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HMB litigators Rick S. Rein and Karl E. Analo secured a complete victory in a recent breach of guaranty dispute.  The team obtained summary judgment in their client’s favor on all counts resulting in a total judgment of over $4,600,000 as well as attorneys’ fees. (more…)…

In "Top State & Local Tax Cases of 2020: Midyear Report" by Law360, Chris T. Lutz discusses Honigman Miller Schwartz & Cohn LLP v. City of Detroit. The closely watched case went to issues currently at the heart of state taxation, the definition of a service and where the income from that service should be sourced. While falling short of…

Each year, the Jewish Council on Urban Affairs honors an individual with the Rabbi Robert J. Marx Social Justice Award, recognizing their commitment to JCUA’s mission of fighting racism and poverty in partnership with Chicago’s diverse communities. This year on July 20, the award will be presented to Jeff Zaluda for his lifelong dedication to pursuing social justice and a…

The ongoing issues related to the spread of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) have had and will continue to have a significant impact on individuals, families, businesses and markets. To better address the multifaceted and fluid effects of this pandemic, HMB has formed a COVID-19 Business Emergency Response Team. This multi-disciplinary team of attorneys will address key issues related to business and…

Stavros S. Giannoulias and John R. Wiktor filed claims on behalf of a non-profit Congregation to enforce two oral pledges made by one of its prominent and beloved members, who died suddenly before fulfilling his pledges. The Congregation filed claims in the probate proceedings in the Circuit Court of Cook County, Illinois asserting that its member made a $1 million…

In an article by Daniel Tay and published by Law360, David A. Hughes discusses how Illinois nonresident employees have received a 30-day safe harbor against state income tax to carry out a 2019 law intended to prevent double taxation. Illinois' 30-day threshold is longer than the periods seen in other states David told Law360. He also noted that the Illinois…

Breen was named to Law360s's 2020 Tax Authority State and Local Tax Editorial Advisory Board. The editorial advisory board provides feedback on Law360's coverage and expertise on State and Local Tax. With Breen's insight, the board will provide an in-depth and thorough report of trends in the SALT community. Read more about the Law360 SALT Editorial Advisory Board here. Learn…

Omnitracs, LLC ("Omnitracs"), a global pioneer of fleet management solutions to transportation and logistics companies, announced its acquisition of VisTracks, a leading provider of device-agnostic, SaaS-based compliance solutions to the transportation and logistics industry. HMB represented VisTracks' founder, Stephen G. Eick, in the transaction. The VisTracks architecture provides a lightweight, mobile device-based and cloud-enabled solution, which will allow Omnitracs to…

Project Management Advisors ("PMA"), a real estate and development consultancy company, announced its partnership with American Realty Project Management ("ARPM"), a full-range construction oversight and project management company. HMB represented PMA. This partnership will expand the Austin offices and broaden both PMA and ARPM client and industry sector involvement in the Austin market and neighboring area. The alliance will continue…

Hadley Capital ("Hadley"), a small-business investor, announced its acquisition of Equustock, a manufacturer of animal bedding and litter products, predominantly horse-related products sold under their Guardian Horse Bedding brand. HMB represented Hadley in the transaction. Founded in 1998 bu Scott Dickes, Hadley plans to build on the Guardian Horse Bedding brand's excellent reputation and to expand Equustock's production capacity and…

The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the state and local tax practice in significant ways  including tax agencies, pandemic information glut, virtual client meetings and new schedules and environments. One such impact is the host of new issues to navigate, causing the practitioners to be flexible with deadlines and requirements. But this is not always the case. (more…)…

An article published by Bloomberg Law Tax discusses the possible reemergence of Gross Receipts Taxes in states due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Gross receipts taxes are becoming attractive because they rely on calculations of total commercial activity rather than profitability, said Jordan M. Goodman. Jordan continued to say that, "During the COVID-19 recession you are going to see a lot…

Congratulations goes to Fred for his nomination for the Northwestern Pritzker School of Law's Adjunct Professor of the Year Award. Northwestern University is a member of the Top 14, a group of law schools that have received national recognition. Read more about Fred here. …

