris Pratt acted as volunteer judges for the seventh annual Quincy University Riverside Classic Mock Trial Tournament, a sanctioned American Mock Trial Association (AMTA) event that draws participation from various distinguished colleges and universities across the country. The one day tournament featured two-rounds and 16 teams and was held in the Adams County Courthouse in Quincy, Illinois. The tournament is hosted by the QU Political Science Department and Pre-Law Program and is judged by lawyers from the Adams County Bar Association as well as Eighth Judicial Circuit Judges.
October 2010. Pratt Guest Lecturer. Christopher Pratt was a guest lecturer at the University of Illinois College of Law for the Federal Civil Rights Clinic. He and his co-counsel discussed their experiences in the preparation, research and trial presentation of the litigation of a Section 1983 claim in front of the Federal District Court in the Central District of Illinois. The Federal Civil Rights Clinic affords the opportunity for law students to provide representation to people who otherwise would not have counsel in connection with civil rights claims.
October 2010. McCleery Reappointed to Supreme Court’s Character and Fitness Committee. William M. McCleery, Jr. has been reappointed by Supreme Court Justice Rita Garman to serve another three-year term on the Supreme Court’s Character and Fitness Committee for the Fourth Judicial District. The new term is January 1, 2011 through December 31, 2013. McCleery has served on the Committee since January 1, 2004. The Committee evaluates and makes recommendations to the Supreme Court on the admission of recent law school graduates to the bar based upon their character and fitness to practice law. The Supreme Court then acts on those recommendations.
October 2010. Gorman, Keller and Niemann Named Leading Business Lawyers. Leading Lawyers Magazine has named as Leading Lawyers for 2010, Dennis W. Gorman in the areas of school law and banking and financial institutions law, William G. Keller, Jr. in the areas of closely and privately held business law and Ted M. Niemann in the areas of commercial real estate law and closely and privately held business law. The list of Leading Lawyers is the result of thousands of contacts with Illinois lawyers asking them which of their peers comprise the top lawyers. Only those lawyers who are most often recommended by their peers are selected to be a Leading Lawyer.
May 2010. Hansen Illinois State Bar Association Appointments. Jim Hansen has been appointed secretary for the upcoming year for the Illinois State Bar Association Insurance Law Section Council and as president for the Illinois State Bar Association Standing Committee on Mentoring.
March 2010. Pratt Appointed to Board, Appointed to Chamber Committee. Chris Pratt has been appointed by the City of Quincy to the Quincy Public Library Board of Trustees. He also was recently appointed to the Membership Committee of the Quincy Area Chamber of Commerce.
March 2010. Oakley Participates in Conference. Hal Oakley participated in the VHA Mid-America Executive Leadership Conference in Las Vegas, Nevada. VHA (Volunteer Health Associates) is a nationwide network of community-owned health care systems, and the presenters at the conference offered the latest information concerning health care initiatives especially regarding the integration of health care delivery systems.
February 2010. Community Services. Recently, our colleagues performed a variety of services for the community. Hal Oakley completed a two-year term as chairman of the Great River Economic Development Foundation (“GREDF”) by presiding over its annual meeting celebrating the 2009 economic development projects. The event was attended by hundreds of community members and out-of-town guests. Ted Niemann has been named to Board of Trustees of Sunset Home, which is a facility offering living options and services to senior citizens. Mike Bickhaus has become chairman of the Board of Directors of The Good Samaritan Home of Quincy, a nursing home and assisted living facility, and will be instrumental in overseeing a $22 million expansion project at the home.
January 2010. Mitchell named as Super Lawyer. Delmer Mitchell was named as a Super Lawyer for 2010 by the Illinois Super Lawyer Magazine in the area of business litigation. Mr. Mitchell has been named as a Super Lawyer each year since 2005.