Recent Blog Posts
What to Know About CTE
In recent years, there has been increasing awareness of the dangers that professional athletes face due to the high risk of serious brain injury. The risk is heightened if you play a sport with a higher chance of repeated trauma to the head, like in hockey, wrestling, and football for example. The repeated hits to the head suffered by someone who has been playing a particular sport professionally for several years can lead to the development of what is known as chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), which can result in severe disability. If a loved one suffered brain trauma that developed into CTE, speak with a knowledgeable Naperville, IL personal injury attorney with experience in similar cases to understand how to move forward.
What Happens When You Have CTE?
CTE is linked to repeated head trauma, and professional athletes are among the groups with the highest risk of developing it. This disease often gets worse over time and can even lead to dementia. There are four main stages of CTE, with the symptoms associated with these stages generally appearing between eight and ten years after the repetitive brain trauma. The stages are:
Do Parents Have a Right to Look Through Their Child’s Phone?
Parents who have had a teenager or preteen child living in their home know that kids this age tend to be secretive. Social studies suggest that this is a normal part of teenage development as children seek to create some distance from their parents and establish an independent identity.
Although this may be a normal stage of human development, most parents understandably have concerns about their children’s behavior during teenage years. This is especially true in the age of the internet and smartphones, where other teenagers and even adults can have direct access to children without parents being aware of it.
These problems become more complex when parents get divorced. Even while married, parents often have very difficult ideas about how much privacy to give their children. After divorce, parents go their separate ways, and their parenting methods go with them. Unfortunately, this often leads to heated disagreements between parents as children move between different houses with different rules about internet and cell phone use and how much privacy the children can expect. Some parents might even find the other parent’s restriction of a child’s privacy to be abusive.
Is My Foreign-Born Child a US Citizen?
A child does not need to be born inside the United States or in one of its territories to become a natural-born citizen. If your child has at least one parent who is a United States citizen, there is a good chance that he or she can be granted citizenship at birth or based on one parent’s citizenship status. However, simply having one parent who is a U.S. citizen is not always enough. You will also need to prove that the parent with U.S. citizenship meets certain residency requirements. The requirements also vary depending on whether the child’s mother or father is a citizen and whether the child was born in or out of wedlock. A Lombard, IL immigration lawyer can help you determine whether your foreign-born child qualifies for citizenship.
Children of U.S. Citizen Fathers Born Abroad
If your child’s father is a U.S. citizen and you are not, you will need to prove a few things in order to gain birthright citizenship for your child. If you are present in the United States during your pregnancy, it may be better to remain in the country to give birth, as having your child on U.S. soil may give him or her an additional ground for birthright citizenship.
Common Pedestrian Accident Injuries
Being injured in a pedestrian accident can be a traumatizing experience. You could be walking outside enjoying the fresh air, and suddenly, a car or truck strikes you down. Without the protection of a metal outer shell like a car has, a person is likely to suffer serious injury all over their body if they are hit by a car driving at full speed. The injuries could result in a very long and expensive recovery process including surgeries, therapies, and a great deal of time spent away from a paying job. If you were injured in a pedestrian accident, speak with a skilled Bloomingdale, IL car accident lawyer to hear about the options you have for recovering the related expenses.
What Can Happen if a Pedestrian Is Hurt in an Accident?
While all car accidents are different and there is no way to know what will happen in every incident, the following is a list of the most common injuries that pedestrians have been known to suffer following accidents:
My Ex and I Have Joint Custody. Who Gets Financial Assistance?
Low-income families in Illinois can apply for financial assistance from the state. This help is given through the Temporary Assistance For Needy Families (TANF) program, which is run by the Illinois Department of Human Services. To qualify for financial benefits, you must:
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Be pregnant or live with a child under 19
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Live in Illinois
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Be a United States citizen or meet certain immigration requirements
If you share joint custody with your co-parent, the state will consider only one of you to be “living with the child” for the purpose of receiving benefits. This article will discuss what joint custody is and how the Department of Human Services will decide which parent is living with the child.
