Whether big or small, a customer base is vitally important to any business. Depending on the size and sophistication of a business, a customer list may be kept in one’s head, on index cards, in a book or on a computer. Regardless of how that customer list is kept, a business wants to take steps…

Though your business may not have “secret recipes” for cola drinks or fried chicken, your business undoubtedly has some process or information that it believes gives it an advantage over its competitors. This confidential information may take many forms such as a customer list that has been created through the years at considerable expense and…

Disputes between members of limited liability companies can get messy fast. A recent decision by the Illinois Appellate Court for the First District illustrates the importance of treating the limited liability company as a separate entity in disputes between members. The attorney-client privilege may hang in the balance.

In Janousek v. Slotky, 2012 IL…

Increasingly, the Illinois Appellate Courts are placing restrictive covenants under greater scrutiny. This heightened scrutiny was reflected again in Critical Care Systems, Inc. v. Dennis Heuer, a recent decision from the Illinois Appellate Court for the Second District.

In this case, the defendant former employee, a managing pharmacist providing home infusion care services, executed…

A recent decision from the Illinois Appellate Court for the First District should be a reminder to business owners, executives and advisors of the importance of following corporate formalities and the dire consequences of failing to do so. As most business owners know, the primary purpose of organizing a corporation is to insulate the business’…

In the face of rising litigation costs, the most valuable benefit of a company’s insurance policy may be its insurer’s duty to defend claims. Often, claims asserted in litigation may include a mixture of covered and uncovered claims with some claims potentially excluded from the coverage provided by an insurance policy. Alternatively, the claims asserted…