Posted on August 25, 2025 in Family Law

For most parents, issues regarding children are just beginning once the allocation of parental responsibilities (750 ILCS 5/602.7) and parenting time has been decided. Parents who may still harbor animosity towards one another must make joint decisions that affect their children, including medical decisions, religious decisions, extracurricular activity decisions, and decisions regarding which school the children will attend. One parent may want the children to attend a private school or a religious school, while another may favor public education.

Even if parents agree on public education, one parent may want to move so the children can be in a "better" school district, while the other may be happy with their current school. These school issues can result in heated debates that may require the court to intervene. Understanding how school choice disagreements are resolved can be facilitated by speaking to an experienced Cook County, IL family law attorney.

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 Posted on August 11, 2025 in Personal Injury

Drones are becoming increasingly common in Illinois skies. You may see drones being used by companies for deliveries, photography, surveillance, or by hobbyists who fly them for entertainment purposes. Unfortunately, as drone usage increases, so do the risks of accidents and injuries. What happens if a drone crashes into a human or accidentally causes a car accident?

If a drone injures you, can you sue for damages? If so, who do you sue? While drone-related personal injury cases are relatively new, they are governed by specific legal principles. If you have been injured by a drone, consulting with an experienced Rock Island County, IL personal injury lawyer can be a great first step to ensure your rights are fully protected.

How Common Are Drone Injuries?

According to the U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Aviation Administration, the total number of drones registered across the U.S. as of October 2024 was approximately 800,000. These are just those that are registered; not all drones are. Due to their rapid movements, sharp blades, and rotating parts, injuries can occur to anyone in the area.

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 Posted on July 25, 2025 in Family Law

Perhaps you have your Facebook account set to "private," leaving you confident that only those you allow to see your page can do so. You might need to rethink this assumption if you are in the middle of a custody dispute (known as the "allocation of parental responsibilities" in Illinois). In fact, you should know that social media is increasingly being used as "evidence" in family courts across the country.

Every single thing that you post, share, like, or comment on can come under scrutiny by a judge when parenting time and the allocation of parental responsibilities are being decided. A photo showing late-night "I’m almost single now" partying or an angry rant about your spouse is fair game for your spouse’s attorney.

Even the actual times you log in and the amount of time spent on Facebook can be used to challenge your parenting ability. A Kane County, IL family law attorney can answer your questions and help you understand how social media can hurt you in court.

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 Posted on July 09, 2025 in Insurance Defense & Coverage

Bad-faith insurance claims can expose companies to significant financial liability, as well as reputational damage, particularly in a plaintiff-friendly state like Illinois. When policyholders allege that an insurer wrongfully denied a claim, delayed payment without justification, or failed to conduct a proper investigation, the stakes are high.

Not every dispute, however, amounts to a bad-faith insurance claim. Illinois sets a fairly high standard for proving such claims, and insurance companies have robust legal defenses available. Consulting with a Rock Island County, IL insurance defense attorney can help determine the most effective defense possible, given the specific circumstances.   

What is a Bad Faith Insurance Claim in Illinois?

Bad faith, in the context of an insurance claim, usually refers to the dishonest or unfair handling of an insurance claim by the insurer. Bad faith goes beyond negligence or a mistake, involving a failure to act fairly and honestly, and, under 215 ILCS 5/155, can include:

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 Posted on June 28, 2025 in Family Law

According to a Harris Poll, 15 percent of American couples who are married or currently engaged have a prenuptial agreement. This is up significantly from just three percent in 2010. High-net-worth marriages, especially those with a business or extensive property, benefit even more from a well-written prenuptial agreement than the "average" couple.

It is possible to protect your company or your real estate without undermining your relationship, but a standard prenuptial agreement may not be sufficient. High-net-worth individuals who own or manage businesses or have real estate holdings worth millions need a prenuptial agreement to do more than simply list and divide the property. These individuals need comprehensive contracts that address income growth, valuation, and potential disputes.

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 Posted on May 28, 2025 in Family Law

In the state of Illinois, custody and visitation are now known as the allocation of parental responsibilities and parenting time. Regardless of the language, the need for a comprehensive parenting plan remains the same. A parenting plan provides guidelines for each parent’s time with the child after the divorce.

