8th Annual Workers' Compensation Institute: Practicing in the Post-COVID Era - 2021

8th Annual Workers' Compensation Institute: Practicing in the Post-COVID Era - 2021
Expires: 3/1/2023

*Petitioner’s Perspective
**Respondent’s Perspective

Welcoming Announcements: David M. Barish, Katz, Friedman, Eisenstein, Johnson, Bareck & Bertuca, Chicago, Program Moderator

Opening remarks: Chairman Michael Brennan, Illinois Workers’ Compensation Commission, Chicago

Case Law Update
Learn about recent Illinois Appellate Court cases that significantly impact the practice, with important insights for both Petitioner’s and Respondent’s attorneys. The McAllister case and the amendment to Rule 23 will also be discussed.
Arnold G. Rubin, Rubin Law Group, Ltd., Chicago

Appellate Court Practice in the Wake of COVID-19 and Rule 23
Justice William E. Holdridge, Third District Appellate Court of Illinois, Ottawa

The Evolution of the COVID-19 Legislation in Illinois Workers’ Compensation and Practical Considerations Moving Forward
Get up to date on rebuttable presumptions and burden of proof as they apply to COVID-19 applications as well as an analysis of applicable case law from the Occupational Disease Act.
Jack Cannon, Shannon Law Group, P.C., Chicago*
William A. Lowry, Nyhan, Bambrick, Kinzie & Lowry, P.C., Chicago**

Update on E-filing
(0.75 Professional Responsibility pending approval)
Get an update on CompFile, the Commission’s new e-filing system, including what is new with the system and what is coming, from the Commission and two practicing attorneys. Learn practical tips from a Petitioner’s and a Respondent’s attorney for using and managing cases through CompFile, as well as how it affects our practice today. Also, learn about the applicable rules and statutes governing e-filing. 
David Larson, Illinois Workers’ Compensation Commission, Chicago
Catherine Krenz Doan, Rubin Law Group, Ltd., Chicago
Martha Gely-Kruto, Nyhan, Bambrick, Kinzie & Lowry, P.C., Chicago**

Medicare Set-Aside Alternatives in 2021
As Medicare moves forward to develop Medicare Set-Aside (“MSA”) regulations, MSA alternatives continue to evolve. Traditional MSA versus MSA Legal Opinion? Traditional MSA versus Evidence-Based MSA? Submit versus Non-Submit? This session will provide clarity around the options available as well as the pros/cons of each approach, allowing you to make specific recommendations to clients based on risk tolerance, settlement goals, and cost.
John V. Cattie, Jr.,Cattie & Gonzalez, Charlotte, North Carolina

New Procedures Post COVID-19: PART ONE
(0.75 Professional Responsibility pending approval)
The recent pandemic, coming during the transition of the Commission to the CompFile electronic filing system, has forced our practice into a virtual world. This has required that we learn and embrace new technology to perform the basic tasks of handling our cases. In doing so, we have learned the advantages and disadvantages of this way of practicing. In this session, we will explore the pros and cons of our virtual practice, what attorneys can do to make it work better, and what elements can be effective additions to our practice as we move forward with CompFile and a return to in-person court hearings.
Arbitrator Stephen Friedman, Illinois Workers’ Compensation Commission, Chicago&
Francis J. Lynch, Wolter, Beeman, Lynch & Londrigan, Springfield*
James Clune, Garofalo, Schreiber, Storm & Grant, Chtd., Chicago**&

New Procedures Post COVID-19: PART TWO
(0.75 Professional Responsibility pending approval)
Understand best practices at arbitration to preserve the record for review and make the most of briefing and telephonic oral arguments before the Commission. Review relevant Rules of Professional Conduct relating to attorney obligations and representations to a court, and the pitfalls to be avoided
Commissioner Barbara N. Flores, Illinois Workers’ Compensation Commission, Chicago
Arbitrator Kurt Carlson, Illinois Workers’ Compensation Commission, Chicago
John J. Castaneda, Castaneda Law Office, Chicago*
Jill M. Kastner, Hennessy & Roach, P.C., Chicago**

Virtual Depositions: What You Need to Know from A to Zoom
(0.75 Professional Responsibility pending approval)
Learn best practices for taking a doctor’s evidence deposition via Zoom. Attorneys on both sides of the case will walk through how to address medical causation issues with a physician, and a court reporter will offer insight on how to conduct virtual depositions smoothly. 
Dr. Ari Kaz, MD, Illinois Bone & Joint Institute, LLC, Chicago
Philip A. Bareck, Katz, Friedman, Eisenstein, Johnson, Bareck & Bertuca, Chicago*
Brian Koch, Wiedner & McAuliffe, Chicago**
Robin Chimniak, Chimniak Court Reporting, Inc., Chicago

COVID-19 and Its Impact on the Practicing Attorney
(0.5 Mental Health & Substance Abuse Professional Responsibility pending approval)
Get up to date about statistics and data related to changes post-pandemic and learn “best practices” and recommendations for lawyers who are practicing during these challenging times.
Melissa A. Smart, Attorney Registration & Disciplinary Commission, Chicago

Effective Practice During COVID: Self-care, Containment, and Connection
(0.5 Mental Health & Substance Abuse Professional Responsibility pending approval)
Covid 19 raised unprecedented challenges for lawyers in forming and maintaining essential relationships with clients, employees, and colleagues, on a virtual platform. These relationships are the foundation of effective practice and rely on genuine connection. Such connection can be brought about only in a “containing environment” that is safe and promotes open communication. Creating this context calls for a disciplined presence, borne of self-care, that allows the other to feel seen and heard, and a partner in a collaborative process.
Dr. Peter Reiner, PhD, LMFT, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and The Chicago Center for Psychoanalysis, Chicago

Adjourn

& = IICLE® Publications Author