Posted on February 06, 2017 in Drug Charges

One type of controlled substance that is particularly popular with young people is a drug known as MDMA. Its scientific name is 3,4-methylenedioxy-methamphetamine, and it belongs to the family of drugs more commonly known as methamphetamines.

MDMA, which is more commonly referred to by young people as Ecstasy or Molly, is a synthetic drug, which is taken in order to affect a person’s mood. The drug causes a sense of euphoria and pleasure, which can last for many hours. It is a drug often taken while at parties and dance clubs, but use of MDMA can happen anywhere.

Possession of MDMA is Illegal in Illinois

MDMA was linked to many drug-induced deaths in Illinois in the early 2000s, which prompted Illinois lawmakers to take a firm stance against the drug, imposing very strict consequences for possession, sale, and distribution of drugs like MDMA. It is a felony offense to be found in possession of even a single tablet of MDMA under the Possession of a Controlled Substance laws in Illinois. Possession of MDMA with no other evidence to suggest you intended to commit further illegal activity is known as simple possession.

Continue Reading ››

 Posted on February 01, 2017 in Speeding

Many drivers have traveled slightly too fast while behind the wheel at some point in their driving career. It certainly is not very difficult to exceed the posted speed limit, especially when everyone around you on the road is speeding as well. Drivers can get caught up in the flow of traffic and keep pace with the other vehicles around them. They do not realize that they have exceeded the speed limit until it is too late and a law enforcement officer stops them and issues them a ticket for speeding.

Speeding is often treated as a minor traffic violation. However,if you receivea speeding ticket for driving more than 26 miles per hour over the posted speed limit, it can result in a misdemeanor charge under 625 ILCS 5/11-601.5. A less serious situation may arise when you get a speeding ticket for driving less than 25 miles per hour over the posted speed limit, which results in a citation where the penalty is the payment of a civil fine.

Continue Reading ››

 Posted on January 25, 2017 in Divorce

It is not easy to build and maintain a successful business. Family-owned and operated businesses, in particular, demand a considerable amount of time to sustain, and often necessitate substantial financial and time contributions from spouses to function. Owning a business is an effective method of building financial and employment security, but can become problematic if spouses who both play a role in the operation decide to divorce.

Ending a marriage is always a difficult process, regardless of how contested the divorce is, but when complex issues, like family-operated businesses, are present, the implications of dissolving the marriage become much thornier (absent a prenuptial agreement). Given that family-operated businesses account for at least 80 percent of all companies in the U.S., the issue of how to treat the business in the division of property is a frequent matter that is ideally addressed between the spouses privately—usually with the assistance of attorneys—before a divorce petition is filed. Understanding how these assets are divided in divorce before the process is initiated will allow parties to enter the process armed with knowledge that could assist them during settlement negotiations.

Continue Reading ››

 Posted on January 25, 2017 in Theft

Theft is one of the most commonly committed crimes in Illinois. Theft in the broadest sense involves someone knowingly taking property that belongs to another without permission and with no intention of giving the stolen property back to its proper owner. There are a number of criminal offenses that stem from theft, including:

• Petty theft. Petty theft is also known as misdemeanor theft. Petty theft occurs when the item that was stolen has a value of $500 or less.
• Shoplifting or retail theft. Shoplifting occurs when a person knowingly takes an item from a merchant without paying full price for the stolen item.
• Receipt of stolen property. Receipt of stolen property occurs when someone knowingly accepts property that he or sheknows to be stolen.
• Stealing a motor vehicle. Stealing a motor vehicle arises when a person takes a vehicle belonging to another without permission.

Continue Reading ››

 Posted on January 23, 2017 in Traffic Offenses

Admittedly, no one enjoys getting a traffic or speeding ticket in Illinois. Getting a ticket can be inconvenient, costly, and time-consuming. Many people find the whole process of being issued a ticket, and then having to deal with the aftermath of the ticket, to be immensely frustrating. Indeed, that is why so many people simply go to the courthouse or go online to pay the fine associated with their traffic citation. Still,what a lot of people do not realize is that by simply paying the fine associated with your traffic citation, you are effectively pleading guilty or no contest to the alleged traffic offense.

