Chicago Law Partners, LLC is a boutique law firm focused primarily on representing trade associations, professional societies, foundations, other not-for-profit organizations, and business entities
We advise our clients on the full range of issues facing not-for-profit organizations, from the relatively straightforward to the extraordinarily complex. We regularly provide counsel regarding potential antitrust liability, corporate organization and governance, tax and tax exemption, intellectual property, electronic communications, contract negotiations, employee relations, litigation, regulatory matters, and a host of other issues affecting clients' day-to-day operations. Whatever the concern, we offer creative, knowledgeable and pragmatic advice and guidance.
With over 100 years of collective experience representing not-for-profit organizations, we have broad and in-depth knowledge of the business and legal issues affecting not-for-profit organizations including trade show and meeting planning, publishing, standard-setting, disciplinary proceedings, sponsorship liability, insurance, relations with chapters and subsidiaries, conflicts of interest, certification and credentialing, and charitable solicitation and registration, among others. Due to our many years of experience in working with our clients, we take pride in the fact that we often become experts in the professions or industries that our clients represent.
We are viewed as leading experts in this unique area of the law, and we frequently share our expertise by actively participating in the greater association community. Our attorneys regularly lecture on association-related topics and contribute articles to various association publications to keep our clients, and the broader community, well-informed regarding new developments and the "hot" legal issues of the day.
Our Corporate Practice provides sophisticated transactional representation and business counseling to small and large companies in a wide range of industries.
Our clients receive a high degree of personal attention, and we believe that providing clients with practical advice and solutions is the most effective way to help them meet their business objectives. We are innovative problem solvers who add value to each transaction and project by working to understand our clients' goals and helping them to achieve the desired results.
Our Environmental Practice
We frequently act as general counsel and advisors to companies and their boards of directors, handling both day-to-day matters and significant transactions, and preparing and negotiating various types of contracts. We provide responsive, creative, and strategic legal and business counsel and help our clients effectively manage all of their legal issues.
CLP's attorneys have earned a national reputation in matters arising under the Clean Air Act and related state and local air quality statutes and regulations. We have represented the interests of major stakeholders in a significant number of rulemakings before the U.S. EPA and the California Air Resources Board. Our work has involved developing consensus positions, drafting formal rulemaking comments, testifying on proposed rules, and negotiating innovative regulatory programs. Our attorneys also have been recruited to serve on Federal Advisory Act Committees relating to the development and implementation of air quality standards and emission control programs.
CLP represents a national trade association of manufacturers subject to the Environmental Protection Agency's regulatory authority under the Clean Air Act. Recognizing the association members' needs for regulatory certainty, leadtime to develop compliant products, and a minimum period of stability to recoup their capital investment in new emission control technologies, we have developed and fostered a creative and innovative strategy of working with EPA, state regulatory emission control agencies, the environmental community, and other stakeholders to develop a series of workable emission control programs that are among the most significant and comprehensive ever implemented. The resultant programs have met EPA and state mandates to reduce air pollution, served the public's need for improved air quality, established a stable regulatory framework for the member companies, and continued to meet the needs of consumers for effective, durable and well-performing products.
CLP's attorneys have been instrumental in promoting regulatory alignment and worldwide harmonization, and have worked with a wide range of international agencies and organizations. We also have had key roles in developing major environmental legislation, including the Clean Air Act, the Energy Policy Act (EPACT), Diesel Emissions Reduction Act (DERA), American Clean Energy and Security Act, and many others.
In addition, CLP's attorneys have litigated numerous Clean Air Act and related state law issues before the U.S. Supreme Court, the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, and several other federal and state courts. Of particular significance, CLP lawyers have taken a leading role in developing the law of federal preemption under the Clean Air Act. Included among the most significant preemption cases that CLP lawyers have litigated are: Engine Manufacturers Assoc. v. South Coast Air Quality Management District, 541 U.S. 246 (2004) (an 8-1 ruling upholding preemption claims against local emission-based regulation of vehicle purchases); and Engine Manufacturers Assoc. v. EPA, 88 F.3d 1075 (D.C. Cir. 1996) (upholding broad federal preemption of the regulation of emissions from nonroad engines and vehicles).
Additional Areas of Practice
Areas of law in which CLP's attorneys are skilled include:
| • Antitrust | • Executive Employment Agreements |
| • Business Formation | • Health Care |
| • Certification, Standards & Credentialing | • Intellectual Property |
| • Contract Negotiations | • Meetings, Trade Shows & Conventions |
| • Corporate Governance | • Mergers & Acquisitions |
| • Employment Matters | • Publishing |
| • Environmental Regulation | • Tax & Tax Exemption |
