Drug overdose deaths have quadrupled since 1999 to become the leading cause of injury-related death in the United States. During a crisis like this one, people often look for someone to blame. That someone is often the doctor who prescribed the opioid painkillers. About 5% of opioid users become addicted. Sometimes, addiction occurs even though the patient does not abuse the drug. Doctors who overprescribe opioids face both civil and criminal liability. It is important to have an attorney on...

A premarital agreement is a lot like an insurance policy. When you got your first apartment, you probably obtained renters’ insurance, even though the risk of accidental loss is very remote. Renters’ insurance offers excellent protection and it is easy to obtain. Premarital agreements are much the same. After just one conversation, an attorney can draw up a fully-enforceable premarital agreement. As outlined below, these pacts can cover a wide range of matters. Furthermore, thanks to the Uniform Premarital and...

Medical professionals must have extremely trusting relationships with their patients. As far as the state is concerned, few things violate that trust more than a forcible felony conviction. As a result, just one bad decision can put your livelihood at risk. In a few cases, there is little that anyone can do to prevent the state from denying a healthcare license in these situations. But typically, an attorney can make a huge difference. Preliminary Considerations in Chicago Forcible Felony Cases...

At many institutions, college tuition has doubled in the last 20 years. The problem is especially serious here in Illinois. For many years, colleges have relied on extremely generous pensions to attract faculty and staff. Now, those pensions are being paid out just as enrollment is dropping. Even though child support terminates at age 18, an Illinois judge could require noncustodial parents to pay a portion of college expenses. Many Chicago divorce decrees contain a reserve clause, which says something...

This problem is not only one of the most pressing issues of our time, it is also one of the fastest-growing problems we have seen in a while. Each year, an estimated 2.6 million Americans abuse prescription drugs for the first time. In a few cases, this use is just a one-time experimental use of a drug. In most cases, however, it is the first step on the road to a dangerous addiction. Some say that the opioid epidemic began...

Many marriage dissolution matters in Chicago involve a small business. There are about 30 million such entities in the United States, according to the Small Business Administration. That figure represents 99.9% of the businesses in America. A successful business may have a significant value. In many cases, it is the largest asset in the legal proceeding and also the couple’s primary source of income. Small businesses often have a significant emotional value as well. Sometimes, that emotional value eclipses the...

Between 1990 and 2015, divorce rates dropped sharply for people between 25 and 39. In the 40-49 age bracket, divorces increased, but not by very much. In the over-50 age range, divorce increased a whopping 109% during that same time frame. The divorce rate among couples over 65 increased even more. Why are so many older couples divorcing in the Chicago area, and what impact does it have on their families? Attitudes have changed significantly among people over 55. In...

In January 2018, new rules went into effect for doctors and clinics that prescribe opioid painkillers. This new law is meant to work with the already-stiff penalties for prescription drug abuse in Illinois. The new legislation is a watered-down version of an earlier bill. Going forward, all opioid prescribers must check the state’s Prescription Monitoring Program before they write these prescriptions. The PMP is designed to cut down on the number of “doctor-shoppers” who go from one provider to another...

The percentage of Americans who own a smartphone has doubled since 2011. That is an awful lot of change in a very short time. As we mentioned in a previous post, the law does not adapt very well to any kind of technological change. Thanks to the introduction of Cloud storage, most smartphones now have almost infinite storage capacities. Without that four-digit passcode, however, the device is just a piece of plastic instead of a treasure trove of evidence in...

If the marriage lasted longer than a few years, most couples have significant property and debt to divide during a divorce. In Illinois, the distribution must not constitute an unfair financial burden for either party. Note that marriage dissolution is almost always a financial burden, but neither the husband nor the wife should shoulder more than half of it, in most cases. To bring about an equitable distribution, a Chicago judge looks to a number of different factors. None is...

Glasgow & Olsson was successful in having protective order statute declared unconstitutional because it violates due process rights by not allowing a hearing before substantive rights are taken away. Read Judge William Parkurst’s opinion here.

For the most part, judges are notorious slow in embracing new technology. A few years ago, Chief Justice John Roberts noted that the Justices used vacuum tubes to send messages to one another well into the 1970s. Typically, such episodes are simply mildly amusing, at least to some people. In other cases, this reluctance to change is downright dangerous. Smartphones are a good example. Over 10 years after the first iPhone hit the shelves, there is still no comprehensive criminal...

Over the past several years, alimony has become one of the most controversial subjects in Chicago family law cases. Many advocates bemoan the lack of consistency. Under the old law, a Lake County judge and a Cook County judge could theoretically look at the same facts and award vastly different amounts of spousal support. Others clamored for more flexibility. They convincingly argued that since every case is different, the more facts the judge considers, the better. The

In the March 2018 primaries, voters in the nation’s second most-populated county overwhelmingly endorsed a proposal to “legalize the cultivation, manufacture, distribution, testing, and sale of marijuana and marijuana products for recreational use by adults 21 and older”. This ballot measure is only a nonbinding resolution and it has no legal effect whatsoever. Possession of any amount of marijuana is still a crime in Illinois, unless it is for bona fide medical purposes. Given the amount of support (68%) and...

Family law judges in the Prairie State must make all child custody decisions in the best interests of the children. That includes both custody and visitation matters. Typically, both parents agree with that overall sentiment even if they are in the midst of a bitter divorce. Yet almost all parents disagree as to the specifics. To resolve these differences, judges may look at a number of factors to determine best interest. 750 ILCS 5 gives a non-exhaustive list of items....