Welcome to my Profile ...

 

My name is Mazy Hedayat. I'm an attorney and blogger in Chicago, a published author, president of a title company, and the creator of a network of blogs and websites. I also speak, present, and write about the law, business and technology. I am active in the bar association and consult on subjects like Web 2.0 and Enterprise 2.0.  You can find articles, posts, and podcasts of mine around the web in places such as Amazon.com, Westlaw, LexisNexis, TechnoLawyer, Law Technology News, Google, and Others.

 

School in Chicago

After an extremely successful year at the University of Chicago I transferred to the University of Michigan where I received a bachelor's degree from the Honor's College and an MBA from the Ross School of Business. Following business school I headed to Chicago and worked at a law firm while attending DePaul University College of Law.  In law school I also performed research for, wrote for, and edited law review articles for professors. While in school I interned with the Securities and Exchange Commission and Illinois Department of Thrift Supervision. In my final year I chaired the International Law Society, was Editor of the Digest of International Law, and received the presitgious American Jurisprudence Award.

 

Work in Chicago

I am still the president of the law firm I started in 1995 and have had the opportunity to do a number of other interesting things including the creation of dot-com startup elawcentral, one of the first legal web portals and a precursor of the current social networking wave. I've also held Series 7 and 63 securities licenses, a business broker's license, and a title agency. In 2004 I became president of Aegis Title, an agency underwitten by Chicago Title and Security Union, which operates in Illinois, Wisconsin, and Indiana.

 

Service to the Bar

I am a current or former member of several professional organizations including

 

American Bar Association 

American Bankruptcy Institute 

Illinois Real Estate Lawyers Association 

Chicago Bar Association 

DuPage County Bar Association 

 

I've chaired several committees at the DuPage County Bar Association including business law, bankruptcy, law practice management, and the publication board. I am also a member of the planning board. At the bar association I started the first blogs and authored the bar association's blogging policies - which have since been recognized as "best practices" and helped me to earn a Board of Directors award in 2005.

 

Service to the Bench

In 2007 and 2009 I was honored to serve the campaign of Judge Dorothy French of the 18th Judicial Circuit in her bid for a circuit position. For more information go to Judge French's Official Campaign Website.

 

Writing and Publishing

TechnoLawyer (see articles such as this one about modern legal practice)

TechnoLawyer (see my SmallLaw column and this list of recent articles)

Law Technology News (see my September 2009 article regarding SaaS)

Author and Editor, DCBA Brief

Started first blogs and wikis at DCBA

Authored DCBA blog and wiki policies

CLE materials published on Amazon.com

 

CLE Presentations

I have delivered presentations to Attorneys and non-Attorneys for years on topics such as

 

bankruptcy

electronic filing

business formation and management

tax deeds

construction law

mechanics liens

title issues

zoning

and other topic areas

 

In each case my office prepared original seminar materials. I have also written a number of articles to go along with my presentations.

 

Blogging and Business

I maintain a growing network of blogs and wikis to which I add fresh content daily on topics like technology, Web 2.0, Enterprise 2.0, managing change, real estate, the economy, and more. Examples of my work can be found at

 

Practicehacker.com

Illinois bankruptcy lawyer blog

Chicagoland realty blog

enterprise 2.0 wiki

RantAboutIt

TWiL (This Week in Law)

 

I also contribute to, and comment on, a number of blogs that touch on these subjects by well known authors such as Dennis Kennedy, Robert Ambrogi, Tom Mighell, Kevin O'Keefe and others.