There is so much information out there on the internet, in movies, on social media and elsewhere. A lot of it is presented by people who talk like they are experts, but don’t really know what they are talking about. This tweet sums up how I feel about it.

Now a lot of people who will give you advice mean well or honestly think they know what they are talking about. Sometimes they actually do whether it’s because they are smart or just got lucky.

But I beg you not to take legal advice from your non-attorney friends. It’s no different than not taking medical advice from non-doctors.

For one caller to my office, not heeding this advice has turned her life upside down.

The father of her child lives out west. They were never married and have never been to court for custody. He’s always come to Illinois for visits. Now that the child is older, he wanted to spend a month with them in the summer, but in his home which is near the Pacific Ocean.

She asked a couple of friends what they thought, and the one she trusts the most told her it’s not a problem as long as he puts in writing when he’ll return the child. So that’s what she did.

After the month was up he didn’t return the child. A couple of weeks after that, he filed for custody in his home state. She’s been looking for Illinois custody attorneys because another friend told her that even if we are licensed here, we can help anywhere. This was mistake number two.

I told her the harsh reality that she has to deal with the court in this other state and that despite what her friends said, she needs to get a lawyer out there too. The bad advice she got delayed her two weeks more while she looked in IL for help.

I hear stories like this every week. One family lost out on a likely mid-seven-figure medical malpractice lawsuit because a cousin assured them they had up to five years to file a lawsuit. They waited too long, and the statute of limitations passed.

One reason why we started our free Illinois legal guidance and lawyer referral website is so people can get the help they need and honest answers with minimal obstacles in their way.

And it doesn’t have to be through us. You owe it to yourself to reach out to a lawyer. And if cost is a worry, we are free and most law firms will give a free consultation.