Posted on November 29, 2018 in Personal Injury

Car accidents can leave even the most secure people feeling shaken and scared. They affect you mentally and emotionally, but most of all, they can have a major impact on your physical well-being. Injuries from a car accident can range from a broken bone to a concussion or even a spinal cord injury. Any injury can cause a great deal of pain and hardship, including missed time from work that puts a financial strain on you and your family. 

One of the ways you can help support a personal injury claim following a car accident is by having strong evidence and documentation of the injuries and damages that you sustained after your accident. Here are three ways you can gather proof to support your case:

1. Take Pictures

Photographs can be one of the most compelling pieces of evidence to support your personal injury claim. If possible, you should try to get photos of:

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 Posted on October 23, 2018 in Employment Law

When considering overtime pay, there are two different types of employees: exempt and non-exempt. If you are an exempt employee, your employer is not required to pay you overtime. When making determinations about whether an employee is exempt or not, employers typically look at the type of pay the employee receives, the kind of work the employee does, and the day-to-day responsibilities the employee has. Sometimes, whether inadvertently or on purpose, employers will classify employees incorrectly, resulting in non-exempt employees not being paid overtime when it is necessary. If you are not being properly compensated by your employer, you should speak with an employment law attorney to learn about your options.

Exempt and Non-Exempt Employees

The United States Department of Labor governs how employees are classified, and the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) sets guidelines on when employees are to be paid for overtime work. The Illinois Minimum Wage Law also sets statewide standards for how overtime is calculated and which types of employees are exempt and non-exempt from overtime.

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 Posted on September 25, 2018 in Immigration

Immigration has been a hot topic in recent years. Under the current presidential administration, immigration policies have been under scrutiny, and fiancé visas - officially known as K-1 visas - have taken a hit. According to the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), around 90 percent of fiancé visas were approved in 2016. In 2017, when President Donald Trump took office, the percentage of approved fiancé visas dropped to around 66 percent. Even though fiancé visas are getting harder to obtain, it is not impossible to get one - you just need the help of a skilled immigration attorney.

Eligibility Requirements for a K-1 Visa

In order to successfully obtain a visa for your fiancé, you must meet certain requirements. Though every visa petition is different, there are a few common requirements that you must meet. Eligibility requirements include:

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 Posted on August 17, 2018 in Criminal Defense

The recognition of and response to domestic violence have improved over the last decade, but domestic violence still exists, and it is a serious and widespread issue. According to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, an estimated 10 million people experience domestic violence each year. However, criminal charges related to domestic violence are not always fully understood, which is why it is important to get your facts straight and be informed about local laws. Here are four things you might not have known about domestic violence charges in Illinois:

1. Domestic Violence Can Only Occur Between “Family or Household Members” 

Any act of abuse that occurs between unrelated people is not considered domestic violence. Examples of relationships that are included under the definition of “family or household members” include:

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 Posted on July 17, 2018 in Personal Injury

Semi-trucks are the biggest vehicles that travel on the roads. Compared to the average sedan, or even a pickup truck, semis are monstrous. Because of their enormous size, tractor-trailer trucks can cause major damage when they get into accidents, which are, unfortunately, not uncommon. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) states that nearly 500,000 fatal and non-fatal crashes that involved at least one large truck occurred in 2016. Getting into an accident with a large truck can mean serious or life-threatening injuries for drivers and passengers of any vehicles involved.

Neck and Back Injuries

It is not uncommon for those who are involved in any kind of car accident to have some sort of neck or back injury. When it comes to truck accidents, neck and back injuries are not rare, because the size of the truck results in a great impact when it collides with another vehicle. The most common neck or back injuries are:

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 Posted on June 08, 2018 in Employment Law

In 1963, the United States adopted a law called the Equal Pay Act which prohibits sex-based wage discrimination. The law is an amendment to the Fair Labor Standards Act, and it requires employers to pay men and women equally for doing the same work. Not only is there a federal law prohibiting wage discrimination, but states also have their own laws dictating how wage discrimination is defined. Unfortunately, sex-based wage discrimination still occurs today, which is why it is important to understand the laws against it.

Equal Pay for Equal Work

Even though the Equal Pay Act ensures that both men and women are protected from sex-based wage discrimination, it was originally created to help fix the wage inequality between male and female employees in the workplace. The law has almost always been applied to women who were paid less than their male coworkers for doing similar jobs.

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 Posted on May 24, 2018 in Immigration

If you are a United States citizen or lawful permanent resident (LPR), there are ways that you can bring your spouse, fiancé, or other family members into the U.S. to live with you if they are a citizen of another country. Unfortunately, not all who apply for visas receive them. While there is not a limit on the number of visas issued to spouses of U.S. citizens, only a certain number of other types of visas are issued each year to allow people to enter, live, and work in the United States. In addition to restrictions on the number of visas issued, certain situations can disqualify your family member from obtaining a visa.

Health-Related Situations

The United States has specific requirements for people wishing to enter the country. Health-related issues usually revolve around sustaining the health of the public. Those applying for visas must have been vaccinated against:

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 Posted on April 18, 2018 in Immigration

When a United States citizen plans to marry someone who is a citizen of a foreign country, they may be able to obtain a nonimmigrant visa that will allow their fiancé to come to the U.S. to get married, after which they may apply for a Green Card. However, the process of bringing a fiancé to the United States is complex, and it involves multiple government agencies. To complete the process of fiancé immigration, the following steps must be followed:

1. File a petition for fiancé - To begin the process, a U.S. citizen must file Form I-129F (Petition for Alien Fiancé(e)) with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). If USCIS approves this petition, they will recognize the relationship between the citizen and their fiancé and send the approved petition to the National Visa Center (NVC).

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 Posted on April 11, 2018 in Immigration

When citizens of the United States have relatives who live overseas, they are likely to want to bring their loved ones to live with them. This is a primary concern for parents, since they will want their children to live in a safe community and take advantage of the excellent educational opportunities that are available in the United States. However, it is important to understand the legal procedures that must be followed when helping a family member immigrate to the U.S.

Obtaining an Immigrant Visa

While there are a limited number of visas available for most categories of people who wish to immigrate to the United States and become a lawful permanent resident, immigrant visas for immediate relatives of U.S. citizens are unlimited. Immediate relatives include the children of citizens, as long as those children are under 21 years old and are not married.

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 Posted on March 15, 2018 in Immigration

When a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident (Green Card holder) who resides in the United States is legally married to a citizen of a foreign country, their spouse may be eligible to receive an immigrant visa allowing them to come to the United States and become a lawful permanent resident. The process of applying for a spouse visa is complicated, and couples should be sure to understand the requirements that they must meet when doing so.

Required Documentation for a Spouse Visa

The first step spouses should follow to obtain an immigrant spouse visa is to file Form I-130 (Petition for Alien Relative). Along with this form, they should submit the following documents:

• Copies of the couple’s marriage certificate and any documents showing that previous marriages have been terminated, such as divorce decrees, annulment documents, or death certificates.

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