Posted on May 18, 2018 in Immigration

On March 12, 2018, a lawsuit was filed in federal court in San Francisco by representatives of immigrants from four countries, alleging that the end to Temporary Protected Status (TPS) was racially motivated. Immigrants from El Salvador, Nicaragua, Haiti and Sudan filed in the Northern District of California seeking a reinstatement of TPS, or alternatively, a stay that would allow those with minor children of school age to remain until graduation. This is the third suit filed challenging the program’s end. While the decision will take time, these suits could wind up ultimately affecting TPS holders for the better.

TPS Provides Safety

Temporary Protected Status is a status granted by the Department of Homeland Security (formerly by the Attorney General) to nationals of countries deemed to have been affected by natural disasters or war to an extent where the country’s infrastructure has broken down. As of this writing, there are 10 countries whose nationals have TPS—Haiti, El Salvador, Somalia, Nicaragua, Nepal, South Sudan, Syria, Yemen, and Honduras. All these countries have experienced either significant natural disasters, such as the earthquakes in Haiti and Nepal, or periods of civil war or unrest, such as in Somalia or El Salvador.

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 Posted on May 17, 2018 in Family Law

Divorce is difficult for children of all ages. However, it is particularly challenging for teenagers who are facing peer pressure and balancing school, extracurricular activities, college applications, and a social life.

If you do not help your teen cope with divorce, you may notice poor grades, sleeping issues, increased stress, depression, substance abuse, and behavioral problems. By following these tips, you can make divorce easier for your teen and ensure it does not harm their current life and future:

1. Encourage Your Child to Stay Busy

When your child is busy and involved in academic and social activities, they will be able to take their mind off of the divorce and focus on their own life. Encourage your child to stay busy and help them fill their calendar with fun and meaningful hobbies, activities, and events.

2. Seek Professional Help

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 Posted on May 10, 2018 in Family Law

Adoption is a familiar term that most people understand. However, guardianship is less known even though it is a popular alternative to adoption. In Illinois and other states, you can seek legal guardianship of a child who is under 18 years of age. Let’s take a closer look at how adoption and legal guardianship are similar and different.

Similarities

If you become the guardian of a minor child, you have the legal authority to act as the child’s part in every area of their life. You are now the one responsible for providing for them financially and making important decisions about their life. An adoption is similar in that it will also provide you with the authority a biological parent would have.

It is important to note that in Illinois, adoptions and legal guardianships are only granted if the child’s birth parents give consent, are incapable of caring for and providing for the child, have passed away, or cannot be found.

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 Posted on May 07, 2018 in Immigration

In the uncertainty of this day and age, many undocumented parents are afraid for themselves and the specter of deportation, but are also afraid for their children. While children born in the United States are generally citizens, this does not prevent their possible mistreatment in an immigration system that is prone to mistakes and deliberate wrongdoing. If your family is facing this potentially scary scenario, it can be a big help to clarify the information you are receiving.

Uncertainty Can Have Health Impacts

According to a 2015 study on Latinx citizen children, symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) were statistically significantly higher in children with at least one detained or deported parent. The stress of living in fear of deportation has been tied to everything from low birth weights to behavioral problems.

If you are in a position where you fear deportation, you may wish to investigate the possibility of a power of attorney or another way to safeguard your parental rights, but this can be extremely difficult to do given that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Child Protective Services (CPS) are not required to cooperate in terms of informing each other of parents’ whereabouts.

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 Posted on May 07, 2018 in Personal Injury

According to an article in Bloomberg Technology, a fatal autonomous vehicle collision in Temple, Arizona led Uber Technologies to suspend further testing of its self-driving cars in Arizona, as well as in a number of other cities where autonomous vehicle technology testing had been approved. Other companies, including Toyota Motor Corp., have done the same, citing the emotional toll on the safety drivers who sit behind the wheel. Still, a number of other companies continued to test self-driving cars in the days after the collision, and many cities insisted that the testing phase of autonomous vehicles is perfectly safe.

If you live in DuPage County and regularly drive in and around Chicagoland, should you be concerned about the risk of serious injury from a collision with a self-driving car that is undergoing testing?

