Posted on June 09, 2021 in Personal Injury

In many cases, car accidents can result in serious injuries, such as broken bones, lacerations, internal injuries, and potentially even death in some cases. When a car accident results in an injury that puts financial strain on your family, you may be able to obtain financial compensation to help recover some of your losses through a car accident injury claim.

Types of Damages in Injury Cases

If you have been injured in a car accident, the first thing you must determine is whether or not the other party is at fault. The other party may be liable for damages if they violated their duty of care toward you, the violation caused you to sustain an injury, and that the injury caused you to sustain losses. Losses in personal injury cases can be both economic and non-economic and include damages such as:

• Medical expenses: You can request compensation for any medical expenses that you may have incurred as a result of the car accident. These costs may include emergency care, hospital stays, surgeries, medications, medical devices, rehabilitative care, physical therapy, and other medical costs.

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 Posted on June 03, 2021 in Family Law

For divorcing couples interested in resolving their divorce amicably and with minimal involvement of the court, mediation is often a viable method of alternative dispute resolution. Even in a contested divorce, the court will sometimes order the spouses to attempt mediation to resolve some of their agreements. Whether you are preparing for mediation voluntarily or by court order, it is important to know what to expect, including whether it is a good idea to hire an attorney for the process.

Mediators and Attorneys Play Different Roles

In mediation, you and your spouse will meet with a trained mediator who will help you reach an agreement on the various aspects of your divorce resolution, including property division, spousal support, child support, and the allocation of parental responsibilities and parenting time. Many mediators are also licensed attorneys who have a thorough understanding of the laws governing divorce proceedings in Illinois. However, their role in the mediation process is not to provide legal advice or advocate on behalf of either party. Rather, they must remain neutral and impartial, helping the parties identify common ground and make progress toward an agreement on their own terms.

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 Posted on May 24, 2021 in Immigration

If you receive a Notice to Appear (NTA) for a deportation or removal hearing, or worse, if you are detained by ICE, your ability to remain in the U.S. is under serious threat. However, your removal is not necessarily a foregone conclusion. With the help of an attorney, you may be able to obtain relief from removal, protecting you from hardship or separation from your family. It is important to understand what options you may have for avoiding deportation depending on the circumstances of your case.

Do I Have the Right to an Attorney at My Deportation Hearing?

One of the best things you can do to protect yourself from deportation is to hire an attorney who can help you understand your options and represent you at your hearing. You should note that an immigration hearing is not a criminal trial, and therefore, you do not have a constitutionally guaranteed right to legal representation. This means that if you want an attorney to be present, you need to be proactive about securing their services and telling the court that you want to be represented. Otherwise, you will likely have to face your hearing on your own.

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 Posted on May 20, 2021 in Personal Injury

Distracted driving has been a serious problem for the past several years, and one of the biggest culprits is texting or otherwise using a cell phone or mobile electronic device while behind the wheel. When a driver looks at a phone screen or types out a message, they lose vital seconds of attention to the road, during which an accident can occur.

Distracted driving is especially dangerous among drivers of large commercial trucks. Not only does it take longer to make adjustments or come to a stop when driving a truck, but if a truck accident does occur, the size and weight of the vehicle often causes severe injuries. Federal regulations and state laws are in place to deter cell phone use among truck drivers, and this can help your case for compensation if you are injured in an accident.

Handheld Cell Phone Use is Prohibited

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 Posted on May 17, 2021 in Family Law

In Illinois, minor children and disabled adults sometimes require court-appointed guardians to help them take care of their regular needs and manage their finances. Guardianship cases are handled in probate court, and they can involve many complicated issues, including competing claims and questions as to whether guardianship is necessary. In order to prepare for these complications, it is important to understand the fundamental issues at hand—namely, who will serve as guardian of the person and guardian of the estate.

Guardianship of the Person in Illinois

A guardian of the person is responsible for the person’s care. In a minor guardianship case, the guardian of the person has many of the same duties as a parent, including making sure the child has adequate food, clothing, and shelter; providing for the child’s hygienic and medical needs; taking responsibility for the child’s education and extracurricular activities; and making important decisions regarding all of these matters. A guardian of the person may be appointed for the short term, perhaps if the parents are temporarily unable to care for the child, or for the long term, perhaps after the parents’ death or abandonment of the child.

