Posted on August 12,2024 in Immigration

Immigration laws and rules seem to be changing at a dizzying pace. Early in August, an appeals court issued a ruling that would allow spouses of H-1B visas to work in the United States until their work visas are in place. This was good news for thousands of people—and their employers.

On the "not-so-great" side, the Supreme Court recently ruled that U.S. citizens have no fundamental liberty interest in their non-citizen spouses’ ability to be admitted to the United States. This means the citizen spouse is not constitutionally entitled to a review of the visa refusal.

Below are more details regarding this latest SCOTUS ruling. It can be extremely beneficial to speak to a knowledgeable Bloomingdale, IL immigration attorney from Mevorah & Giglio Law Offices. Attorney Steven H. Mevorah has been serving the needs of immigrants throughout Northern Illinois for more than 40 years.

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 Posted on August 09,2024 in Family Law

Both prenuptial and postnuptial agreements are legal documents that address what will happen to marital assets when a couple divorces—or even if one of them dies. While both agreements describe similar matters, there are notable differences between the two. Whether you want to have one of these agreements prepared or you are wondering how a current agreement will affect your upcoming divorce, it is time to speak to a knowledgeable Naperville, IL postnuptial agreement lawyer. When you have a strong, highly skilled divorce attorney as your advocate, you can rest easy, knowing your issue will be resolved with the best outcome possible.

What is a Postnuptial Agreement?

A postnuptial agreement is a legal contract, but rather than being prepared before a couple marries, it is prepared and signed after the marriage. A postnuptial agreement can occur any time after the marriage takes place and usually details how the couple’s assets and debts will be managed in the event of a divorce. A postnuptial agreement may set the terms of property division between the couple and can be helpful for any of the following reasons:

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 Posted on July 30,2024 in Family Law

The traditional way to get divorced is through litigation. Litigating a divorce, which means arguing the issues before a judge, often turns into a court battle that costs both sides a lot of time and money. On top of that, litigation is known to be a stressor: In addition to the heavy costs and time consumption, the parties are engaged in a highly adversarial process.

Most divorcing couples, therefore, try to reach settlements outside of court, a system known as alternative dispute resolution. Mediation is the most popular type of alternative dispute resolution, where many couples resolve their differences on issues related to the divorce.

Not only is mediation an effective way to reach a divorce settlement, but it can also reduce the emotional stress that often accompanies the divorce process. If you are considering attending divorce mediation, make sure to have an Illinois divorce mediation attorney represent you.

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 Posted on July 30,2024 in Personal Injury

Rules are usually there for a reason. While that might have been hard to understand when you were a child, as you grow up it becomes easier to see why certain rules have been made. A huge number of rules and regulations that drivers need to follow have been made to ensure road safety. While regular drivers are not legally required to take rest breaks during a long trip, it is easy enough to understand why truck drivers are. Trucks are much bigger and can cause much more damage to people and property in a collision, so their drivers have to comply with hours of service (HOS) regulations. This article will explain how a personal injury case following a truck accident can be impacted if a driver violates these regulations. If you have further questions, a skilled Bloomingdale, IL personal injury attorney can help.

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 Posted on July 24,2024 in Immigration

As of 2016, undocumented immigrants comprised more than 5 percent of the workforce in Illinois. While current numbers are not available, the percentage of undocumented workers is almost certainly higher today. Yet across the state of Illinois, many industries that depend heavily on undocumented workers are experiencing a labor shortage crisis. One such industry is landscaping. While landscaping is an industry growing by leaps and bounds in the state, there are not enough entry-level workers to meet the current needs.

Expanding temporary work permits would significantly increase the number of workers who could fill landscaping spots, as well as other industry gaps that rely heavily on undocumented workers. State lawmakers in Illinois are limited in what they can do since work permits are a federal issue. During the last week of the IL legislative session in June 2024, both chambers passed a resolution asking the President to issue work permits to undocumented immigrants, particularly those who have lived and worked in the U.S. for many years.    

