To view the Home Page of the IRELA web site, click on 

Important Practice Tip - Cook County Real Estate Taxes . . .

Effective January 1, 2010, the calculation of the estimated (First Installment) tax bill for Cook County changes.  Instead of calculating the estimated installment due March 1, 2010, based upon 50% of the total tax bill for the preceding year, the calculation will now be based upon

To download explanatory or comparison materials, click on:

Fortunato March 15, 2009 Comparison Summary

Schumann June 9, 2009 Highlights Chart

IRELA PRESIDENT Schumann Interviewed Again by Veteran Political Analyst Dick Kay 

IRELA President Ralph J. Schumann was interviewed again recently by veteran journalist and political analyst Dick Kay on radio station WCPT regarding the economic stimulus package passed February 13, 2009, the $8,000 credit for home buyers, foreclosures, toxic mortgage assets and related issues.  The telephone numbers of Loss Mitigation Departments of lenders discussed during the interview can be found at pages 64-66 of the following Powerpoint presentation (saved as a PDF file):

Foreclosure Defenses and Short Sales.

IRELA PRESIDENT 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 CHAIR and PRESIDENT Testify at Illinois Supreme Court Rules Committee Public Hearing on Proposed Rules of Professional Conduct

IRELA Chair and ISBA President-Elect John G. O'Brien and IRELA President Ralph Schumann testified on October 24, 2008 before the Illinois Supreme Court Rules Committee on behalf of IRELA in opposition to adoption of Rule of Professional Conduct 5.7 as proposed and Comment [1] to Rule 1.8 as proposed. O'Brien and 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:

Schumann Testimony

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:

"Mortgage Crisis 08" Program   

IRELA PRESIDENT Speaks at ATG Seminar Entitled: "America's Mortgage Crisis: Looking Out For Your Client"

IRELA President 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:

Chicago Lawyer Social Scene

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 

IRELA President 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. 

Recent Meetings

"Changes to the Notary Act"

which took effect June 1, 2009, at Belvedere Events and Banquets in Elk Grove Village. 

Our speaker was Arden Miner of Attorneys' Title Guaranty Fund, Inc. (center, above, with ISBA President-Elect John G. O'Brien, left, and IRELA President Ralph J. Schumann, right).

To access and download the handouts from the seminar, click on:

Notary Act Changes - Miner Handout

Public Act 95-0988, effective June 1, 2009

Sample Notarial Record Form

Biometric Information Privacy Act

Notary Act Changes Summary

Mary Umberger Column - Chicago Tribune - April 12, 2009

      On January 14, 2009, IRELA presented its first in-depth

Three Hour Real Estate Law Seminar

at Maggiano's Little Italy in Schaumburg, Illinois.  Speakers were Dick Bales, James Grogan, Tom Anselmo, Mary McSwain, and Stuart Wolf.   

Speakers were Session I: Dick Bales (left), Session II: James Grogan (center), and the Session III concluding panel discussion was chaired by Tom Anselmo, Mary McSwain, and IRELA Association Attorney Stuart Wolf.

For more information and to access and download the complete written materials from the seminar, see the Members Only Section of the web site.

         On May 14, 2008, IRELA welcomed Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas, who addressed the membership regarding the

"State of the Office of the Cook County Treasurer: Where We Were, Where We Are, and Where We Are Going."   

Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas (center) is flanked by IRELA President Ralph J. Schumann (left), and IRELA Founder and Chairman John G. O'Brien.

For more information regarding Treasurer Pappas' presentation, see the Members Only Section of the web site.

Fighting Foreclosure Seminar Series

IRELA recently presented a series of free seminars for the benefit of the public entitled: 

 "Fighting Foreclosure: What Every Homeowner Should Know." 

IRELA President Ralph J. Schumann and IRELA Board Members Joseph Nery and Dennis Bordyn, along with Tammy Hajjar of Countrywide Home Loans, spoke on this important topic at locations in the greater Chicago Metropolitan area over a period of months.  Points covered included:

 What exactly is a foreclosure?  What is the process and timeline?  What financial alternatives exist and what can be done to avoid foreclosure?  What is a short sale and how can it help borrowers facing foreclosure? 

To view and download a Flyer describing the seminar held in Aurora, Illinois at 9:30 a.m. on May 17, 2008, click on:

Fighting Foreclosure Seminar - May 17th in Aurora

To download the Powerpoint presentation from the May 17, 2008 seminar as a PDF File viewable with Adobe Reader, click on:

"Fighting Foreclosure" Powerpoint as PDF

Speakers at the May 17, 2008 "Fighting Foreclosure" Seminar were, from left, IRELA President Ralph J. Schumann, IRELA Board Member Joseph F. Nery, Tammy Hajjar of Countrywide Home Loans, and  IRELA Board Member Dennis R. Bordyn.

