Posted on January 14, 2019 in Personal Injury

Being bitten by a dog can be a painful experience, even if the dog is a smaller-sized breed. In fact, in many cases, smaller breeds can be more aggressive, due to a heightened fight-or-flight response. If a dog does, in fact, bite another individual, the dog’s owner will usually be held liable for any damages caused by his/her animal. Further, in some cases, the animal may be ordered to be put down. Retaining the services of an attorney having experience in dealing with injuries allegedly caused by dog bites can be critical to recovering compensation.

Instances of dog bites happen all the time, although more often the victim is a child. Given that children are drawn to animals, and in light of the fact that, sometimes, children may tease the animal to the point of annoyance, triggering a response, one issue that sometimes comes up is that the dog was provoked into biting the injured individual. A discussion of the law in Illinois on dog bites, as well as how provocation affects the result, will follow below.

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 Posted on January 09, 2019 in Immigration

In this day and age, anyone who enters the United States, even with valid status, must be careful to ensure they obey all immigration laws. However, misinformation is always being circulated. One of the situations where this is very common is in applying for and using a visitor’s visa (B1/B2 classification). There are some enduring misconceptions on what that visa allows you to do and what it does not, and if you use it inappropriately, you may wind up with immigration consequences that are annoying at best, and permanent at worst.

B1/B2 Is a Nonimmigrant Visa

The standard U.S. visitor visa is a B1/B2 combination. A B1 visa is a business visa, while a B2 is a tourist visa. They are usually issued in combination because even those who enter the country on business will very often engage in some sightseeing and leisure time, and those who enter on tourist visas may wind up doing something in furtherance of their business or employer’s interests; it is simply easier to issue a combination visa than to police every tourist’s itinerary and time.

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 Posted on January 08, 2019 in Family Law

If your marriage was unable to continue and you went through the divorce process, you may not expect to be emotionally affected by your ex getting engaged or remarried. However, the marriage being over does not necessarily mean that you feel nothing for your ex at all. Whether it is nostalgia for the good times you had or for another reason, chances are good that many people feel something when they see their ex has permanently moved on with their life. It may be beneficial to you to read through some information such as the tips below to help you cope with your ex’s engagement or remarriage.

Be Wary of Social Media

Seeing social media posts about your ex's new marriage or how happy they are with their new significant other will probably cause some emotion for you. You may need to unfollow your ex on social media in order to keep those feelings out of your life. It is also not good to go to your previous spouse's social media and constantly check it. It is not going to end up helping you at all; it will only hurt you.

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 Posted on January 07, 2019 in Personal Injury

Going to school is a large part of a child’s life for well over a decade, but many parents do not have the time or ability to transport the child to and from school every day. Instead, a significant number rely on county or municipal school buses to drive the child, and while precautions and standards are used to make them as safe as possible, children can still face substantial injury in a school bus accident.

Further, the many stops the buses make, coupled with the unpredictable behavior of children, present additional chance of injury that is partially addressed by enacting laws specifically related to safety precautions other vehicles must follow when driving near school buses. Some examples include stopping when the stop signal arm is extended and flashing lights engaged, as well as stopping when children are boarding or unloading generally.

Unfortunately, drivers do not always follow these rules, and the consequences can be tragic. Three siblings were recently killed, and another child hurt in northern Indiana when a 24-year-old driver hit the children crossing the street to board the bus, despite the stop arm being extended and the flashing lights activated. While responsibility in this crash is straightforward, responsibility is not always obvious. To help parents understand their rights in case their child is injured in a school bus accident, a discussion of how liability is determined will follow below.

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 Posted on December 29, 2018 in Family Law

Life after you go through a divorce will presumably change in many ways. You may have a new living situation or a new job, and there will be some adjusting to do with your new single life. Divorce is a stressful and emotional process, and at times it may feel that it is hard to move on after divorce. It is crucial to get back to living your life to the fullest as soon as possible after a divorce. If you follow these tips you can help make your life after divorce as fulfilling as you wish.

Do What Is Best for You

Doing what is best for you can mean a variety of things. You should still pay attention to others and not act completely selfishly, but taking this time to do whatever you need to cope will make the time and stress pass faster. Many people are uncertain after divorce and have doubts. Forcing yourself to make decisions about what feels right will help you recover from the divorce by allowing yourself to do those things you may have been afraid to during marriage.

