Thursday, March 6, 2025
Illinois Workers’ Compensation Commission, Chicago & Live Webcast
*Petitioner’s Perspective
**Respondent’s Perspective
8:55 – 9:00 Welcoming Announcements
David M. Barish, Katz, Friedman, Eisenstein, Johnson, Bareck & Bertuca, Chicago
9:00 – 9:15 Commission Update
Chairman Michael Brennan, Illinois Workers’ Compensation Commission, Chicago
9:15 – 10:00 Workers’ Compensation Caselaw Update 2025
New decisions by the Appellate Court and the Workers’ Compensation Commission that may impact your practice.
Arnold G. Rubin, Rubin Law Group, Ltd., Chicago
Arbitrator Stephen J. Friedman (ret.), Formerly Illinois Workers’ Compensation Commission, Chicago
10:00 – 10:15 Break
10:15 - 11:00 Work-Related Injuries: Employment Challenges and Issues
Explore the variety of issues employees and employers face when an injury impacts employment status. Key topics include retaliatory discharge, wrongful termination, FMLA, ADA, resignation agreements, and vested benefits.
Julie O. Herrera, The Law Offices of Julie O. Herrera, Chicago*
11:00 – 11:45 Workers' Compensation Law Post-McAlister: Implications and Developments
Has McAlister changed how we determine whether an accident arises out of one’s employment? Has the case changed how we prosecute and defend cases where there is a an “arising out of” issue? Is this a new landscape or simply new terminology?
John J. Castaneda, Castaneda Law Office, Geneva*
Kisa P. Sthankiya, Rusin & Maciorowski, Chicago**
11:45 – 12:30 Lunch Break
12:30 - 1:15 Navigating Employer-Employee Dynamics in Workers' Compensation Law
The so-called “gig” economy has more and more companies classifying workers as independent contractors. Are these workers employees? What factors are considered in making the determination? How do attorneys prove and disprove an employee-employer relationship?
James B. Hardy, Taxman, Pollock, Murray & Bekkerman, LLC, Chicago*
Michelle L. LaFayette, Ganan & Shapiro PC, Chicago**
1:15 – 2:00 Medicare Set-Aside Update and Review
An in-depth examination of the latest developments and best practices in Medicare Set-Aside (MSA) arrangements in workers' compensation cases. This session will cover recent regulatory changes, key compliance considerations, and effective strategies for ensuring proper funding and management of MSAs. What do attorneys need to know to protect their clients?
Rafael Gonzalez, Cattie & Gonzalez, PLLC, Charlotte
2:00 – 2:45 Foundations for Admitting Evidence in Workers' Compensation Trials
(0.75 professional responsibility pending approval)
A comprehensive guide to establishing and admitting evidence effectively in workers' compensation cases. This session will focus on the admissibility of various types of evidence, including text messages, emails, business records, medical records, medical bills, audio recordings, photographs, videos, medical reports, and peer-reviewed articles. Learn best practices for gathering, presenting, and challenging evidence to strengthen your cases.
Jack Cannon, Cannon Law, Chicago*
Brian Koch, Wiedner & McAuliffe, Chicago**
2:45 – 3:00 Break
3:00 – 3:45 Discussing the Standard of Review for Workers' Compensation Cases
(0.75 professional responsibility pending approval)
Viewpoints from the perspective of decision makers at arbitration and the Appellate Court.
Justice William E. Holdridge, Third District Appellate Court of Illinois, Peoria
Arbitrator Kurt Carlson, Illinois Workers’ Compensation Commission, Chicago
Steven J. Winger, Third District Appellate Court of Illinois, Peoria
3:45 – 4:30 Generational Practice in Workers’ Compensation Law
(0.75 professional responsibility pending approval)
How has the practice of law changed over the last 50 years and do older and younger attorneys see the practice differently? What can younger and older attorneys learn from one another to be more effective advocates? Are we listening to one another or are we talking over each other? Is anybody right or wrong and does it matter?
James Clune, Garofalo, Schreiber, Storm & Grant, Chtd., Chicago**
Catherine Krenz Doan, Rubin Law Group, Ltd., Chicago*
Commissioner Christopher Harris, Illinois Workers’ Compensation Commission, Chicago
Arbitrator Elaine Llerena, Illinois Workers’ Compensation Commission, Chicago
4:30 Adjourn
= IICLE® Publications Author