Unfortunately, many parents—and even courts—take a "one size fits all" approach to a parenting plan without considering the child’s age and changing needs. The psychological and emotional developmental stages vastly differ between a two-year-old and a teenager, not to mention the significant differences in time available to spend with each parent.

While babies and toddlers may require frequent parental daytime visits and a consistent schedule, older children require more flexibility in the parenting plan to adapt to school demands and extracurricular activities. If you are going through a divorce and could use some experienced legal assistance with your parenting plan, a Cook County, IL family law attorney can help.

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 Posted on April 27, 2025 in Family Law

Perhaps you and your ex have resolved the majority of parenting issues during and after your divorce. You are the parent with primary parental responsibilities, while your ex has parenting time every other weekend and on alternating holidays. On a Friday afternoon, your elderly mother, who lives only a couple of blocks away, calls you in a panic because she cannot find her prescription medications.

You are expecting your ex-spouse to pick up your ten-year-old son in about an hour. Since your son is currently doing his homework and getting ready for the weekend with his dad, you decide you will just run to your mother’s home to help her find her medication and be back before your ex-spouse arrives. Unfortunately, this is the day he arrives early to find your son alone in the house.

Although you try to explain the situation when you return, he is angry and threatening to take you back to court and show that you are an unfit parent. This is a situation that requires the experience of a Will County, IL family law attorney who can ensure your case is effectively presented to the Judge.

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 Posted on March 29, 2025 in Family Law

We tend to hear more about prenuptial agreements than postnuptial agreements, but they are both legal, binding contracts that are intended to protect the financial interests of both spouses in the event of a divorce, separation, or death. Both agreements can help set expectations as well as prevent disputes regarding assets between spouses. A postnuptial agreement can cover how marital assets will be divided, whether ongoing financial support will be given to one spouse from the other, which debts each spouse will be responsible for, and other similar issues.

Postnuptial agreements have gained traction in recent years, largely because they are often more practical than prenuptial agreements, which are typically entered into in the early stages of a relationship when both parties are still starry-eyed in love. A prenuptial agreement, if not updated frequently, may not fully cover the changes that have occurred in a couple’s lives, careers, and financial assets and obligations. A postnuptial agreement is usually entered into months or even years after a couple marries.

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 Posted on March 10, 2025 in Personal Injury

Distracted driving is one of the leading causes of serious car accidents. Now that almost everyone has a cell phone with them while driving, there are many more potential distractions than drivers used to face. Drivers frequently rely on GPS apps for directions, which means their phones must be out and turned on. This makes it easier to get distracted by incoming messages or notifications. Many newer model vehicles even have integrated infotainment systems, confronting drivers with another screen. Even drivers who carefully obey Illinois’s cell phone use laws can be distracted by passengers, music, food, or something interesting that is happening on the roadside. No driver can keep 100 percent of his attention on driving 100 percent of the time. A motor vehicle accident can happen in a split second. If you are facing a lawsuit after being involved in a car accident, you need an experienced Chicago, IL personal injury attorney.

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 Posted on February 27, 2025 in Civil Litigation

The term "hostile work environment" seems like it should be self-explanatory. If an employee goes to work every day and is treated with great disrespect or harassed by colleagues, she would not be remiss in describing her work environment as hostile. However, "hostile work environment" has an extremely specific meaning in employment law. First, the harassment the worker endures must be so severe and persistent that it interferes with her ability to perform her work. This is a fairly high bar - having a supervisor who is merely rude or coworkers who occasionally make insulting comments is not considered enough to stop a reasonable employee from carrying out her job duties. Even if an employee can show this level of harassment, she must also be able to prove that she was harassed for a discriminatory reason.

If your company has been threatened with a hostile work environment claim, you should contact an experienced Lisle, IL commercial litigation attorney. A lawsuit that is unlikely to succeed can still cause trouble for your small business, especially if it attracts media attention. All discrimination-based claims should be handled with care by a skilled lawyer.

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