Posted on September 11, 2018 in Family Law

A girl’s relationship with her father is important. Unfortunately, divorce may hinder a father-daughter relationship and make it difficult for a father to stay connected with his daughter. The good news is that there are certain ways divorced dads can facilitate a healthy relationship with their daughters and improve their daughters’ self-esteem. Here’s how:

Encourage Her to Express Her Feelings

Divorced fathers should encourage their daughters to be open, honest, and not be afraid to express their feelings. When fathers create a safe environment for daughters to express their feelings, daughters can lead happier, more positive lives.

Praise Her Appropriately

Rather than saying things like “you look pretty and thinner” divorced fathers should praise their daughters by pointing out their strengths and talents. They can say things like “you are wise for going on a walk every day” or “nice job cooking a healthy meal.”

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 Posted on September 07, 2018 in Personal Injury

Dogs have been considered man’s closest companion for thousands of years. Given the explosion of pet-related services and businesses in the last 10 years, the connection between a dog and its owner is stronger than ever. Most encounters with dogs are pleasant with no real risk of injury; however, dog bites do happen and are often related to uneducated or inattentive owners, or a dog that has not been properly socialized or trained.

Dog bites can inflict significant and permanent damage and should never be taken lightly. According to a report issued by State Farm for 2017, Illinois came in second in the country in terms of the number of dog bite claims filed with this insurer, with 318 for $12.6 million. This is just one insurance company that offers coverage for pet-related incidents. Thus, even more bites and injuries occurred throughout the State that are not reflected in these numbers.

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 Posted on September 05, 2018 in Immigration

On June 23, 2018, the President Trump tweeted what appears to be a message advocating for the blanket deprivation of due process rights for all undocumented immigrants, which would, in his mind, also include asylum seekers. As it stands under the current metrics of U.S. law, such a proposal is both illegal and unconstitutional, to say nothing of utterly morally indefensible. However, it does raise an important point: Everyone should be aware of the due process rights they possess under relevant law. Knowing your rights may save you one day.

Everyone Has Due Process Rights

While many U.S. citizens may be unaware of the fact, all immigrants (even the undocumented) have due process rights. The Fifth and Fourteenth Amendments have been ruled to apply to everyone within the country’s borders, interpreted through a multitude of cases — most recently Zadvydas v Davis (2001) in which the Supreme Court held that the due process clause applies to “all persons within the United States.” Not all the rights granted to a U.S. citizen or documented immigrant may be granted to the undocumented — voting is prohibited, obviously, and they are not eligible for most federal benefits, though documented immigrants may be.

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 Posted on September 04, 2018 in Family Law

If you are in the divorce process or recently finalized your divorce, you may be concerned about how your child will transition to living in two homes. Although your child may be anxious and overwhelmed at first, there are some strategies you can use to help make the transition easier and more comfortable. These tips include:

Establish Routines

Since stability is essential for children of divorced parents, it is crucial that you and your ex-spouse establish routines at each home. While the routines do not have to be exactly the same at each house, they should be similar. Your child should know how homework, meals, play, and bedtime work at each home.

Keep Essential Items at Each Home

It can be time-consuming and stressful for your child to have to pack up their essential items every time they switch homes. Therefore, it is wise to keep a set of essentials at your home and your ex-spouse’s home. By having toiletries, toys, art supplies, books, and other items at each home, going from one home to the next will be far easier.

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 Posted on August 31, 2018 in Family Law

The divorce process can take a significant toll on your professional life. If you are having a difficult time being productive and staying positive at work, here are several strategies that may help you out.

Inform Your Supervisor

Although you may be tempted to keep your divorce to yourself, it is essential to inform your supervisor. This way, they will know what is going on if you are in a bad mood or need to take some time off to meet with your attorney, financial advisor, or anyone else involved in your divorce.

Be Discreet

You can let co-workers know about your divorce if you wish. However, it is important to be discreet about the details of your case. Even though it may feel good to vent to co-workers, doing so may make you appear less credible or even jeopardize the future of your career. If co-workers ask you what happened, simply tell them you are going through a rough patch and in the process of figuring things out.

