Daily Three: September 8

1. Over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has now spanned close to six months, the progress of cases in the Circuit Court of Cook County has been greatly inhibited.  As a result, as one can imagine, there is a backlog of cases that would have been tried or settled some time ago.  In an effort to remedy this bottleneck, on August 27, 2020, James P. Flannery Jr., the presiding Judge of the Law Division, issued a General Administrative Order mandating that cases that were set for trial prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, but did not proceed to trial due to the pandemic, must now engage in pre-trial settlement conferences.  This order will affect more than 1,000 pending cases. Authored by Jason Hirsh

2. The modern estate-planning attorney will repre­sent a significant number of lesbian, gay, bisex­ual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) clients or clients who have family members or other potential beneficiaries in the LGBTQ community. This article in Trusts & Estates Magazine discusses three common estate planning issues for LGBTQ clients: (1) defining a beneficiary, (2) changing a name or gender, and (3) a fiduciary covering expenses. Authored by Steven Kriz

3. When navigating the complexities of getting a deal across the finish line, it is wise to plan for any potential delays when signatories are living outside of the United States. For instance, if documents need to be signed by a U.S. signatory who is currently abroad, there may be pandemic-related closures of U.S. consulates and embassies that could impact timing and procedures. Read more about planning for transactions involving parties who are living abroad. Authored by Julie Workman

For more resources and LP’s response to COVID-19, visit this webpage.