Illinois Lawyer Referrals and Legal Guidance

Archive for April, 2010

Illinois attorney advice- free criminal attorneys, insurance coverage, workers comp and more

Wednesday, April 21st, 2010

Every Wednesday we provide five legal tips about different areas of law based on readers questions.

I was arrested and can not afford a lawyer. Can you find a lawyer for me?

The only free lawyers we know of for criminal cases are public defenders. They are appointed by the Judge if they feel you can’t afford one. You typically can’t get one for traffic cases and many misdemeanors unless you are indigent. FYI, if you post bail you can’t get a public defender. Some are great, but most are overworked because of budget cuts so we often are told by callers that their public defender isn’t fighting for them. If that happens your only option is to pay a private lawyer.

My son has a rare disease. His doctor ordered therapy as did a second opinion doctor. My insurance company won’t pay for it. Can I sue them?

Yes, but thanks to our Government (Bush years not Obama) you can only sue for the amount of the coverage not any harm that is suffered. As a result finding an attorney is a real challenge unless you are paying by the hour. This often makes it cost in-effective to sue.

I was hurt on the job and my doctor suggested back surgery. My uncle had it and it went awful. Needless to say I don’t want it. If I refuse do I lose my Illinois workers’ compensation benefits?

No. You can’t be forced in to a surgery under Illinois workers’ compensation law. You have to cooperate with your doctor and follow their advice, but you don’t have to have surgery. You do have to cooperate with physical therapy and other suggestions.

I was pulled over and the cop said my license was suspended from an old ticket and arrested me for driving while suspended. Had my car towed too. I had no idea about this. Can they do that?

Given that they did it, obviously they can. Even though you didn’t know about your suspension you still face all of the possible penalties that go with that. Time to lawyer up.

My ex owes me $50,000 in child support. He now has custody of one of our sons and wants support from me. Do I have to pay this dead-beat?

No, you should be able to get a credit for what he owes you.

Since 2001, findgreatlawyers.com has been the leading resource for Illinois attorney referrals and legal guidance. If you would like our help please contact one of our lawyers via our on-line form or call (800) 517-1614. We are based in Chicago, but help people find attorneys for legal matters throughout Illinois. All inquiries are free and confidential.

Tags: public defender
Posted in Five Tips | Comments Off

Hiring an Illinois attorney- experience is not enough

Tuesday, April 20th, 2010

There is a blog on the Chicago Tribune that highlights interesting cases and provides copies of recent lawsuit. I always look at this blog out of interest and because every now and then I will see an attorney I’ve never heard of who is doing good work and may be a potential person to refer cases to if everything checks out.

More often than not though I see law firms that have no business handling a case filing a suit. It’s not that they aren’t lawyers and perhaps they are competent; rather it’s that they have little to no experience with the type of case they are bringing.

Recently there was a lawsuit highlighted that deals with complicated medical situations, namely a stroke occuring. I don’t personally know the lawyer who filed it, but according to the ARDC website he just started his own firm and his background appears to be working for a state agency that has nothing to do with personal injury lawsuits. His office location is also nowhere near the courthouse.

Bottom line is that while he may be capable, there are hundreds of attorneys that are more qualified and can demonstrate a track record of success. In this case the attorney in question has been licensed for less than two years. But even if he spent 20 years at a Government agency, the fact that he is an experienced attorney isn’t enough. As a potential client you should ask yourself, “how much experience does this lawyer have with my situation.”

If you know a lawyer at one of the large law firms in the City, talking to them would help demonstrate my point. Most of them can complete the most complex of business transactions imaginable. But if you asked them to write a will or handle a simple traffic ticket they would be lost. They could probably figure their way around it, but that certainly isn’t the type of help you want if it’s your life that willl be affected by this.

Posted in Did You Know? | Comments Off

Amtrak wrongful death case- Are you going to tell the family of Katie Lunn her life wasn’t worth anything?

Monday, April 19th, 2010

In case you haven’t read about it, there was a tragic death of a young woman who was hit by an Amtrak train on Sunday. As far as we can tell she did nothing wrong and the standard warning signals did not work, allegedly from train error. This is according to witnesses who saw it happen or were almost hit by the train themselves. Her whole life was in front of her and now it’s gone.

