Posted on June 19, 2018 in Immigration

On April 5, 2018, U.S. Immigration & Customs Enforcement (ICE) raided a meat-packing plant in Tennessee, pulling almost 100 people off the job and holding them. While a person, regardless of his or her immigration status, has the right to refuse ICE entry into his or her home, he or she has no such right on the job. If a person’s employer grants ICE entry to the business, any immigrant employee inside is at their mercy. The nature of such raids can cause real problems not only for employers, but especially for their undocumented employees.

An Impossible Position

Generally, most undocumented people in the U.S. simply want to work and keep their head down, and as such, they ask few questions when looking for jobs to do. This can and does result in a higher proportion of undocumented immigrants in low-skill jobs or hands-on jobs like farming or factory work, where an employer needs bodies above all else—the rationale is that such jobs are often hard and dangerous work, and an undocumented person has little or no standing to demand increased wages or benefits, so the employer saves money. If someone complains, all the employer needs to do to quash such behavior is to threaten to report the employee to ICE.

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 Posted on June 19, 2018 in Personal Injury

What causes motorcycle crashes in Lombard and throughout DuPage County? Understanding the reasons for motorcycle accidents can help riders and motorists alike to take preventive measures. The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) released a Motorcycle Crash Causation Study (MCCS), which addresses some of the underlying reasons for motorcycle collisions on major roads and smaller streets across the country. After considering the causes for these crashes, motorcyclists and automobile drivers should think carefully about safety, and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) provides an extensive pamphlet on motorcycle safety tips for anyone on the road.

Get the Facts About the Motorcycle Crash Causation Study

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 Posted on June 15, 2018 in Family Law

Summer is known as a time for fun and relaxation. However, for families with separated or divorced parents, summer vacation can be complicated. It can be a challenge to figure out daycare or camp arrangements, summer vacations, and custody plans. Regardless of the type of relationship you have with your co-parent, these summer co-parenting tips are sure to make your summer as well as your child’s summer happy and free of stress.

1. Consider Summer Schedules

Your schedule, as well as your child’s schedule, may change during the summer months. While your child may be off from school, you may not work because of the type of career you have. It is crucial to take a look at your situation as well as your child’s and speak to your co-parent about any changes that may need to be made to your custody plan.

You should also ask your child how they would like to spend their summer break. If they hope to play sports or attend summer camp, you should make sure that your custody plan accommodates these summer activities.

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 Posted on June 12, 2018 in Immigration

In early April 2018, the U.S. Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR), a sub-entity of the Department of Justice, issued a memo to immigration judges stating that rules for judges would be modified in the near future. After modification, every immigration judge in the U.S. will be expected to complete at least 700 cases each calendar year. While some judges already do this, activists are concerned that this will lead to an overall lack of due process for those waiting in the system.

The Backlog is Long

The immediate reason for such action from EOIR is the U.S. immigration court backlog, which comprises hundreds of thousands of cases, each one representing a person who is entitled to due process rights and a hearing on their specific situation. TRAC immigration statistics show a currently pending backlog of 684,583 cases as of this writing, with average disposition time rising to over 700 days (more than two years) — in Denver and San Antonio, the average time to have one’s case heard is over 1,000 days.

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 Posted on June 12, 2018 in Personal Injury

Hit-and-run accidents have been a serious problem in DuPage County, Cook County, and throughout the Chicago area for quite some time now. According to a recent article in the chtribune, the problem may be getting worse.

Indeed, a new study highlights that deadly hit-and-run crashes are at a historical high. For Chicagoland residents, that news is particularly devastating given the recent string of hit-and-run collisions that have injured and killed motorists and pedestrians alike. For example, last summer a police officer and a civilian suffered injuries in a hit-and-run accident, and a pedestrian was struck and killed by a hit-and-run driver while attempting to cross the street last month.

What should pedestrians and motorists alike know about the rising rates of hit-and-run crashes?

