New Illinois law defines ‘stoned driving’ | Bleader | Chicago Reader

When Governor Bruce Rauner signed a new law decriminalizing marijuana possession Friday, Illinois became the 17th state to consider small possession a civil matter subject to a citation and a fine rather than a criminal offense.If you’re caught carrying more than 10 grams of marijuana (which, it seems in some photos, is a lot of […]

When the Insurance Industry Covets Our Rights – HuffPo

Must read article from Joanne Doroshow Center for Justice and Democracy at New York Law School In 1995, a part-time actuary for the Alabama Insurance Department achieved what the insurance industry had been trying to accomplish in state legislatures nationwide for years. With the simple stroke of a pen, Alabama became the first state in the […]

Appeals panel: Dad can press lawsuit vs NIU fraternity over son’s hazing death 

An Illinois appeals court will allow a father whose son died after drinking too much alcohol during a fraternity’s initiation ritual, to resume his lawsuit against the Northern Illinois University fraternity, saying a Cook County judge erred in dismissing the wrongful death action against the local chapter and its leaders. The Illinois First District Appellate […]

The Flint Water Crisis: Finding a Loophole in Sovereign Immunity 

Federal and state governments and employees engaged in their official duties are shielded from most private lawsuits by a legal doctrine known as sovereign immunity. The doctrine stems from the centuries-old principle that the government itself cannot commit a legal wrong, though exceptions have evolved. While cities in the U.S. are not technically considered to […]

Do Red Light Cameras Save Lives?

http://abc7chicago.com/video/embed/?pid=1169614 A Daily Herald analysis of 52 intersections across 29 suburbs shows. After cameras were installed, crashes involving injuries stayed the same or increased at nearly half the intersections where that data was reported. Crashes considered hazardous increased at nearly one-third of intersections where that data was reported.

Using a Dead Deponent’s Discovery Deposition at Trial

Illinois, unlike many states, uses two types of depositions. The discovery deposition, as its name suggests, is for the purposes of aiding in the discovery process and is a less rigid than a traditional deposition. The evidence deposition adheres to the rules of evidence and can be used in lieu of trial testimony should the […]

The Importance of Networking: A Primer

Business gets done on the back of your connections. You may be the smartest person in the room (if you are in fact the smartest person in the room, you’re probably in the wrong room) but that may not make you the most successful person in the room. In order to get ahead, you need […]