Now we didn’t know Ms. Lunn, but it sounds like she was a great woman and had a great future. It also sounds like she had no fault in this accident.

So if you are against wrongful death lawsuits as “jackpot justice”, imagine if this was your child or spouse or sibling or parent. What would that loss mean to you? I know it can’t bring her back, but the big point of a wrongful death lawsuit in Illinois is to prevent it from happening to anyone else.

I don’t know what this case is worth, but I hope the family is compensated to the point that Amtrak and other train companies will do whatever it takes to make sure that a tragedy like this doesn’t happen again.

Tags: Amtrak, Katie Lunn
Posted in Injury Cases | 1 Comment »

Working at lunch, but not for your lunch “break”????

Monday, April 19th, 2010

Last month we did a post on how nurses in Illinois were apparently regularly being forced to work through an unpaid lunch break. This led to a few readers asking if they were eligible for the same benefits even though they are not nurses.

The answer is of course yes.

If your employer makes you go off the clock for lunch or deducts a certain amount of time from your paycheck for a lunch then you are required to be paid for that time with very few exceptions. This assumes that you are actually working during that time.

It doesn’t matter if you are a nurse, secretary, laborer, teacher, etc.

If this is happening to you call us at (312) 346-5320. Although we usually limit our practice to Illinois, we actually know attorneys that handle these cases throughout the country.

Tags: lunch break, wage lawsuits
Posted in Litigation | Comments Off

What happens in Cook County criminal courts? H

Friday, April 16th, 2010

Check out http://www.ontherecordincookcounty.com. It’s apparently run by a law student that used to work as a clerk in the criminal court system in Cook County. Daily funny quotes about some things the Judge’s, prosecutors, defendants, defense lawyers and others say.

Posted in Criminal Defense in Illinois | Comments Off

What costs more, $2,500 now or $20,000 in one year?

Thursday, April 15th, 2010

The number one reason people don’t hire an attorney is money. If you can’t afford it then you are probably out of luck. Justice in the U.S. legal system does often favor those who can pay to play.

The number one reason a case gets screwed up is also money. Many people know that they need an attorney and will shop around until they find the cheapest one available. The guy you find on Craigslist who graduated law school a few months ago might only want $500 down, but you can count on one hand how many times he’s been to court and even if his hourly rate is less than half of everyone else, it will still add up.

With so many people losing their jobs, many are in situations where they are paying child support or maintenance based on the income they had when they are working. They assume that if they lose their job their obligation to pay goes away. This is 100% false.

If you lose your job you need to file a motion with the courts ASAP to reduce your support obligation. Even if your ex tells you don’t worry about it, the court will not care. The only official and safe way to make this happen is to get in to court.

Now of course that costs money. Most Chicago area family law attorneys we know want at least $2,500 up front. If you aren’t working that puts you in quite a catch 22 situation. But if you don’t get in to court, you continue to owe money and then face the possibility of jail time, a suspended drivers license, loss of your passport and of course the big debt at the end.

So if you do lose a job or have a reduction in salary, do whatever you can to get in to court and the Judge know. You have so much to lose if you don’t.

Tags: child support
Posted in Illinois Family Law | Comments Off

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Illinois Lawyer Referrals and Legal Guidance

Archive for April, 2010

Illinois attorney advice- free criminal attorneys, insurance coverage, workers comp and more

Hiring an Illinois attorney- experience is not enough

Amtrak wrongful death case- Are you going to tell the family of Katie Lunn her life wasn’t worth anything?

Working at lunch, but not for your lunch “break”????

What happens in Cook County criminal courts? H

What costs more, $2,500 now or $20,000 in one year?

Recent Comments:

Illinois Lawyer Referrals and Legal Guidance

Archive for April, 2010

Illinois attorney advice- free criminal attorneys, insurance coverage, workers comp and more

Hiring an Illinois attorney- experience is not enough

Amtrak wrongful death case- Are you going to tell the family of Katie Lunn her life wasn’t worth anything?

Working at lunch, but not for your lunch “break”????

What happens in Cook County criminal courts? H

What costs more, $2,500 now or $20,000 in one year?

Illinois lawyers- you don’t need one if . . .