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 Posted on May 03, 2018 in Immigration

Many immigrants come to the United States and never decide to become citizens, instead preferring lawful permanent resident (LPR) status or any other nonimmigrant visa. However, many do decide to take the proverbial leap, but remain confused at times about what naturalization requires. Refreshing one’s memory can be helpful.

Requirements to File

Before one begins the process, it is a good idea to ensure that he or she is even eligible to do so. A person is generally eligible to naturalize if he or she is over the age of 18, has good moral character (no convictions for aggravated felonies), and has been a permanent resident for at least 5 years, or 3 if he or she is married to a U.S. citizen.

Most potential citizens must also be able to show a basic command of written and spoken English, and show that he or she has not been outside the United States for more than half of the last 5 years (60 months), among other characteristics.

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 Posted on May 03, 2018 in Personal Injury

When we hear about concussions and other traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) connected to automobile accidents in DuPage County, we often learn that the traffic collision caused the brain injury. Indeed, as the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) highlights, motor vehicle crashes are the third-leading cause of TBIs in the country, resulting in about 14 percent of all brain injury deaths each year. But can brain injuries cause car accidents?

According to a recent report from Reuters Health, while we often consider car accidents to be a proximate cause of TBIs, we rarely discuss the situations in which concussions and other brain injuries can produce symptoms that increase a driver’s likelihood of being involved in a collision.

A recent study published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine indicates that many medical professionals who treat younger athletes for concussion understand that the injury raises the risk of being involved in a car accident, but very few advise their patients against driving.

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 Posted on April 26, 2018 in Immigration

During the seemingly endless discussion of sanctuary jurisdictions in the U.S., much has been discussed surrounding what are called ICE holds or immigration detainers, and what that term of art actually means. If you or a loved one are the subject of an ICE hold, it is critical to understand what options you have in terms of negotiating release from it.

Immigration and the Criminal Justice System

Under the current federal administration, Immigration & Customs Enforcement (ICE) has, in many eyes, become an arm of the criminal justice system, instead of its own separate entity. Certainly this synergy is shown when discussing deportation requests—one main cog of the deportation machine is when local police forces are requested to detain immigrants. ICE obtains information about immigrants, both documented and undocumented, through a variety of programs that funnel data about non-citizens to them.

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 Posted on April 25, 2018 in Personal Injury

Ride-sharing services like Uber and Lyft are becoming increasingly popular throughout Chicagoland, and many DuPage County residents also rely on ride-sharing apps instead of calling a taxi. Indeed, it is often much more convenient to log into your Uber app to arrange for a car in many different situations, whether you are meeting friends or coworkers for an evening out, or if you want to avoid parking at Chicago O’Hare or Midway airports.

An article in Crain’s Chicago Business tracked Uber usage throughout the Chicago area, emphasizing that younger and more affluent people are the most likely to use ride-sharing services. The bottom line is this: there are many more Uber and Lyft drivers than ever before. With more ride-sharing apps and vehicles on the road, car accidents can happen with Uber or Lyft drivers. What should you do if you were involved in a crash with an Uber driver? In other words, what steps do you need to take if an Uber or Lyft driver was careless or reckless and crashed into your motor vehicle? In most cases, the steps you should take are similar to those in any car accident case.

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 Posted on April 23, 2018 in Family Law

Divorce mediation gives couples who are ending their marriage the opportunity to resolve problems outside of the courtroom. It involves a mediator who points out certain issues and helps couples come to mutual agreements. The goal of the mediator is to remain neutral but allow each spouse see both sides clearly. Five of the most common mediation myths include:

1. Mediation is not for couples who do not agree on anything.

It is important to note that you do not have to agree on everything with your spouse. The purpose of mediation is to assist you and your spouse in resolving divorce problems outside of court. A mediator can help you find a common ground and come to an agreement with your spouse.

2. Marital assets can only be divided fairly in court.

Many couples are wary of mediation because they believe that it will prevent their marital assets from being divided fairly. If you go through a divorce, your marital assets will be divided fairly regardless of whether you go to court or not. If you opt for mediation, you will have more control of how your assets are divided and will not have to depend on a judge to divide them.

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