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 Posted on August 24, 2018 in Immigration

With the events occurring at the United States’ southern border, the status of young immigrants has been a hot button issue for everyone. While most of the problems in Texas and Arizona center around children who arrived in the U.S. with their parents, however, there are other categories under which a child may seek asylum or other lawful status in the country. One of the most common is as a Special Immigrant Juvenile (SIJ), which is, as are so many other types, under attack.

The Basics

A person under age 21 can apply for Special Immigrant Juvenile status upon arrival in the United States if he or she can show that his or her protection of a juvenile court is required — usually because he or she has been abandoned or abused (or neglected, which is considered a form of abuse) by a parent — and all the criteria is met. If SIJ status is granted, it will often lead to a grant of lawful permanent residency (in other words, a green card).

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 Posted on August 24, 2018 in Family Law

Unfortunately, substance abuse is a common issue in Illinois. When one spouse is abusing alcohol or drugs, life for the other spouse can become very difficult. Oftentimes, substance abuse in a marriage leads to divorce. If you are divorcing a spouse with substance abuse problems, you may be wondering how it will affect your divorce. Read on to find out.

Child Custody

When determining child custody, a judge’s main goal will be to keep your child’s best interests in mind when designing an arrangement. If a parent abuses alcohol or drugs, they are unlikely able to provide their child with the high-quality care they deserve. In fact, they may endanger their child if their substance abuse case is severe.

It is important to keep in mind that although the judge may deny custody to a parent with a history of substance abuse, the parent may complete rehab or participate in substance abuse support groups so that they can request a child custody modification when they are more fit to care for their child.

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 Posted on August 23, 2018 in Personal Injury

Whether you are driving in DuPage County or in downtown Chicago, you may have noticed speed cameras or red light cameras designed to prevent aggressive driving accidents. One of the aims behind traffic photo enforcement systems, according to the DuPage County Community Resource Information System, is to prevent car accidents caused by aggressive drivers. Two of the most common forms of aggressive driving include speeding and running red lights. These behaviors routinely result in serious and fatal auto accidents.

Still, do speed and red light cameras actually act as a deterrent for aggressive drivers? According to a PubMed Health article, research suggests that speed and red light cameras do reduce the number of traffic crashes and personal injuries, and as such they are a worthwhile intervention.

Speeding and Running Red Lights Are Behaviors That Cause Car Crashes in DuPage County

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 Posted on August 17, 2018 in Family Law

If you are considering divorce or in the process of filing for it, you likely have many questions and concerns. Since divorce can be complicated and the decisions you make during it can affect your family life and future for years to come, it is important to avoid some of the most common divorce mistakes. These mistakes include:

1. Being Untruthful About Your Financial Status

In addition to separating from your spouse, a divorce will separate your finances. Therefore, it is essential for courts to have accurate financial information from both you and your spouse. This way, appropriate decisions regarding property division, spousal maintenance, and child support can be made.

If you purposely reduce your income, do not report a large asset, or lie about your financial status in any way, you may face serious consequences. To ensure a smooth and efficient divorce, you and your spouse must be honest when revealing your assets and debts.

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 Posted on August 17, 2018 in Immigration

In this day and age, it can feel as though an immigrant, in particular an undocumented immigrant, has no rights at all in the United States. This is simply not true — and many times, those who may seek to infringe upon rights count on immigrants not being aware of them. If you are in the country without inspection, knowing what you can and cannot do can make a difference in how quickly you can respond to a serious situation.

Education and Public Benefits

Children in the United States are entitled to a free public education up to grade 12, regardless of their immigration status, as confirmed in the Supreme Court case Plyler v. Doe (1982). This means that schools cannot restrict any child from attending primary or secondary school as long as they are under age 21 — this extends to requiring immigration information from parents, as well. In other words, a school district may not require any kind of identifying information that marks someone as a citizen or non-citizen, because to do so might have the effect of undocumented children being kept out of school.

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