Owner: The Law Blog - Joseph P McCaffery & Associates URL:http://lawblog.jpmlaw.net Join Date: Tue, 29 Jan 2008 19:27:55 -0600 Rating:0 Site Description: News and views on current legal matters in Illinois Site statistics:Click here
Banned in Chicago 2008-03-08 08:55:22 This week the city that banned Foie Gras is again making national headlines for a proposed ban on "self-sealing plastic bags under two inches in either height or width."
This latest City Council ban got us thinking about all the other things that you can't do, buy, watch or have legally in Chicago
anymore... Read more:Banned
Don't Let Debt Take Control 2008-03-08 08:53:06 Medill Reports, the news service managed by graduate students at Northwestern University's prestigious Medill School of Journalism, today released another story of mortgage foreclosure risk and heartbreak.
Going into debt to get out of debt never is a good idea. And before signing loan documents, be sure to read the fine print. Don't agree to wage garnishments, they take control of your finances away from you. Read more:Control
Illinois Rethinks Taking Drivers' Licenses for Traffic Tickets 2008-03-07 16:27:13 Illinois is one of the few states where officers can—and often do—take a driver's license during routine traffic stops. But a group of state officials is trying to change that. In an era when a government-issued photo ID is often needed to board an airplane or make a credit-card purchase, the practice is antiquated, they said. Read more:Illinois
, Taking
, Drivers
, Licenses
, Tickets
Cheat Sheet for Tax Breaks 2008-03-06 17:22:36 Are you cross-eyed trying to figure out which tax breaks you can take this year? Read more:Cheat
Drug Crimes Fill Up Kane Court Dockets 2008-03-06 17:22:03 Murder and violent crimes make up a fraction of criminal cases in Kane County, where its top prosecutor said Tuesday an increased effort could be focused on drug and other lesser offenses. Read more:Court
, Crimes
More Red-Light Cameras Coming to Chicago 2008-03-06 17:21:21 For Chicago
red-light runners, the margin for error is about to narrow.
Sixty-nine intersections already are guarded by cameras tripped when violators blow a red, resulting in more than 800,000 tickets the last four years. But under a $52 million contract the Daley administration recently signed, those surveillance cameras will be mounted at as many as 220 more locations by 2012. Read more:Cameras
Crack Cocaine Prison Terms May Be Eased 2008-03-06 17:20:38 In a victory for critics who say the nation's drug laws disproportionately punish racial minorities, a new federal rule that took effect this week has made about 350 inmates sentenced for crack cocaine offenses in Chicago eligible for reduced sentences.
The controversial new rule has defense lawyers scrambling to court on behalf of their clients. Several dozen inmates stand to be released immediately. Read more:Cocaine
, Prison
, Terms
Keep in Touch: The Basics of Attorney-Client Communication 2008-03-03 12:28:55 One of the most frequent complaints that the Illinois Attorney
Registration and Disciplinary Commission (ARDC) receives from clients is some variation on the theme, “My attorney isn’t communicating with me.” While an attorney has an ethical obligation under Illinois Rule of Professional Conduct 1.4 to “keep a client reasonably informed about the status of a matter and promptly comply with reasonable requests for information” and to “explain a matter to the extent reasonably necessary to permit the client to make informed decisions regarding the representation,” the client has an important role in this process as well. Most conflicts and misunderstandings can be avoided by following a few simple steps to build and maintain communications. Read more:Client
, Basics
FBI Fraud Investigations Up 40 Percent This Year 2008-03-02 13:47:33 According to an FBI
report, government investigators currently are examining 14 corporations involved in subprime lending...the number of current open cases— 1,200—is up 40 percent from 2007. Suspicious activity reports the agency reviews for potential mortgage fraud grew from 3,000 in fiscal year 2003 to 48,000 in fiscal year 2007...View Freddie Mac the public service announcement "Mortgage Fraud 101" in English or En Espanol. Read more:Investigations
, Percent
When is a Lawsuit Worth It? Is Pro Se an Alternative? 2008-03-02 09:20:15 When does it make sense to file a lawsuit? Like in any profession, there always will be lawyers who will take your case for one reason - the money they will make from you - whether or not the investment in a lawsuit is worth the potential payoff. If your home, your welfare or that of your loved ones, or your business or livelihood are at risk, find an aggressive law firm who will pursue your claim. If not, think hard about your options Read more:Alternative
, Lawsuit
, Worth
Bilingual Attorneys: Finding a Lawyer Who Speaks Your Language 2008-03-02 09:19:45 In an increasingly global society, lawyers are finding that it pays to speak your clients' native languages, whether your clients reside overseas or locally. Chicago is home to many Eastern European, Western European, Latino or Hispanic and Asian people, including those who are Polish, Russian, Bulgarian, Greek, German, Italian, Puerto Rican, Mexican, South American, Lithuanian, Serbian, Czech, Romanian and Assyrian, and bilingual attorneys and multilingual law firms are in demand. Read more:Bilingual
, Attorneys
, Lawyer
So You Have Overstayed Your Visa. Now What? 2008-03-01 11:47:45 While it may seem that stricter immigration laws are among the consequences of the 9/11 attacks of 2001, many of the tough requirements for visitors to the United States who have overstayed their
visas have, in fact, been in place much longer – since immigration law reforms of 1996. Regardless of the perception of when and why the laws tightened, there can be serious consequences for
those who overstay their visit.
If you are in the United States on a nonimmigrant visa and believe you may need an extension – or even think you’ve overstayed your visa, you must act ...
