Most business owners spend hours negotiating the purchase price of a business. Then, after all that effort, they’ll sign a contract without reading half of it. We see it all the time – the first few pages, which generally set out the basic business terms, get everyone’s attention. The remaining pages become legal stuff, fatigue […]
Thomas C. Pavlik Jr.
Posted inColumns
6 St. Café
Although I’m hopeful that the soon-to-be-constructed apartments at the former Sangamo Club, the eventual influx of office workers at the Armory and the future BOS Center expansion will lead to greater dining choices downtown, right now the pickings, as they say, are a bit slim. But one reliable choice, which may not be on your […]
Posted inRestaurant review
Clock Tower Cafe
Restaurants come and go, but some spaces seem destined to remain restaurants forever, like the space occupied since early 2024 by Clocktower Cafe at 751 S. Durkin Drive in Springfield. To the best of my memory, it previously housed several restaurants including Nico’s Homestyle and, more recently, Brunchfield Café. Clocktower Cafe is advertised as an […]
Posted inAsk an Attorney
Who owns your medical records?
This is a question that sounds simple but has quite a complicated answer that raises a whole host of questions. Who is responsible for maintaining the records? How long do they need to be retained? Who owns the records? And, perhaps most importantly, who has access to them? Illinois law draws an important distinction between […]
Posted inRestaurant review
The Spot 90’s Bar & Grill
If you grew up in the 1990s, a visit to The Spot 90’s Bar & Grill is likely to trigger a wave of nostalgia that approaches sensory overload. Located on Ginger Creek Drive on Springfield’s west side, The Spot pays homage to a decade that gave us everything from grunge music and compact discs to […]
Posted inAsk an Attorney
Environmental issues in commercial real estate
Environmental issues regarding real estate may seem commonplace these days, but the implications have real-world consequences for the uninformed.Imagine you’ve bought your first piece of income-producing property. After several months, you discover the prior owner dumped contaminants out the back door, and now the Environmental Protection Agency wants you to clean up the property. It […]
Posted inRestaurant review
Puerto Vallarta
Puerto Vallarta Mexican Restaurant opened recently in the former Taqueria Moroleon space near the Wabash Avenue curve. It’s a family-run operation with great service and, even for a Mexican restaurant, a huge menu that will satisfy everyone. It doesn’t look like Puerto Vallarta did much to the space. It’s still festooned with tons of color […]
Posted inAsk an Attorney
The legal risks of AI
As AI becomes more prevalent in our lives, it’s important to stay educated on how our legal system is addressing novel topics related to its increasing use. Many of the issues discussed in this article are not even on the radars of business owners – but they should be. One of the more interesting recent […]
Posted inRestaurant review
The Fountain on 66
Billing itself as Springfield’s “newest retro diner,” The Fountain on 66 has been dishing out classic American favorites for the last year out of the historic former Sonrise Donut space along the original Route 66. The Fountain on 66 embraces the diner vibe and offers visitors a bright, airy space with large windows and 1950s […]
Posted inAsk an Attorney
The lurking danger of legacy liability
One would think that when purchasing a business through an asset sale, a seller’s legacy liabilities stay with the seller and don’t attach to the buyer. In most instances that’s true. The purchaser of a business asset is not going to be on the hook for existing liabilities connected to the assets. But there are […]
Posted inRestaurant review
Richard’s Family Restaurant
Richard’s Family Restaurant is the latest diner to open in Springfield and is a most welcome addition to the genre. Located on Ninth Street, just south of North Grand Avenue, Richard’s operates in the space formerly occupied by Homestyle Café. Homestyle had gotten a little long in the tooth, but Richard’s started with a deep […]
Posted inArticles
Practicing law is nothing like it looks on TV
Myth versus reality All too often, people’s perceptions and beliefs about lawyers and the practice of law are formed from watching any number of TV shows. Television law emphasizes high-stakes drama, surprise evidence and rapid courtroom victories, while the reality involves months of methodical, behind-the-scenes research, negotiations and settlements. Real lawyers rarely rely on theatrical […]