Criminal Defense

The use of opioids such as heroin, hydrocodone, morphine, oxycodone and fentanyl can be extremely dangerous. These opium-derived drugs are highly addictive and are almost impossible to quit once a person has become dependent on them. Often, a person becomes addicted to opioids after an injury or illness necessitates the use of pain management medicine. […]

At any given time, there are about 1.5 million adults behind bars in American jails, prisons, and other correctional facilities. In Illinois alone, correction centers house an average of about 46,000 men and women on an average day. While there will always be concerns about wrongful convictions and widespread problems in the criminal justice system,

You know it is illegal to pass a moving vehicle in a no-passing zone. But did you know that you can now pass a bicyclist in a no-passing zone under a new state traffic law that went into effect on January 1, 2018? When Can a Motorist Pass a Bicyclist? Drivers can now pass to

Before television and the internet, if a person was accused of a crime, only those close to the defendant or prosecutors were aware of the allegation, in most cases. Today, we have access to virtually the entire wealth of human knowledge at the click of a button. When someone is accused of a crime, especially

The prevalence of electronic communication in modern life has brought people many benefits, but it has led to consequences as well. One negative effect of the increased ease of communication is the ability for someone to harass or intimidate someone else using a variety of methods. These types of actions are criminal offenses, and in

Evidence is a very important variable when it comes to nearly any investigation and criminal defense strategy. Sometimes a lack of evidence is what helps a defendant win their case, while in other situations, evidence is exactly what you need to protect your freedom. It is interesting to see the lengths to which some will

While city and state officials across the country work to create laws aimed at helping undocumented immigrants remain in the United States, the State of Illinois passed legislation aimed at easing fears of deportation for illegal immigrants arrested locally. Although they may still need to appear in court for traffic violations or other minor offenses

The Chicago Police Department has been under intense scrutiny for decades. During the 1968 Democratic National Convention Chicago Mayor Richard J. Daley and the Chicago Police Department were accused of treating Vietnam war protesters inhumanely and using excessive force to control them. Time Magazine said of the several-day event, “With billy clubs, tear gas and

The presumption of innocence is one of the most sacred principles in the American criminal justice system. The concept of “innocent until proven guilty” means that a suspect—a person accused of a crime —is presumed to be innocent until he or she has been found guilty of the crime by a court with appropriate jurisdiction.

During a criminal trial, the judge is responsible for the things that go on in his or her courtroom. He or she oversees the proceedings, maintains order, rules on evidentiary objections, and ensures that the details of the case are properly recorded. But, what if the judge does not appear to be in complete control?

In spite of efforts to thoroughly define procedures for detaining criminal suspects, the law actually provides police with a certain amount of leeway during the course of executing their duties. Although everyone is innocent until proven guilty, police often apply the somewhat vague standard of reasonable suspicion to a situation when attempting to investigate the

Just as technology makes advances on what seems like a daily basis, the laws governing the use of and access to technological devices is still evolving. A case currently making its way through Illinois courts addresses just this issue, and, as it stands, law enforcement now can require an owner to unlock their cell phone