Homeowners: Beware of Latest Schemes 2008-03-01 11:44:57 Just as Attorney General Lisa Madigan announced that identity theft complaints claimed the top category on her office’s Top 10 Consumer Complaint List for the second year in a row, Kane County Recorder Sandy Wegman is alerting homeowners of two schemes occurring with some frequency in the county. Read more:Homeowners
, Beware
, Schemes
Taking Your Business Global: Foreign Labor Certification 2008-02-29 10:03:42 Foreign labor certification is a prerequisite for bringing foreign workers to American companies. Handled by the Department of Labor, this is a necessary first step for employers before any H-1B or L-1 visa applications can be completed. Depending on whether you’d like to employ someone permanently or temporarily the process greatly varies, however there are some common requirements to all labor certification and labor condition applications. Read more:Taking
, Business
, Global
, Foreign
, Certification
Foreclosures and the Homeless: Face to Face with the Issues of Mortgage Fraud 2008-02-26 07:21:13 Being part of a crisis management law firm requires some duties above and beyond....Mortgage
fraud cases can result in many unoccupied, unfinished properties that leave clients not only with foreclosures, but a host of property management concerns....I arrived at the property with a trusted companion, a cell phone, and a rather large hammer (among other tools, but the hammer looked the most impressive).... Read more:Foreclosures
, Issues
, Mortgage Fraud
Landmark Ruling: Illinois PreNup Overturmed 2008-02-22 07:17:23 For the first time in Illinois
since 1990 when the Uniform Premarital Agreement Act was adopted in the state, a prenuptial agreement was overturned. The written order was signed and entered by the Honorable Judge Martin Zopp in McHenry County today, and declared a multi-million dollar estate to be marital property. Read more:Landmark
Hirschey Court Appearance in Salerno "Homicide" Next Week 2008-02-10 12:38:05 In Wisconsin, Scott D. Hirschey, 44, of Crystal Lake, Ill., faces a charge of homicide by intoxicated use of a vehicle in the January snowmobile crash that killed WBBM-TV News Anchor Randy Salerno, 45. According to news reports, Hirschey is scheduled to make his initial court appearance Monday. Read more:Court
Divorce in Illinois - Questions to Consider 2008-02-06 08:59:54 Realizing that your marriage may not last forever can be very emotional and frustrating. Whether or not you are sure you want to end your marriage, it helps to understand the basics of divorce law. Read more:Illinois
Tribune Editors Share POV on Chicago's Bag Ban 2008-03-11 02:32:44 The ChicagoTribune
shares a well-written POV on the City Council's latest proposed ban in Chicago: ...but we're not in the mood for another boneheaded crime-fighting measure that inconveniences law-abiding citizens more than the criminals... Read more:Editors
, Share
More on the Red Light Camera Debate 2008-03-17 07:51:07 In a post last week a member of the paper's editorial board admits his own feelings on the topic have "become fuzzy" since editorializing in favor of red light cameras last year...Who stands to lose the most by the use of red light cameras? Taxpayers. Read more:Camera
, Debate
Violations Must Be Reported for a Restraining Order to Work 2008-03-15 20:27:13 In a brief voice-mail message about 10 days before the slaying, he apologized for everything he had done. It seemed harmless...If there is someone who has threatened or harmed you, don't give them the benefit of a doubt. Report any and all contact in violation of an order of protection. Read more:Violations
, Order
Illinois Attorney Rules Set for a Makeover 2008-03-19 08:07:07 In law school, future attorneys are trained in the "ABA Model Rules
of Professional Conduct" and most are tested on these rules as part of the Bar exam. However, once practicing attorneys, they must abide by the individual ethics rules of the state - or states - in which they are licensed. This creates a particular challenge for the nearly one-third of Illinois
attorneys licensed in multiple jurisdictions. Read more:Attorney
, Makeover
Will US Supreme Court Put a Stop to One Chicago Ban? 2008-03-21 17:24:44 The US SupremeCourt
will put the 32-year-old Washington, DC, handgun ban to the test. The High Court's finding could affect a similar gun ban in Chicago
, and other restrictions on the Right to Bear Arms in effect across Illinois municipalities.
We welcome you comments and points of view on this debate, and share with you two related video clips... Read more:Supreme Court
Shiller Effort to Sandbag Bag Ban 2008-03-20 05:35:03 It looks like Ald. Hellen Shiller
, who represents the Uptown area - known for its rather artistic, bohemian culture - is rising to the defense of those tiny plastic bags. Will Chicago give up on its ban-wagon? Read more:Effort
Something (or Someone) That's Not Banned in Chicago 2008-03-20 05:12:59 Perhaps our bloggers spoke too soon when we posted the lighthearted look at what's banned in Chicago
. Seems some things - or at least some people - are excluded from the city's trend.
From today's Chicago Tribune: Contract swindler James Duff is banned from Chicago business for only 3 years Imprisoned businessman with Daley ties will be eligible to bid for city work before his prison term is up Read more:Banned
National Interest in Immigratation Issues Wane - Up to the States? 2008-03-23 19:34:46 Illegal Immigration, a hot-button issue that experts expected to top the nation's political concerns this year, has largely vanished from the presidential campaign...anti-Immigration activists, chagrined that their issue is sputtering at the national level are redoubling their efforts to pass laws at the state and local level... Read more:National
, Interest
, Issues
, States
10 Things You Might Not Know About Divorce 2008-03-23 06:54:33 We couldn't resist sharing this list from the Chicago Tribune's Mark Jacob. For a more serious look at this life-changing decision, see our previous post Divorce in Illinois - Questions to Consider.
The Advantages of Tech-Savvy Legal Representation 2008-03-25 18:19:13 According to a recent survey, 70 percent of lawyers are overwhelmed by technology. We suggest technology resources have revolutionized the practice of law, and embrace these efficient and cost-effective tools to best serve our clients. Read more:Advantages
, Savvy
, Representation
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