For 24 years now we’ve been giving people free Illinois legal guidance and attorney referrals. While I can’t always guarantee you’ll like what I have to say, I can promise that you can ask me legal questions and I will tell you the truth. Here are some good ones that we’ve received over the last few months. If you have any questions, give us a call at 312-346-5320 or fill out our contact form.

I’m a convicted felon. My mom died and left everything in her estate to me, and then me the executor. Am I still allowed to be the executor?

In Illinois, felons are not allowed to be the executor of an estate. Hopefully a backup executor was named.

Does not being married matter when it comes to child custody? My ex is saying since we weren’t married I have no rights.

Marriage has nothing to do with Illinois custody laws. Custody is based on the best interests of the child. That relates to safety, health, education, the impact a parent can and does make, your background and many other things. Whether or not you were ever married never comes up in court on these cases, at least not in a legally relevant way.

What is a rule to show cause?

A rule to show cause is an order by a Judge in a case, requiring one of the parties to explain to the Court why a motion or request by the opposing party should not be granted. For example, if you haven’t paid your child support and the other party to the case wants you held in contempt of court (which could mean you’d go to jail, lose your driver’s license or have another punishment), a rule to show cause gives you a chance to justify or explain your side of the story. It’s a serious issue and one you’d typically want to have a lawyer deal with.

Can I be fired by text without reason?

We get a version of this question every week. The answer is yes. Is it classless to fire someone by text? Probably unless it’s a safety issue. Is it legal? Also yes. Your employer doesn’t owe you, legally speaking, any professionalism in their behavior. And they can fire you for any reason unless it’s an illegal one such as terminating you for your race, religion, getting hurt at work or something else protected under the law.

My car got stolen off the street in Chicago. Can I sue the City for not doing anything about the high crime rate?

That would not be a successful lawsuit. In general, nobody is responsible for the criminal acts of other parties. And the City isn’t liable just because it happened in Chicago or they aren’t as aggressive as some people want them to be when it comes to crime.

We hope this advice helps. Please reach out to us any time if you need anything.