Criminal Defense in Illinois

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When people call us for Illinois criminal attorney referrals, one question we get a lot is, “Do they have a winning record?” There is a perception out there that you can look up an attorney’s record like they are baseball standings on espn.com or something.

The truth is that there are no win/loss records available for criminal defense lawyers in Illinois. And even if they were, they would be incredibly misleading for a couple of reasons.

First off, consider someone like the disgusting Highland Park shooter or any other criminal who is literally caught red handed doing their crime. If…

Continue Reading Winning Criminal Lawyer In Chicago

You’ve heard the old saying that anything you say can and be used against you and that you have a right to remain silent? It’s great advice. And while I’m not saying you have to be a mute, there are clear answers you should give to the four most common questions a cop will ask you when you are pulled over in Illinois.

The first thing I’ll tell you is that you can and should be polite. Say hello, but then let them lead the conversation. The first question will usually be something like:

Do you know how fast you

… Continue Reading What To Say To Illinois Police When They Pull You Over

I get calls all of the time from people who have done nothing wrong looking for an Illinois criminal defense attorney. It’s usually some version of the police called me or came looking for me.

When they are innocent, they will often tell me that they want to go talk to the police. “I didn’t do anything wrong, so what should I be afraid of.” Or, “They’ve got nothing on me, and I can explain what really happened.”

I’m here to tell you to never ever talk to the police. You might like/love cops and it doesn’t matter, don’t do…

Continue Reading Never, Ever Talk To The Police

Most of us drivers out on the roads of Illinois drive a bit over the speed limit from time to time. We occasionally even feel that sense of dread when we see those blue and red police car lights flash behind us. We pull over, preparing to receive a ticket or hope that it’s not us that they are going after.

People often ask us, “Do I need to hire a traffic attorney for my speeding ticket?” Well, that all depends on the answer to this question: How many miles above the speed limit were you going?

Let’s take a…

Continue Reading Aggravated Speeding Lawyers In Illinois

Growing up I loved to rent and watch movies back when you went to Blockbuster or the town video store to actually rent a movie. I loved “Animal House” but now that I’m older I can see that while it was hilarious, there is also a really disturbing rape situation going on. I also enjoyed “Porky’s” and saw it a lot, but now that I’m an adult I see that there was a lot problematic with that movie too.

But the king of movies I didn’t realize had issues is “Revenge Of The Nerds.” I watched it again recently and…
Continue Reading So Many Crimes In Revenge Of The Nerds

If you get arrested and charged with a misdemeanor or felony in Cook County, it’s important that you take the charges seriously as jail time is a possibility.  The goal is to get the best outcome possible. Sometimes that’s a dismissal of the charges. Sometimes it’s a not guilty finding at trial.  Other times it’s getting supervision, probation or a low amount of jail time.

To get the best result possible, you need the best attorney for your case. But there is no such thing as the best Chicago criminal lawyer who would be the right choice no matter what…
Continue Reading What To Know About Hiring A Chicago Criminal Defense Attorney

I recently binge-watched “Better Call Saul.”  It’s a great show, and to me, it’s even more interesting due to how it portrays being a lawyer. While it’s not 100% accurate of course, a lot of what they show mirrors experiences I’ve had when talking to potential clients.

In one scene, a person who is suspected of a crime discusses their case with Saul who is trying to convince them to hire him as their lawyer. The likely criminal says something to the effect of, “If I hire a criminal lawyer, won’t that make me look guilty?”

I laughed out loud…
Continue Reading Chicago Criminal Law – Will I Look Guilty If I Hire An Attorney?

Picture a 20-year-old college student from Wilmette, Naperville, or wherever, and they get pulled over and arrested for driving on a revoked license.  They themselves aren’t rich but they have rich parents who can hire a good attorney and pay the $1,000 or $2,500 that the Judge asks for bail. Eventually, the case works its way through the system and the attorney his parents hire gets the case dismissed or knocked down to a smaller charge with a fine and no jail time.

Now imagine someone who lives paycheck to paycheck and doesn’t have parents to bail them out of…
Continue Reading The Most Unfair Part Of The Law In Illinois

I try to never fly out of O’Hare because for me getting to Midway is easier.  It’s about half the time on the train from the Loop and when you get to the airport at O’Hare it feels like it takes forever to actually get to a gate. That’s to be expected at what was once known as the world’s busiest airport.

Despite my personal preferences, more than 30 million people come through O’Hare each year which is almost double the traffic of Midway.  And while crimes can occur at both places, I definitely see more arrests at O’Hare by…
Continue Reading Arrested With A Gun At O’Hare Or Midway Airport

Maybe it’s because I’ve been watching “Better Call Saul” that I’ve been thinking about this a lot, but I did get asked recently by someone if you should ever talk to the police. It’s a really easy answer.

No.

But what if you are innocent?  No.

But what if you think you can explain what happened? No.

How about if they tell you that things will go easier or it’s not a big deal? No.

What if they’ve caught you committing the crime? No.

What if they tell you if you don’t talk, you are going to lose rights to…
Continue Reading Chicago Criminal Lawyer Advice – Talk To The Police?