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 Posted on December 26, 2018 in Immigration

Temporary Protected Status (TPS) is a U.S. immigration status granted to nationals of certain countries whose conditions are such where it would be unsafe for them to return home, usually because of either armed conflict or natural disasters. The current federal administration has sought to end the benefit for many countries, but on October 4, 2018, the Northern District of California barred the administration from doing so for nationals of El Salvador, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Sudan. This changes matters for immigrants from those countries, at least for now.

What Is TPS?

TPS is an immigration benefit first instituted as part of the Immigration Act of 1990. In that piece of legislation, the Attorney General originally, and now the Secretary of Homeland Security, may designate a specific country whose nationals may remain in the U.S. for the term of the benefit since sending them home would be unsafe. Once granted TPS, a person may stay in the U.S. until the benefit is canceled. They can also seek employment authorization, and in some cases, travel authorization with permission to return.

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 Posted on December 24, 2018 in Personal Injury

As winter approaches, and the precipitation changes from liquid to frozen with the dropping temperatures, the risk of falling and sustaining an injury greatly increases. The seasonal dangers caused by the presence of ice and snow are well known to those who live in northern climates, but this fact does not mean all snow and ice-related injuries are mere accidents with no responsible party to place blame. The injuries resulting from these falls can be significant, some requiring surgery, and a personal injury attorney should be contacted if a fall that requires medical treatment occurs. Property owners do have an obligation to keep the premises safe for others, but the law on recovery for injuries related to snow and ice falls in Illinois is complex, and blocks many cases from proceeding.

An example of how serious these falls can be is illustrated in the case of a Greenwich, Connecticut, woman who sustained permanent injuries, including memory loss and a concussion, after falling on snow and ice in the town square. This type of dangerous accumulation is seen in numerous places over the course of a winter season, and understanding what property owners are generally obligated to do to protect third parties on the premises, as well as how courts view liability for falls from snow and ice, is essential information for slip and fall victims.

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 Posted on December 21, 2018 in Family Law

If you are currently married but are not happy and wish to end the relationship, there are a few different options. Two of the most common options are legal separation and divorce. Divorce is well-known and very common, ending in the dissolution of the marriage. It also allows a couple to separate and divide up property and assets. Child custody and maintenance may also be worked out in a divorce.

Legal separation is not as well-known. If a couple legally separates, they do not dissolve the marriage, but instead will have a separation agreement. Many of the same issues are addressed, such as child visitation, custody, alimony, or maintenance. However, it does not divide up properties and assets unless both people agree to it ahead of time. Neither spouse is allowed to remarry because the marriage has never been formally dissolved. There are differences in how finances are handled in each option so it is important to evaluate all your options before making a firm decision.

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 Posted on December 19, 2018 in Immigration

People who enter the United States without inspection (EWI, which stands for Entry Without Inspection; also called undocumented) generally exist in a precarious state while in the country. Without documents that show legal presence, a person generally cannot work except at menial tasks and is not entitled to any federal benefits. However, for some, it is possible to adjust their status while still within the United States - to do so, a person must obtain what is called a provisional unlawful presence waiver. It is still possible to do this nowadays, though the process is not easy.

Entering EWI Makes You Removable

Since entering the U.S. without inspection is a direct violation of the Immigration & Nationality Act (INA), a person who does this is immediately removable from the country if found by Immigration & Customs Enforcement (ICE). This is a simple process, often resulting in expedited removal if someone is found within 100 miles of the U.S. border, which means that they do not even get to see a judge. Even if someone does get to appear before an immigration judge, they will usually simply be informed of the penalties for entering without inspection unless the person can make an asylum claim, citing credible fear of being returned to their home country.

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 Posted on December 17, 2018 in Personal Injury

Car accidents are traumatic events that can shake even the most stoic individual in the right circumstances. The violence of the impact, the shock of hitting a solid object, and the injuries that follow in many collisions, can greatly upend the accident victims’ lives and those of their families.

Serious injury can turn to tragedy when a car accident victim does not survive, and the loved ones are left to pick up the pieces as well as they can. Such a loss can be almost impossible to bear, and looking to hold someone accountable for this preventable death is a common sentiment. Assuming the other driver is equally or more at fault, the family may be able to recover monetary compensation under a wrongful death claim. Essentially, these lawsuits allow the family to stand in the place of the deceased in situations where the negligent or wrongful acts of another party caused the death. Wrongful death brings in additional elements that are not necessary for ordinary negligence cases, and a discussion of rules that govern how these cases proceed and the types of damages survivors may recover will follow below.

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