IRELA Chairman John O'Brien was quoted in a recent article appearing in the Chicago Tribune discussing online mortgage application processing.  The article is available at: 

Untangling the loan Web, by Marilyn Kennedy Melia.

NOTE: You will need Adobe Acrobat Reader Version 6.0 or newer to view this file.

IRELA Past President Aurora Abella-Austriaco was interviewed on the program entitled "Real Issues", hosted by Kathy Worthington, on Sunday, July 31, 2006, from 6:00 a.m. to 6:30 a.m. on WRLL-AM (a Clear Channel station), 1690 on the AM Dial.  She addressed new issues regarding real estate transactions.  

Abella-Austriaco is pictured to the right with her parents, Patrocino and Fernando Abella.  To access an  article in the Daily Herald by Deborah Donovan discussing Abella-Austriaco's efforts to help her parents and other minorities acquire real estate, click on Daily Herald Article July 8, 2005.

IRELA Chairman John G. O'Brien was recently interviewed by Chicago Tribune real estate columnist Mary Umberger.  To read Mary's column on issues presented by ownership of two-flats by unrelated buyers, click on

"You Take the Upstairs . . ."

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Recent Topics and Developments

State-Wide Additional $10 Recording Surcharge

What`s New:

Illinois Courts Official Web Site:

		ILLINOIS COURTS OFFICIAL WEB SITE at http://www.state.il.us/court
		The Illinois Courts Official Web Site can be accessed through this web site. It contains a wealth of information regarding the Illinois Supreme Court, as well as the Illinois Appellate Court and Circuit Courts. The web site also includes a link under the heading of "Bar Associations and Related Links" to IRELA`s web site.

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More News!

John G. O'Brien, Chairman of the Board of IRELA (left), recently presented an award from IRELA to Peter Birnbaum, President of Attorneys' Title Guaranty Fund, Inc., in appreciation for his contributions toward protecting consumers, promoting the vital role of attorneys in real estate transactions and upholding the ideals of IRELA.  (See more information in the "Members Only" section of this website.)

Joseph R. Fortunato, Jr., Past President of IRELA, is pictured at left at a recent IRELA meeting in Chicago with Past ISBA President Irene F. Bahr.  Joe Fortunato is to the right of Irene Bahr, and to the right of Mr. Fortunato is IRELA Chairman of the Board, John O`Brien. Fortunato, has long been active in the DuPage County Bar Association, the Illinois State Bar Association Real Estate Section, and in IRELA.  John O'Brien has recently been elected Third Vice President of the ISBA. 


John O`Brien, Chairman of the Board of IRELA, has been elected Third Vice President of the ISBA.  O'Brien also serves on the Board of Governors, and as Vice-Chair of the ISBA Task Force on the Unauthorized Practice of Law. O`Brien, who served five consecutive terms as president of the Illinois Real Estate Lawyers Association, saw IRELA grow under his leadership from a group of a few dozen lawyers in 1997 to an organization of over 2,000 members which has gained a reputation nationally for its efforts in combating the unauthorized practice of law. John has championed the cause of the real estate lawyer and the consumer for the past ten years, and has been called "the Illinois real estate lawyer's finest advocate". 

O`Brien also serves on the board of directors of Attorneys' Title Guaranty Fund, Inc., and has received the Northwest Suburban Bar Association's President's Award for his distinguished public service efforts in protecting the public against the unauthorized practice of law.

To access one of many articles in which John O'Brien is quoted discussing real estate matters, click on:

"Legal Ease" Article

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Multi-Board Residential Real Estate Contract

"Knock-off" Alert:

Some unauthorized versions of the copyrighted Multi-Board Residential Real Estate Contract (the "Common Contract") used widely in Illinois are still surfacing with deceptively altered provisions. Typically, a service provider such as a title insurance company modifies the authorized contract form by, e.g., inserting a provision in the "Title" paragraph requiring that it be used as the source of title insurance for the transaction, and sometimes this change is accompanied by a modification of the attorney review clause blocking attorneys from proposing modifications to, e.g., "stated purchase price and title insurance company". For more information on this issue, please click on the "Developments" button above and then click on "Contract Alert" in the menu box on the left margin.