Pedestrians and Bicyclists Disproportionately Affected By Hit-and-Run Collisions

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 Posted on June 08, 2018 in Family Law

Same-sex couples are widely seen in today’s age. They often have the desire to get married, start a family, and live a happy, healthy life together. If you are in a same-sex relationship, you should make yourself familiar with some of the most common family law issues that you may face. This way, you will be better prepared to handle any challenge that may come your way.

Adoption

Unfortunately, if you are in an LGBT relationship and wish to adopt a child, you will have fewer options than heterosexual couples. While heterosexual couples can go through any adoption agency, you may come across some adoption agencies that do not allow you to adopt a child because of religious views.

Custody

One spouse in your relationship may decide to give birth to a child so that you can become parents. In this situation, the spouse who is the child’s biological parent automatically receives full parental rights.

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 Posted on June 05, 2018 in Immigration

Whether an immigrant is documented or undocumented, he or she may one day receive what the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) calls a Notice To Appear (NTA). Receiving an NTA does not automatically mean that someone is going to be deported, but it does alert the recipient that there has been an alleged violation of immigration law. If you receive an NTA, it is imperative that you understand what it actually means, and why you may be on the proverbial hook. If you do not, it will harm your ability to put on a good defense.

Potential Outcomes

The sole reason why you might receive an NTA is because the U.S. government believes you are removable (deportable) from the country, for whatever legal reason. This does not only apply to undocumented immigrants; if someone enters the country legally and then overstays, or has committed a crime, he or she may also become removable. He or she will also receive an NTA if his or her situation requires it. The “appear” in the Notice To Appear is an advisory that you are permitted to plead your case before a judge, and to articulate any special circumstances.

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 Posted on June 05, 2018 in Personal Injury

Truck accidents often result in fatal injuries in DuPage County and throughout Illinois. As the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) and the Highway Loss Data Institute (HLDI) explains, when big rigs are involved in collisions with smaller passenger vehicles, those passenger vehicle occupants often suffer life-threatening or fatal injuries since trucks weigh anywhere from twenty to thirty times as much as a smaller passenger vehicle and have a greater ground clearance.

Truck collisions often occur because of driver error—as a result of negligent driving, which often involves drowsy driving—and can also happen if a truck is not properly maintained or is improperly loaded.

According to a recent article in the Belleville News-Democrat, Illinois State Police have been focusing on semi-truck safety by making random stops to check the truck and its driver for any safety concerns.

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 Posted on May 31, 2018 in Family Law

If you have recently divorced, you are likely wondering how your job as a parent must change. Fortunately, it does not have to change. Instead, you will need to focus on how to make the divorce an easier transition for your children and try to work together with your children’s other parent to provide your children with the high quality of life they deserve. Here are some valuable tips that can help your children adjust to divorce.

1. Ensure Consistency

As your children travel back and forth between two homes, it is crucial for them to understand exactly what your expectations are. Make sure you and your ex-spouse take the time to create a unified set of rules. Their bedtime should be the same time at your home as it is at the other parent’s house. By ensuring consistency, your children will strive to meet your expectations.

2. Do Not Speak Poorly About the Other Parent

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 Posted on May 24, 2018 in Personal Injury

How frequently do trucking crashes occur in DuPage County, and do current laws and regulations have any impact on the rate of truck collisions in the state of Illinois?

A change to Illinois’s truck inspection laws took effect on January 1, 2018, and some safety advocates argue that it could lessen roadway safety in the state. Oppositely, regulators are moving to do away with side-view mirrors on large trucks and to replace them with more advanced technology to help truckers stay safe on the road.

If new inspection laws are in fact resulting in more collisions, could changes to side-mirror regulations help to reduce the overall rate of crashes?

Large Trucks Only Need to Be Inspected Once Every Year

According to a report from Peoria Public Radio, a new trucking industry law took effect at the beginning of this calendar year, and it gives certain truck drivers in Illinois a break when it comes to safety inspections. The new law means that large trucks traveling only in Illinois are no longer required to have inspections twice per year. Instead, for the last several months, those trucks have been on a once-per-year inspection schedule.

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