The LAW
OFFICES OF RALPH J. SCHUMANN is a full-service law firm
involved in residential and commercial real estate, estate
planning, corporate and business law, employment discrimination
matters, as well as trade secrets and general litigation.
What's New . . .
On January 27, 2010, IRELA
President Ralph Schumann presented a
seminar on:
"New Regulatory Changes"
Good Funds Legislation, Good Faith Estimate, Truth in Lending, and RESPA Changes
The presentation, for the Northwest Suburban Bar Association's annual Real Estate Law Seminar, took place at the Forest View Education Center in Arlington Heights, Illinois.
To download and view Schumann's handout materials, including Powerpoint slides, as a PDF, click on:
Ralph J. Schumann recently spoke at an Illinois Institute for Continuing Legal Education (IICLE) Seminar. He addressed mortgage foreclosure defense, short sales and bankruptcy issues at the 5th Annual Real Estate Short Course. To access and download his Powerpoint presentation, click on:
Foreclosure Defense and Short Sales.Ralph J. Schumann was recently appointed to serve as a Member of the Illinois State Bar Association Real Estate Law Section Council. He was also quoted in a two-part article appearing in the Chicago Lawyer on the issue of the subprime mortgage crisis. To view or download Part One of the article, click on Chicago Lawyer Subprime Mortgages Article Part One. To view or download Part Two of the article, click on Chicago Lawyer Subprime Mortgages Article Part Two.
Schumann is also
currently President of the
Illinois Real Estate Lawyers Association,
and serves as Chair
of the Real Estate Committee of the Northwest Suburban Bar
Association. He received his J.D. with honors from
Chicago-Kent College of Law.
We utilize the benefits of current technology to make our
practice and the delivery of our legal services more efficient
and more economical. You can reach us by telephone or E-mail
us at
info@SchumannLaw.com
IRELA PRESIDENT Schumann Column in Chicago Lawyer Magazine
IRELA President Ralph Schumann has begun writing a column appearing in the Chicago Lawyer Magazine addressing issues affecting solo and small firm practitioners. To download and read the inaugural column from the January, 2009, issue discussing Proposed Supreme Court Rule 5.7 and related concerns, click on the image above.
IRELA PRESIDENT Schumann Testifies at Illinois Supreme Court Rules Committee Public Hearing on Proposed Rules of Professional Conduct
IRELA President Ralph Schumann testified on October 24, 2008 before the Illinois Supreme Court Rules Committee in opposition to adoption of Rule of Professional Conduct 5.7 as proposed and Comment [1] to Rule 1.8 as proposed. Schumann expressed opposition to the attempt in Proposed Rule 5.7 to define the scope of the practice of law by identifying "law-related services", and in opposition to the inclusion of a reference to the provision of title insurance as a "business transaction" in Comment [1] to proposed Rule 1.8. One of the incongruous results of the approach embodied in the proposed rule 5.7 would be that a lawyer filling in the blanks of a form real estate contract such as the Multi-Board Residential Real Estate Contract for a client, a service which current law allows a non-lawyer real estate broker to perform without being characterized as engaging in the unauthorized practice of law, would be found to be engaged in a "law-related service" and, by definition, not the practice of law.
To download and view a copy of Ralph Schumann's testimony at the hearing, click on:
IRELA PRESIDENT Interviewed on "Illinois Law" Television Program, WCIA, Champaign, Illinois
IRELA President Ralph J. Schumann was interviewed on the "Illinois Law" television program on October 10, 2008 on factors contributing to the Mortgage Crisis in the United States. The moderator was University of Illinois College of Law Professor Amy Gajda (left). Also interviewed was University of Illinois College of Law Professor Christine Hurt (right). To view the program using Windows Media Player, click on:
IRELA PRESIDENT Speaks at ATG Seminar Entitled: "America's Mortgage Crisis: Looking Out For Your Client"
Ralph J. Schumann (far left, above) spoke at an October 10th Seminar entitled "America's Mortgage Crisis: Looking Out For Your Client". The seminar was presented by Attorneys' Title Guaranty Fund, Inc., and hosted by the University of Illinois College of Law. Pictured with Schumann are University of Illinois College of Law Assistant Dean for Communications Dave Johnson, program moderator and Senior Vice President of Attorneys' Title Guaranty Fund, Inc., Jerry Gorman, and U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Thomas L. Perkins, who also was one of the speakers on the program. To see the above photograph as part of Chicago Lawyer Magazine's "Social Scene" collage, click on:
The seminar, held Friday, October 10, 2008 from 12:30 p.m. - 4 p.m. at the Max L. Rowe Auditorium on the Campus of the University of Illinois College of Law, 504 East Pennsylvania Drive, Champaign, IL, addressed the origins of the sub-prime mortgage crisis, the role of investment banks, credit rating agencies and mortgage servicers, and probed legislative and governmental responses, including the Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008, the role of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the Illinois Anti-Predatory Lending Database Program, and industry changes. Schumann addressed practical suggestions for attorneys to help clients facing foreclosure, presenting foreclosure defenses, and short sale strategies. For more information, click on Attorneys' Title Guaranty Fund, or call (800) 252-0402. To access video of the October 10, 2008, seminar, click on:
College of Law Scholarly Events
IRELA PRESIDENT Schumann Interviewed by Veteran Political Analyst Dick Kay
Ralph J. Schumann was interviewed by veteran journalist and political analyst Dick Kay recently on radio station WCPT regarding the origins of the current mortgage and financial crises, and steps borrowers facing foreclosure can take, including arranging short sales.
