Posted on March 31, 2014 in Personal Injury

The arrival of spring means that summer is just around the corner. The warm weather will undoubtedly urge many people out of their homes and into local waterways to enjoy activities such as boating, waterskiing, tubing, and the like. While summer sports are fun, they can also be dangerous. Boating accidents do occur, and can have fatal outcomes. In order to curb fatalities associated with boating accidents, a state representative from Illinois is advocating a new law for boaters to follow.

The Proposal

State Representative JoAnn Osmond, a Republican from Antioch, has proposed a plan to state lawmakers that is meant to protect water skiers and tubers who have fallen into the water. According to an article recently published, the plan would require boaters who were towing a water skier or tuber to raise a flag if the person trailing behind the boat had fallen into the water. The flag would signal a warning to other boaters to be aware of the situation and watch for the person in the water.

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 Posted on March 28, 2014 in Immigration

The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) recently held a public engagement on the EB-5 Immigrant Investor program. The EB-5 program is not well known around the world, and there have recently been changes to the way USCIS handles EB-5 applications.

Overview

The EB-5 visa allows a foreign national to become a permanent resident in the United States if the individual invests a certain amount of money in the U.S. economy. Applicants must invest $1 million in most instances, or $500,000 in a high unemployment or rural area, and also create at least 10 jobs for U.S. citizen workers within two years of the investment. The individual can invest in any type of for-profit venture they wish, including a sole proprietorship, a partnership, or a corporation or other business entity. If the application for the EB-5 investment is approved, the investor and the investor’s family will be given conditional permanent residency in the United States for two years.

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 Posted on March 28, 2014 in Family Law

The Changing Face of Infidelity

The Internet and the advent of social media have brought about change in how we interact with people. We often spend more time on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or surfing the Web than socializing face-to-face. And with this change, online dating websites have become a popular way for people to meet. However, these sites have also become a way for people to cheat and engage in online infidelity, leading to grounds for divorce.

Online Dating While Married

While the Internet has improved our lives by making things faster, easier, and more accessible, it has also made it exponentially easier to have an affair. The Internet provides ample opportunities and discretion for a cheating spouse. This convenience has resulted in an alarming trend of people who use dating websites to engage in online infidelity.

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 Posted on March 28, 2014 in Personal Injury

Over the course of an individual's life, involvement in a car accident may occurr. And when involved, even if it is a minor accident, drivers can be caught off guard. Emotions may run high in the moments following an accident, as drivers quickly try to assess their well being and any damage done to their vehicles.

Yet those involved in a car accident for the first time may not know the appropriate steps to take immediately after the crash. However, these steps are important to know and remember in order to protect yourself and ensure proper protocol is followed. Illinois law and state agencies provide useful information on this topic to drivers.

The Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) offers instructions for reporting a car crash. Per Illinois law, a written report of an accident must be submitted to the Administrator of IDOT within 10 days of the accident. Specifically, law requires that drivers of a vehicle involved in a crash resulting in injury, death, or property damage of at least $1,500 be reported. There are some cases that require a report even if the damage is at least $500, and if the vehicle is not covered by liability insurance.

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 Posted on March 25, 2014 in Personal Injury

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 Posted on March 22, 2014 in Family Law

It was a dream come true for a little girl in Bolivia: a family who wanted to adopt her. But more than three years later, the family from west suburban Aurora is still trying to bring 5-year-old Cecilia home. Attorney Brad Giglio of Mevorah & Giglio Law Offices says the feds have told him and his clients to be patient. Read more from CBS Chicago. Support Bringing Cecilia Home on Facebook.

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 Posted on March 21, 2014 in Immigration

For many people, immigration means survival. There are individuals all around the world that live in oppressive, conflict-ridden countries, and seeking protection in another foreign state, in order to escape persecution, is the only chance they have at living a normal life. According to the Migration Policy Institute, nearly 30,000 people were granted asylum in the United States in 2012, with around half of those people from China, Egypt, and Ethiopia. This is a 19 percent increase in the amount of people granted asylum status from the previous year.

The Basic Requirements of Asylum

To obtain asylum in the United States, an applicant must first show that he fears persecution in his country of origin. This persecution can be based on race, religion, nationality, political opinion, or social group. Finally, the applicant must be able to show that the government is involved in the persecution of his people, or that the government does not have the power or control to regulate the acts of citizens who are acting as the persecutors.

Affirmative Asylum Processing

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 Posted on March 20, 2014 in Personal Injury

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 Posted on March 20, 2014 in Family Law

In a move that may signal a trend amongst politically conservative states in America, a bill has been introduced in the Kansas House of Representatives that would eliminate “no-fault” divorce. The legislation, introduced by Republican Rep. Keith Esau on behalf of another representative, would strike that part of Kansas’ Divorce and Maintenance statute that lists “incompatibility” as a legally viable ground for a divorce decree. “No-fault divorce gives people an easy out instead of working at it. It would be my hope that they could work out their incompatibilities and learn to work together on things,” said Rep. Esau about the bill.

Detractors, however, see the goals as noble, but the means as flawed. Family law expert and attorney Morgan O’Hara Gering does not believe that this will reduce the number of divorces; rather, it will just make them more contentious. “It could create a lot more litigation and a lot more headaches just to fight about who’s to blame.”

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 Posted on March 18, 2014 in Personal Injury

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