By pleading not guilty or no contest the alleged traffic offense, there are many additional consequences that go along with the payment of your traffic citation fine. For instance, it could also result in:

• Points being added to your driving record;
• The loss of your driver’s license;

Continue Reading ››

 Posted on January 18, 2017 in DUI/DWI

One interesting scenario that people often ask about is whether you can be arrested for driving under the influence (DUI) of drugs or alcohol when you are in the vehicle, but not actually driving the vehicle. The logic is simple: If you are not driving the vehicle while intoxicated, how can you be considered to be “driving under the influence?”

Countless criminal defendants have been arrested by Illinois law enforcement for DUI when they were not actually engaged in driving the vehicle. In fact, anarrest cantake place after law enforcement finds anintoxicated driver stopped at the scene of an accident, or after anofficer finds adriver passed out behind the wheel of a stopped, or even parked, vehicle.

Driving or in Actual Physical Control of aVehicle

Under 625 ILCS 5/11-501, a person shall not drive or be in actual control of a vehicle in Illinois while intoxicated to the point of being incapable of driving safely. The part of the law that confuses many is the “in actual control of a vehicle” language of the statute.

Continue Reading ››

 Posted on January 16, 2017 in Criminal Defense

Trespassing is a serious offense, and many people in Illinois are charged with criminal trespass every year. If you are facing criminal trespassing charges, you should not delay in speaking with an experienced criminal defense attorney. A skilledlawyer can help you assess your legal options and can assist you with building adefense strategy.

Criminal trespassing under Illinois law occurs when a person unlawfully and without authority knowingly enters the property of another or remains on the property of another without permission. Criminal trespass exists in several forms including:

• Criminal trespass to a residence. Under 720 ILCS 5/19-4, the crime occurs whenever you knowingly and without permission enter the residence of another. Alternatively, it can be criminal trespass to a residence if you enter someone’s residence with permission, but then stay longer than you were authorized to stay. Criminal trespass to a residence might occur if you may have been invited to someone’s home for a party, but then you did not leave when you were asked to leave and you stayed in the home after your permission to be there had expired or been revoked.

Continue Reading ››

 Posted on January 11, 2017 in Drug Charges

Drug trafficking, and cocaine trafficking in particular, is a serious felony offense in Illinois. The crime of drug trafficking involves knowingly selling, transporting, and importing controlled substances, such as cocaine, with the intent to manufacture or deliver the drugs.

There are two different sets of laws that govern criminal charges associated with cocaine trafficking. When the drug offense is committed within the state of Illinois, generally state law applies to the case. However,if a drug offense is committed across multiple jurisdictions, i.e., the drug offense involved activities occurring in two separate states, then the matter falls under the purview of federal law.

Transporting Cocaine Across State Lines Leads to Federal Drug Charges

One of the most common ways that drug charges go from being a strictly state matter to a federal matter, is when drugs are transported across state lines. Getting drugs like cocaine across state lines can involve:

Continue Reading ››

 Posted on January 09, 2017 in Criminal Defense

In Illinois, one of the most commonly imposed penalties for misdeeds is to suspend or revoke an individual’s driving privileges. There are countless ways in whichyou could lose your driver’s license in Illinois; therefore, understanding why your license could be suspended or revoked is important.

Refusal to Submit to Chemical Testing

Under Illinois’s Implied Consent Law, anyone who drives on the roadways in Illinois has given implied consent to submit to chemical testing in the event that he or she issuspected by law enforcement of driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol. However, Illinois drivers have the right to refuse chemical testing.

One consequence of refusing chemical testing is that your driver’s license will be suspended for at least six months. If you refuse to submit to chemical testing after being involved in an automobile accident where you are suspected of driving under the influence, your driving privileges will be revoked for at least one year.

Continue Reading ››

 Posted on January 06, 2017 in Divorce

It is well understood that disputes over money and finances can take a serious toll on a marriage. In fact, many sources suggest that disagreements regarding money are among the leading causes of divorce in the United States. A recent study suggests, however, that a different factor may have even more of an impact than money on a couple’s likelihood of divorce: the employment status of the husband.

Harvard Study

Alexandra Killewald, a sociology professor at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, examined more than 40 years worth of data covering more than 6,300 married American opposite-sex couples. According to her findings, couples who married before 1975 were more likely to divorce if the husband and wife shared household duties equally—due, perhaps, to the "non-traditional" division of responsibilities. From 1975 forward, however, household responsibilities have not shown to impact the divorce rate very much, but the husband’s employment has.

Continue Reading ››