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Chicago, IL September 10, 2020 HMB Legal Counsel, a preeminent provider of legal services announced Chris T. Lutz as the Practice Chair for the State and Local Tax Group. As a practice group leader, Chris will oversee coaching, planning, economic oversight, positioning and recruitment for his group. Practice group leadership transitions are part of HMB's planning and leadership strategy, designed…

Richard M. Horwood, Rick S. Rein and Jeffrey A. Zaluda were named to Best Lawyers in America 2021. Recognition by Best Lawyers is based entirely on peer review. Their methodology is designed to capture, as accurately as possible, the consensus opinion of leading lawyers about the professional abilities of their colleagues within the same geographical area and legal practice area.…

In the Illinois Practitioner Series, HMB's SALT team discusses various topics covering Illinois Procedures, Corporate Income Tax, Retailers' Occupation Tax (Sales Tax) and Use Tax and Local Taxes. Download the full booklet here. Questions? Reach out to the state and local tax team here.  …

In this article from Law360 by Maria Koklanaris, Chris T. Lutz tackles questions regarding Wisconsin's state court of appeals to overturn a circuit court ruling that Deere & Co. is entitled to a dividends-received deduction from a Luxembourg affiliate that elected to be treated as a corporation for federal tax purposes. Read the full article by Law360 here. Wisconsin has argued…

Cohesion, a Chicago-based startup which makes a SaaS platform for building managers, announced that it raised $6.5 million in a funding round led by HPA, with participation from Frasers Property Group, investment firm CMT and a host of individual angel investors. HMB represented Hyde Park Angels (HPA) in their lead investment and congratulates HPA on the closing. HPA's people-first approach…

HMB congratulates client, Red Flag Mania, a game-based investigative experience, and founders Roni Jackson and Kelly Richmond Pope, on their recent partnership with WGU Labs, Inc. ("WGU"). Under the agreement, WGU will make both a service and capital investment in Red Flag Mania, that's innovative e-learning solution combines film, theory and "whodunit" fun to empower learners to use data to…

Alicia was named to Best Lawyers 2021 Ones to Watch List. These awards are recognitions given to attorneys who are earlier in their careers for outstanding professional excellence in private practice in the United States. Best Lawyers' methodology for determining these awards is through peer-review. Learn more about Alicia here.…

It’s hard to believe that HMB first opened its doors this week, 45 years ago. This milestone celebrates decades of our collective determination to deliver better results to our clients. HMB was founded by Dick Horwood in 1975, focusing on tax matters. “When I started HMB I wanted to create a firm built around a culture of mutual respect and…

In this discussion of the policy considerations of expanding state False Claims Act to taxes, Nikki E. Dobay and Stephanie T. Do interviewed four state and local tax experts who have experience with the ramifications of state false claims acts: Marilyn A. Wethekam, Helen Hecht, uniformity counsel and Brian Hamer, counsel to the Multistate Tax Commission and David Pope, partner…

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…

Mark-It Express Logistics LLC ("Mark-It"), a leading Midwest intermodal trucking and freight brokerage company, acquired Sava Transportation ("Sava"), a Maywood, Illinois-based intermodal freight hauling company. HMB represented Mark-It in the acquisition. (more…)…

Chicago, IL July 21, 2020 HMB Legal Counsel, a preeminent provider of legal services announced Brett M. Winterstein as the Practice Chair for the Business and Finance Group. As a practice group leader, Brett will oversee coaching, planning, economic oversight, positioning and recruitment for his group. Practice group leadership transitions are part of HMB's planning and leadership strategy, designed to…

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…

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…

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…

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,…