Brown Bag Lunch Series
The meetings take place from 12:00 pm to 1:00 pm via Zoom One MCLE credit is offered per presentation. Other details:
Stay tuned for upcoming Lunch & Learn information! Thank you to all our attendees and our panel of speakers: SPEAKERS: ![]()
Thank you to Hon. John M. Allegretti for presenting: Cook County Early Resolution Program Court Calls: Current Status & Procedures Thank you to Michael Polk, Law Office of Michael R. Polk and Doug Giese, Markoff Law, LLC for presenting: Current State of Relief Under 2-1401. ![]() MICHAEL POLK Admitted to practice since 1982, Michael Polk is the principal of Law offices of Michael R.Polk. He is also currently the Secretary of the Illinois Creditors Bar Association. Mr. Polk continues to handle step up work in northeastern Illinois and thanks the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals for his continued employment.
Mr. Giese is a certified mediator through the Center for Conflicts Resolution and has been involved in alternative dispute resolution before the Circuit Court of Cook County Mandatory Arbitration Program, the American Arbitration Association and other private alternative dispute resolution panels. Additionally, he has successfully represented clients in matters pending before the Social Security Administration. Many thanks to the Honorable Thomas M. Donnelly, Circuit Court of Cook County, assigned to the Jury Section of the Law Division and Michael Starzec of Blitt & Gaines, PC for presenting: THE NEW SUPREME COURT RULE 280: How It Impacts Consumer Collection Complaints and Litigation. Thanks also to Bob Markoff for moderating the presentation. THE HONORABLE THOMAS MORE DONNELLY serves as an Associate Judge, Circuit Court of Cook County,assigned to the Jury Section of the Law Division. Over the last eighteen years, he has sat in traffic, domestic violence, misdemeanor jury, post-judgment collection, and civil jury courtrooms. He has presided over 300 jury trials. From 2000 to 2004, he served post-judgment collection courtroom for the First Municipal District. In 2013, he spoke the Loyola Law School Conference: Debt Collection in the Modern Economy. At Northwestern Law School, he spoke as a panelist at the Federal Trade Commission Roundtable on Debt Collection in 2009. From 2009-2010, he also served as a member of the American Arbitration Association’s National Task Force on Issues Related to the Arbitration of Consumer Debt Disputes. He coauthored with Judge Sanjay Tailor: Survey of Illinois Law: Enforcement of Judgment, 31 S.IU.L.J. 819 (2006). He has authored “New Supreme Court Rule: Help for self-represented litigants” ISBA Bench & Bar Newsletter, Vol. 45, pp. 1-3 (September 2014); “New Illinois Rule of Evidence: Business record certification,” Trial Briefs, Vol. 57, no. 8, (March 2012). He spearheaded three court programs to assist self-represented litigants: CBA Summary Suspension Volunteer Program, the CARPLS Consumer Collection Self-Help Desk, and the CBA Municipal Court Pro Bono Panel. MICHAEL L. STARZEC graduated from DePaul University’s College of Law in 1995 with a Juris Doctorate and was sworn in as a member of the Illinois Bar in November of the same year. Prior to his legal training, he attended Northern Illinois University, receiving Bachelor of Arts degrees in History and Political Science in 1992. He is a Partner with the law firm of Blitt and Gaines, P.C, having been with the firm since 1996. He is a member of the Federal Bar for the Northern District of Illinois, as well as being licensed to practice in Indiana (2006) and Wisconsin (2010). Professionally, he is Vice-President of the Illinois Creditors Bar Association, a member of NARCA as well as the Commercial Banking, Collections and Bankruptcy Law Section Council of the ISBA ROBERT G. "BOB" MARKOFF graduated from University of Illinois and received his law degree from DePaul University College of Law. Bob has been practicing for 44 years, most of which he has concentrated on creditors' rights, judgment enforcement, and commercial litigation. His publications are many, from his volunteer work with Illinois Institute Continued Legal Education, state bills including Public Act 95-0661: Amendments to Illinois Code of Civil Procedure. He is founding member of the ILCBA and past president of NARCA, and the Creditors Bar Coalition of Illinois. Thank you to Kevin Kelly, Markoff Law, LLC for presenting: KEVIN M. KELLY is a partner at Markoff Law, LLC, practicing in the areas of, Collections,Creditors Rights, Civil Litigation and Judgment Enforcement. Kevin is currently licensed to practice in the State of Illinois and in the Northern District of Illinois, and obtained his BA from Marquette University in Milwaukee WI and his JD from DePaul University College of Law. He is a Board Member and Past President of the Illinois Creditors Bar Association, and a member of the following organizations: NARCA – National Creditors Bar Association, the Illinois State Bar Association and the Chicago Bar Association. Kevin works on the Outreach Committee and State Government Affairs Committee for NARCA – National Creditors Bar Association. Kevin also is a Certified Alateen sponsor providing counseling services for teenagers and pre-teens whose parents are drug addicts and alcoholics.
RICHARD TOBOZ is the lead attorney in charge of evictions at the law firm of Heavner, Beyers & Mihlar, LLC. He has handled hundreds of evictions across the state of Illinois, about half of them in Cook County. His extensive experience includes residential and commercial eviction cases, representing both landlords and buyers of foreclosed properties. He has also handled numerous related matters including defending owners against alleged KCRO violations, settling lawsuits over unpaid condominium assessments, and other litigation. Richard also currently serves on the Eviction Forms Subcommittee for the Illinois Supreme Court. He is admitted to practice law in Illinois state courts as well as the trial bar in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois and the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit. | ![]() CONTACT US ILCBA OR SUBMIT THE CONNECT |