4/15/20 Chicago, IL HMB Legal Counsel, a preeminent provider of legal services in business and finance, litigation, trusts and estates, real estate, state and local taxes and corporate reorganization, bankruptcy and creditor's rights, announced that accomplished trademark and copyright attorney, Tara Reedy Sliva joined the firm as a partner and will lead the firm’s growing intellectual property practice. Tara’s practice…

Congratulations to MOCA-Modern Cannabis for being awarded an adult-use dispensary license to operate at 216 W Ohio St in the River North neighborhood. MOCA’s original dispensary continues to operate in Logan Square at 2847 W. Fullerton as a medical and adult-use dispensary. The IDFPR final approval was granted to MOCA on April 3, following city inspection. HMB congratulates MOCA for…

Engineered Plastic Systems ("EPS"), an engineer and manufacturer of high-density polyethylene ("HDPE"), announced its acquisition by CMI Limited Co. ("CMI"), a Georgia-based manufacturing portfolio company of Capital Partners. HMB represented EPS in the transaction. EPS is headquartered in Elgin, Illinois and manufactures HDPE for decking, railing and park products among others. Founded in 2000, EPS markets its products under Lumberock,…

An article published by State Tax Notes discusses the Illinois Supreme Court's refusal to review an appellate court decision that Chicago's amusement tax as applied to online streaming services does not violate the state constitution or the Internet Tax Freedom Act (ITFA). The court denied the petition for leave to appeal in Labell v. City of Chicago, letting stand the…

The ongoing issues related to the spread of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) have had and will continue to have significant impact on individuals, families, businesses and markets.  We know that many of you are affected and share our concerns regarding the safety and well-being of our friends and our staff and we hope you and your families are healthy and safe.…

Breen was named to the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee State and Local Tax Program Advisory Board. With Breen's insight, the school is looking to revitalize the SALT program as well as re-institute the SALT conference. UW-Milwaukee seeks to provide students with the knowledge and skills needed to successfully pursue or advance careers within tax departments of corporations, CPA firms, law firms, and…

HMB litigators Hal J. Wood and Matthew R. Barrett secured a complete victory in a recent highly contested post-transaction dispute. The team obtained summary judgment in their clients’ favor on all counts, including an award of 100% of the clients’ attorneys’ fees, resulting in a total judgment of over $9,000,000 in favor of HMB’s clients. HMB’s clients were the sellers…

Two thirds of all states and the District of Columbia have, to varying degrees, legalized cannabis. With the recent addition of Illinois, eleven states now allow adult recreational use. But cannabis entrepreneurs’ rush of excitement and dreams of cashing in is met with fierce competition and economic risks that makes the dreams, which look so dank at first, end up…

Svoboda Capital Partners ("SCP"), a private equity firm, announced its partnership and recapitalization with Kenway Consulting ("Kenway"), a management and technology consulting firm. HMB represented SCP in the recapitalization. Under terms of the agreement, SCP has purchased a majority interest in Kenway. Financial details of the transaction were not disclosed. SCP is a Chicago-based private equity firm that invests in…

Foxtrot, a modern convenience store offering in-store and delivery options, announced that it raised $17 million in a funding round co-led by Imaginary Ventures and Wittington Ventures and joined by previous investors Fifth Wall, Lerer Hippeau, Revolution’s Rise of the Rest Seed Fund, M3 Ventures, The University of Chicago, Collaborative VC and Wasson Enterprises as well as new investors Bluestein…

Read the full article on State Tax Notes here (subscription required). In this installment of his column, Internally Consistent, Chris discusses the impact of recent U.S. Supreme Court decisions affecting state sovereignty, including Hyatt and Dawson v.Steager. This was the year of remote seller nexus, marketplace facilitators, state taxation of foreign income, and market-based sourcing becoming the majority rule for…

2020 Illinois Super Lawyers John W. Guzzardo Richard M. Horwood Fred O. Marcus Marilyn A. Wethekam Jeffrey A. Zaluda 2020 Illinois Super Lawyers - Rising Stars Karl E. Analo Matthew R. Barrett Nathan E. Delman Brett M. Winterstein Super Lawyers is a rating service of outstanding lawyers from more than 70 practice areas who have attained a high-degree of peer recognition…