Posted on April 09, 2014 in Family Law

Domestic Violence

As we become more aware of the issues and challenges surrounding domestic violence in society, both individual states and the federal government have adopted new laws and protections for victims of abusive relationships.

Domestic violence is defined as “a pattern of abusive behavior in any relationship that is used by one partner to gain or maintain power and control over another intimate partner.” Domestic violence is a term that is used to describe threats or actions that are physical, sexual, emotional, financial, or psychological that someone employs in an attempt to control another person.

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 Posted on April 07, 2014 in Personal Injury

The sudden loss of a loved one is always a difficult event to endure. As an article reported, one Illinois family went through such a trying time when they lost one of their twin daughters in a hit and run accident nearly 18 years ago. Now, they are reliving the nightmare after their other twin daughter was recently killed in another car accident not far from the original crash site.

The Crash

Sarah Sanaghan was killed last week when she was attempting to navigate through an intersection and a tanker trailer collided with her car on the passenger side. She was pronounced dead at the hospital as the result of blunt force head trauma. The accident occurred close to where her twin sister Cari, at 11 years old, died in a crash in 1996.

The 1996 accident happened when the twin girls were at a sleepover with two other friends. The girls snuck out of the house to meet up with a boyfriend of one of their friends, and were struck by a passing vehicle as they were walking back to the house. Sarah was knocked to the ground. The other three girls were killed as a result of the accident.

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 Posted on April 05, 2014 in Immigration

People come to the United States for a number of reasons. They come for work, for adventure or love, or even for freedom from abuse or persecution. It is not always easy to break into American society, though, and new immigrants often have little experience and knowledge of their rights. With this, children and young adults are especially vulnerable to criminal efforts by others. Every young immigrant has his or her own story.

Undocumented youths do have significant protection under United States immigration law though. There are two particular paths to legal status that young adults living illegally in America may want to pursue. If you ran away from racial, political or religious harassment in your homeland, then you may qualify for asylum. If you have already been working in the states and have been forced to stay at one job for little or no pay because your employer said you owed them for a debt, then you may qualify for a special visa.

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 Posted on April 03, 2014 in Personal Injury

Some car accidents are unavoidable or beyond our control. Many others are due to driver negligence, and those are the incidents that bring up important legal issues, especially when injuries or damage occur as the result of an accident. Any number of actions can be considered negligent; speeding, failing to obey traffic signals, and distracted driving can all be used to prove evidence of negligence behind the wheel. In light of recent crashes having tragic results, Illinois law enforcement and emergency responders are emphasizing the importance of abiding by traffic laws that are aimed at curbing negligent driving.

Scott's Law and Move Over Laws

A recent article highlighted the fatal accidents on Illinois roadways over the last few years, and called for attention to traffic laws already in place that motorists need to follow in order to avoid such tragic outcomes. A driver was convicted of reckless homicide and could face up to 14 years of incarceration for an truck accident that led to the death of a firefighter in March of 2013. The crash occurred when the truck driver hit the firefighter and a number of emergency vehicles that were parked along a median when working at the scene of an earlier accident on Interstate 39 in Illinois.

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 Posted on April 03, 2014 in Family Law

The Adoption Process

The process of adopting children in the United States is a very lengthy and stringent one. Potential adoptive parents must go through a litany of paperwork, character assessments, and huge financial hurdles to be considered as an acceptable match.

Under the Illinois Adoption Act, the Illinois adoption investigation process looks at many factors regarding the suitability of the potential adopting parents. It investigates, among other things, “the character, reputation, health, and general standing in the community of the petitioners.”

One important requirement is that a criminal background check be conducted. The investigation required under the Illinois Adoption Act includes a fingerprint-based criminal background check with a review of fingerprints by the Illinois State Police and Federal Bureau of Investigation. The process requires each petitioner to submit his or her fingerprints to the Department of State Police. These fingerprints will be checked against criminal history records databases to see if they have anything on file.

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 Posted on March 31, 2014 in Personal Injury

The arrival of spring means that summer is just around the corner. The warm weather will undoubtedly urge many people out of their homes and into local waterways to enjoy activities such as boating, waterskiing, tubing, and the like. While summer sports are fun, they can also be dangerous. Boating accidents do occur, and can have fatal outcomes. In order to curb fatalities associated with boating accidents, a state representative from Illinois is advocating a new law for boaters to follow.

The Proposal

State Representative JoAnn Osmond, a Republican from Antioch, has proposed a plan to state lawmakers that is meant to protect water skiers and tubers who have fallen into the water. According to an article recently published, the plan would require boaters who were towing a water skier or tuber to raise a flag if the person trailing behind the boat had fallen into the water. The flag would signal a warning to other boaters to be aware of the situation and watch for the person in the water.

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 Posted on March 28, 2014 in Immigration

The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) recently held a public engagement on the EB-5 Immigrant Investor program. The EB-5 program is not well known around the world, and there have recently been changes to the way USCIS handles EB-5 applications.

Overview

The EB-5 visa allows a foreign national to become a permanent resident in the United States if the individual invests a certain amount of money in the U.S. economy. Applicants must invest $1 million in most instances, or $500,000 in a high unemployment or rural area, and also create at least 10 jobs for U.S. citizen workers within two years of the investment. The individual can invest in any type of for-profit venture they wish, including a sole proprietorship, a partnership, or a corporation or other business entity. If the application for the EB-5 investment is approved, the investor and the investor’s family will be given conditional permanent residency in the United States for two years.

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 Posted on March 28, 2014 in Family Law

The Changing Face of Infidelity

The Internet and the advent of social media have brought about change in how we interact with people. We often spend more time on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or surfing the Web than socializing face-to-face. And with this change, online dating websites have become a popular way for people to meet. However, these sites have also become a way for people to cheat and engage in online infidelity, leading to grounds for divorce.

Online Dating While Married

While the Internet has improved our lives by making things faster, easier, and more accessible, it has also made it exponentially easier to have an affair. The Internet provides ample opportunities and discretion for a cheating spouse. This convenience has resulted in an alarming trend of people who use dating websites to engage in online infidelity.

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 Posted on March 28, 2014 in Personal Injury

Over the course of an individual's life, involvement in a car accident may occurr. And when involved, even if it is a minor accident, drivers can be caught off guard. Emotions may run high in the moments following an accident, as drivers quickly try to assess their well being and any damage done to their vehicles.

Yet those involved in a car accident for the first time may not know the appropriate steps to take immediately after the crash. However, these steps are important to know and remember in order to protect yourself and ensure proper protocol is followed. Illinois law and state agencies provide useful information on this topic to drivers.

The Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) offers instructions for reporting a car crash. Per Illinois law, a written report of an accident must be submitted to the Administrator of IDOT within 10 days of the accident. Specifically, law requires that drivers of a vehicle involved in a crash resulting in injury, death, or property damage of at least $1,500 be reported. There are some cases that require a report even if the damage is at least $500, and if the vehicle is not covered by liability insurance.

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 Posted on March 25, 2014 in Personal Injury

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