January - 2016

Julia Smolka

commercial law | condominium law | construction litigation | bankruptcy | estate planning |

Whose Ring Is It Anyway?

Whose Ring Is It Anyway?

Love is in the air. Between Christmas and Valentine’s Day, there is a surge of wedding proposals. There is also a surge in purchasing expensive diamond engagement rings. Usually those engagements end in wedding bells and nuptials. However, sometimes they do not. Current statistics show twenty percent of engaged couples break off an engagement before the wedding. When the engagement ends, who ends up with the ring? An engagement ring, given as part of a proposal, has been

If the Dress Fits, You Must Acquit

If the Dress Fits, You Must Acquit

I love trial work. It's why I became a lawyer. However, 90-95% of cases are settled before trial. It makes sense because trials are expensive and the outcome is uncertain. I typically try to settle my cases before trial. But not every case settles. I recently tried a case that I will remember for a long time. Our client was an upscale women's boutique in Chicago. It sells high end clothing and accessories. It purchased several dresses and shirts from an up and coming young de

Educating Future Students About the Pitfalls of Credit Card Debt

Educating Future Students About the Pitfalls of Credit Card Debt

Last month, my partner Abe Brustein and I went to Taft High School on the Northwest Side of Chicago to talk to Senior high school students about understanding how credit cards work, and protecting their credit score. These same students were going to be either going to college in the fall, or entering the workforce with little to no knowledge of how credit affects them, and what their scores even mean. Meanwhile, they will be innodated with credit card offers, and enticed wi

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Speaking at the Chicago Bar Association Young Lawyers Division Women

Speaking at the Chicago Bar Association Young Lawyers Division Women

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