How to Pick the Best Nursing Home for Your Loved One
As the population in the United States continues to age, it is estimated that there will be 19 million Americans over the age of 85 by the year 2050. Currently, 1 in 8 Americans resides in a long-term care facility or nursing home. This doesn’t even factor in the number of people who need short-term […]
Avoidable Medical Errors: The Third Leading Cause of Death in America
The Center for Justice & Democracy reports that according to the report, published in the Journal of Patient Safety, ‘between 210,000 and 440,000 patients each year who go to the hospital for care suffer some type of preventable harm that contributes to their death,’ the study says. Only heart disease and cancer cause more deaths in […]
The Guilty Plea Effect in Civil Litigation
What happens when a party to civil litigation has pled guilty to a crime and the civil litigation arises out of the same set of facts as the criminal complaint? An admission against interest arises. A plea agreement will have an effect in the ongoing civil litigation arising from the same action or occurrence. Generally, evidence […]
Serving a Chinese Company or Person in The People’s Republic of China.
In Back to the Future III, Mary McFly tries to explain to the Doc, “Hey Doc all the best stuff is made in Japan.” Twenty years later we can say the same for China. China is one of the world’s largest producers of goods, many of which are consumed here in the United States. With […]
State Legislatures Take Charge of Online Privacy Issues.
With the Federal Government unable to agree on anything, vital privacy issues have fallen into the laps of State Legislatures. State legislatures now must deal with growing public concern about the collection and trade of personal data. In response to their constituents concern, and in the wake of Federal Government inaction, several states proposed a […]
Cab Drivers are Not Agents of Taxi Companies in The City of Chicago.
Every third car in the city of Chicago seems to be a cab. While this might be an over-estimate, there is no doubt that it is very easy to catch a cab in the Windy City. However, when you get in a cab, keep in mind, that the […]
Minor Child Settlement Rights
I recently came upon a case where a mother was insistent that she was going to settle a case on behalf of her son and was entitled to the settlement money. The child had been injured in an accident and the mother had dollar signs in her eyes. While she was hoping for a big […]
The Practice: How to Create Reusable Forms
Frequently the practice of law uses form documents. It can be tremendously time consuming and ultimately costly to the client, to recreate these similar documents over and over. Don’t re-invent the wheel. Below is an easy way to use Microsoft Word to create fill-in-the-blank type forms that your or your clients can use simply and […]
Denying Subsequent Remedial Measures
Illinois courts have held that evidence of subsequent repairs is not admissible for the purpose of showing prior negligence, but is admissible for the purpose of showing who had control of the premises on which the injury occurred when control is an issue. (Kellems v. Schiele, 297 Ill. App. 388, 17 N.E.2d 604 (1938)). If […]
What to do if You’re in an Auto Accident
Auto accidents happen hundreds of times per day. When you get in an accident, there are a few things you need to do to ensure that you are making the best of a bad situation. I deal with many of these issues throughout my practice. Here are some helpful tips from State Farm in the […]