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 Posted on May 10, 2021 in Immigration

For many people, immigrating to the United States is an important step in pursuing a career opportunity or being with their family. However, immigrants who are parents must think not only of themselves, but also of their children, when it comes to taking the necessary steps to have their immigration petition approved. If you are trying to come to the U.S. with your children, it is important to understand how you can make this happen.

Children and Family-Based Immigration

One common option for bringing children to the U.S. is through family-based status. U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents can petition for a Green Card for certain relatives who currently live outside of the United States, including spouses and unmarried children under the age of 21. If you and your child are trying to immigrate to the U.S. to be with your spouse who is also the child’s parent, your spouse will need to fill out a Form I-130, Petition for Alien Relative, for each of you. If your spouse is not your child’s parent, you may need to wait until you have lawful permanent resident status to petition for your child.

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 Posted on May 05, 2021 in Personal Injury

In restaurants, malls, stores, and other places of business, wet and slippery floors happen from time to time. Some are caused by spills, leaks, or moisture tracked in from outside, while others are the result of cleaning or floor treatments. In most cases, these conditions are resolved without incident, but sometimes an employee, customer, or visitor slips and falls, suffering serious injuries in the process. If you have been injured after slipping on a wet floor, it is important to understand whether the business owner may be liable.

What Protections Are Provided Under Illinois Premises Liability Law?

According to the Illinois Premises Liability Act, business and property owners owe a duty of “reasonable care under the circumstances” to lawful visitors to their place of business. In general, this means that they are responsible for keeping the premises reasonably safe, and that they may be held liable for injuries resulting from a breach in their duty of care. However, the specific details of what this duty of care includes are often left to the court’s interpretation, making it vitally important that injury victims are represented by an experienced attorney who can help them make a strong case.

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 Posted on May 04, 2021 in Family Law

If you own a business, it is likely one of your most valued properties, if not the property that is the most important to you. A business represents the investment of time, money, and effort, and it is often crucial to your ability to support yourself. As such, the thought of something happening to your business in a divorce can be extremely concerning. However, if you thoroughly prepare for the divorce process, you can effectively address many of the issues that often affect business owners.

How Does a Business Affect the Divorce Process?

Illinois business owners should be well informed about all of the following issues that may arise during their divorce:

• Marital and non-marital property - Illinois law defines what qualifies as marital property, which belongs to the couple and must be divided in a divorce, and non-marital property, which belongs to each spouse individually. Business owners should determine whether their business qualifies as a non-marital asset, perhaps because they owned it before the marriage or inherited it from a family member, or because they have a prenuptial agreement that excludes the business from the marital estate.

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 Posted on April 28, 2021 in Personal Injury

If you have been in a car accident, your physical injuries may be the most readily apparent, and you may assume that these are the only injuries for which you can recover compensation. However car crashes also often lead to mental and emotional injuries that may affect your life just as much, if not more so. Fortunately, Illinois law allows accident victims to recover both economic and non-economic damages related to mental injuries, and a skilled attorney can help you do so.

Common Mental and Emotional Injuries in Illinois Car Accidents

If you have been injured in a car crash, you may be coping with one or more of these effects on your mental and emotional well-being:

• Anxiety and depression, perhaps as a complication of a traumatic brain injury or as a result of stress related to financial struggles, changes in your appearance, or impairment of your physical abilities.

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 Posted on April 23, 2021 in Immigration

The growing availability of COVID-19 vaccinations has provided hope for controlling the global pandemic and relaxing international travel restrictions that have been in place for much of the last year. However, while the majority of Americans are likely to be fully vaccinated in the near future, vaccine distribution is not as advanced in many other countries throughout the world. If you are a foreign national seeking to enter the U.S. as an immigrant or on a temporary visa, you may be wondering whether getting the COVID-19 vaccine will be a necessary prerequisite.

Will the U.S. Require Vaccine Passports?

Since the announcement of the various COVID-19 vaccines, there have been numerous rumors and discussions of a possible “vaccine passport” requiring people to demonstrate that they have been vaccinated in order to engage in activities ranging from traveling by plane to attending sporting events. However, as of yet, there is no vaccine passport program in place in the U.S. at the federal level, nor are there definitive plans to implement such a program. This could change in the coming months, but for the time being, vaccination is not a requirement for either domestic or international travel to or from the U.S., including for the purposes of immigration.

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