The college application process is broken. Here are five thoughts on how to fix it so schools get better candidates and kids end up where they belong.
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The Best Illinois Legal Questions Of 2023
We spoke to over 15,000 people this year via phone, email and live chat and heard a lot of great questions. Here are some of the best ones. As always, if you’d like to speak with an experienced Illinois attorney for free, call us at 312-346-5320.
I’m getting divorced. I discovered my wife spent way more over the years than I knew about. Can I get that money back?
Likely no. Money earned during the marriage is a marital asset. Each spouse has the same right to use it during the marriage. What you do have a right to is possibly
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Why 23 Illinois Attorneys Lost Their Law License
Stealing from clients. Committing crimes. Lying. Acting like an asshole. Falsifying documents. There are a lot of reasons attorneys lose their license in Illinois. Here are 23 of them in the last year who have been disbarred or suspended for at least a year. All of the information comes from the ARDC which is the licensing and disciplining organization for Illinois lawyers. I highly recommend you check an attorney’s status there before hiring them.
Richard Gannett Mr. Gannett was licensed to practice in Illinois in 1981 and in Massachusetts in 1982. The Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts disbarred him
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What It Takes To Be A Cook County Judge
Last month, 22 lawyers were voted for positions as Associate Judge in Cook County. It’s not the public that votes for them, but instead the 249 sitting Judges in Cook County. These associate Judges have mostly the same responsibilities as regular Judges, but typically don’t hear felony cases and earn slightly less. Here is the list of the new Judges. See if you can pick out what the most common trait is:
Marcia M. Meis, director of the Administrative Office of the Illinois Courts, announced the judges were selected in a vote of Cook County Circuit Court judges from a
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More Illinois Lawyers Behaving Badly
While most of the Illinois attorneys I come across are honest and do their best for their clients, the reality is that when you have over 90,000 lawyers, some will be unethical. It bothers me because it taints the whole profession and makes the public not trust attorneys. While the reality is that it’s a few bad apples, not a bad orchard, the perception is the opposite.
The good news is that unethical lawyers do get disciplined and some permanently lose their license. The ARDC just handed down some discipline and the following, via the Chicago Daily Law Bulletin, lists
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Why Illinois Attorneys Lose Their License
We get a lot of calls from people looking to sue their lawyer. We are happy to bring on a legal malpractice case if it’s a good one. In most of the calls though we hear about bad customer service, lack of effort or bad results on a case. Those things are unfortunate, but don’t usually rise to the standard needed to successfully sue your attorney in Illinois.
Many of the people who call us really just don’t want their lawyer to “get away with it.” If they’ve done something unethical or illegal, the proper place to go is the
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Illinois Lawyers Who Lie
I’ve heard my fair share of lawyer jokes over the years. The premise of most of those jokes is that the lawyer is dishonest or unethical. In reality, lawyers are like people of any other profession—teachers, accountants, doctors. The vast majority are good people who take pride in their work and try to do the right thing. But I will admit that there are a few bad eggs out there. How can you tell if an attorney is one to avoid hiring? Look out for this:
- They promise that you will win. There is no way for an attorney to
Illinois Lawyer Referrals: What I’ve Learned In 20 Years
This past week was the 20 year anniversary since I started my Illinois lawyer referral and legal guidance website. In that time I’ve talked to over 500,000 people and hopefully helped most of them. I’ve also learned a lot about being an attorney, what clients think and about the legal system in general. A lot has changed since the first call I got on April 2, 2001, but a lot hasn’t. Here, in no particular order, are some interesting things I’ve learned.
- Everyone is on the internet. On multiple occasions I’ve had calls the same day from people in
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Speak To A Chicago Lawyer For Free
They say that the best things in life are free. I don’t know if talking to an attorney should be classified as one of the best things in life, but it exists.
We are Chicago lawyers, who since 2001, have been talking to people for FREE about their Illinois legal matters. There is no catch or hidden agenda. You can call us at 312-346-5320 any time. Usually, a lawyer will answer and your free consultation will begin. It will last as long as it needs for us to answer your questions and give advice. If you call and a lawyer
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Advice For Those Starting Law School
It’s been 26 years since I first walked into Chicago-Kent on Adams. I was an immature 22 year old who only applied to law school because a friend from college enlightened me that having a law degree can create a lot of options for you. Plus, it allowed me to delay entering the working world, which looking back, is a real entitled, white-privilege type of thought to have. Of course law school and living wasn’t as expensive back then, and I was able to survive off of some savings and jobs as a law clerk and bartender.
It would be
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