If you have any questions about your custody arrangement, speak with a qualified Illinois attorney who has experience in family law.
Lawful Permanent Resident v. U.S. Citizen
Lawful permanent residency and U.S. citizenship are both legal statuses that allow you to remain in the United States indefinitely. However, citizens and permanent residents have different rights and privileges. It is easier to become a lawful permanent resident than to become a citizen but to retain your status as a permanent resident, you must be cautious about how often and for how long you leave the country. A citizen, however, may travel or live anywhere in the world without risking his or her citizenship status. Citizenship, once granted, is permanent. If you are unsure which status to pursue, a Bloomingdale, IL immigration attorney can help you determine whether becoming a lawful permanent resident or a citizen would likely be better for you.
3 Ways Social Media Can Affect Your Divorce in Illinois
A mistake commonly made among divorcing couples is posting about their divorce on social media. Many things you say online can be used as evidence against you in court, and it is best to consult with an experienced family law attorney before discussing your divorce, or marriage, on social media.
This article will discuss three ways social media can impact your divorce in Illinois.
Parenting Time
In Illinois, “parenting time” refers to the time that a parent spends with the child during which he or she is responsible for the child’s care. By default, Illinois law prefers to split parenting time evenly between the mother and father. If either parent disputes this arrangement, however, the court will look at many factors when deciding who should be awarded more parenting time. Some of these factors include:
What to Do After a Boating Accident in Illinois
In Illinois, being so close to Lake Michigan means that many people own boats and go out on the water whenever they have the chance. Boating accidents are very common and can be extremely dangerous, but they often go unreported. Sometimes, if people on the boat were under the influence of drugs or alcohol at the time of the accident, they prefer not to report it so as to avoid any legal repercussions. Even if one of them gets seriously injured or the boat is significantly damaged, the people might agree to cover the costs amongst themselves rather than calling in the authorities and then revealing that they were engaged in illegal activity.
However, if the accident goes unreported, the injured party has no way of requiring the people responsible to cover all the costs that might otherwise be compensated in a personal injury case, including medical bills, emotional and physical therapy, and loss of income. If this has happened to you, you do not need to try to deal with this on your own. An experienced Naperville, IL personal injury lawyer can review your case and advise you on your legal options.
Custody Evaluators in Divorce Cases in Illinois
One of the most potentially contentious issues in a divorce is child custody. In Illinois, child custody is legally referred to as the allocation of parental responsibilities. When parents cannot reach an amicable parenting agreement, the court may require a custody evaluator to be assigned to the case. A custody evaluator’s role is to assess the situation and provide recommendations that prioritize the best interests of the child. Having an Illinois family lawyer advocate for you in this process is critical.
What Does a Custody Evaluator Do?
Custody evaluators play a crucial role in helping the court make informed decisions about custody by conducting comprehensive evaluations of the family dynamics, parental capabilities, and the child’s needs. They are trained professionals with expertise in child psychology, family dynamics, and conflict resolution. This background allows evaluators to provide valuable insights and recommendations to the court based on their assessments. An evaluator’s involvement becomes necessary when parents cannot resolve their differences through mediation or negotiation, and the court requires additional information to make a fair and impartial decision.
Do You Qualify for Adjustment of Status?
Adjustment of status refers to the process by which an individual changes their immigration status from non-immigrant to immigrant while residing in the United States. This legal procedure offers a pathway for individuals already present in the U.S. to obtain lawful permanent resident status, also known as a green card, without the need to return to their home country for visa processing. Knowing when to seek adjustment of status is crucial for immigrants navigating the complex U.S. immigration system.
To apply for adjustment of status, an individual generally needs to meet specific eligibility criteria, including having entered the U.S. lawfully (or being eligible for certain exceptions), maintaining legal status during their stay in the U.S., having an approved immigrant petition, and not being ineligible due to certain criminal or immigration violations. The following are some scenarios under which a person can apply. Due to how complex the process can be, it is recommended that anyone looking to apply for an adjustment of status speak with an Illinois immigration lawyer first.