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 Posted on July 15,2024 in Personal Injury

Extreme heat across the U.S. and in Illinois has more people than ever headed to waterparks to cool off. Illinois is home to a number of waterparks, with Raging Waves in Yorkville the largest at 58 acres. Waterpark accidents are not all that uncommon, with approximately 51,000 waterpark injuries reported between 2012 and 2021.  

Children and adults alike enjoy splash pools, floating down "lazy rivers," and riding the numerous water rides. Unfortunately, with all this water, slip-and-fall accidents are common. You might think that waterpark owners would not take a slip-and-fall accident seriously—after all, we all know water is wet, making falls possible, so is there any real liability?

The answer to that question may surprise you! If you have experienced a slip-and-fall accident at an Illinois waterpark, do not immediately assume you have no recourse. Instead, speak to a knowledgeable Naperville personal injury attorney from Mevorah & Giglio Law Offices, who can help you determine whether your slip-and-fall injuries are the result of negligence, thus compensable. Having an experienced lawyer by your side could make a real difference in the outcome of your accident.  

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 Posted on July 15,2024 in Family Law

For married couples, Illinois courts assume the husband is the father of any children born during the marriage unless evidence such as a Denial of Paternity form or a VAP overturns that assumption. The same is true for parents in a civil union. During a separation or divorce, the father has parental rights and can seek custody.

This situation is different for unmarried parents. In Illinois, the biological mother has sole custody of a child born to an unwed couple by default. However, there are ways that the biological father can gain parenting rights. Mothers can also seek to prove paternity to receive child support. If you need to establish paternity, an Illinois paternity lawyer can help.

What Does Paternity Mean Legally?

Paternity establishes a legal connection between a biological father and his child. This connection is important, both for the parents and their child. Legally established paternity:

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 Posted on July 14,2024 in Immigration

When the United States immigration authorities decide whether you are a person of good moral character, one of the factors they will consider is whether you have been convicted of any crimes, either here or in your home country. However, judicial systems work very differently around the world. It sometimes happens that a person is convicted of an offense in a foreign country that would not be considered a crime in the United States or would be a far less serious offense. If you were convicted of a crime in your home country before trying to move to the U.S., you will need to be represented by an experienced DuPage County, IL criminal issues in immigration lawyer. A lawyer can often work to show that your foreign conviction does not indicate that you would be anything less than an upstanding resident.

What if My Crime Would Not Be a Crime in The United States?

Other countries might criminalize all sorts of conduct that would be considered perfectly legal or even constitutionally protected activity in the U.S. This is why immigration authorities will consider whether the crime you were convicted of in your home country would be considered a crime in the U.S. If your offense would have been entirely legal if you had done the same thing here, your conviction will not be held against you for immigration purposes.

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 Posted on June 29,2024 in Family Law

One of the more complex parts of the divorce process is called property division or asset division. This is when spouses divide marital property between themselves. Marital property, as defined by Illinois law, refers to possessions that were acquired by either spouse during the marriage. With some exceptions, these possessions are considered marital property and belong to both spouses.

Property division becomes more complicated if certain assets are involved. Collectibles and antiques, for example, are not so easy to divide. For one thing, their value may have increased over the years since they were purchased. For another, they cannot be physically divided any more than real estate property can.

If you have expensive antiques or collectibles that need to be divided, contact an Illinois property division attorney who can help make sure they are valued and divided fairly. This article will discuss how that is done.

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 Posted on June 28,2024 in Personal Injury

Being involved in a car accident is stressful enough as it is, but it can be even more distressing if you discover that the other driver is uninsured. In Illinois, drivers are required to have auto insurance to cover damages in the event of an accident. However, accidents involving uninsured motorists do occur, leaving victims concerned that they will need to cover all accident-related expenses on their own. If this has happened to you, speak with an experienced Bloomingdale, IL personal injury attorney who can explain your options and help you navigate the process of recovering damages.

How Does Uninsured Motorist Coverage Work?

Uninsured motorist coverage (UM) is designed to protect people who are involved in accidents with drivers who do not have insurance. This coverage typically helps pay for medical costs, any lost income, and other damages resulting from the accident. UM coverage is optional in Illinois, but many insurance policies automatically include it unless the policyholder specifically opts out.

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