There have been two high-profile cases in the news recently in which a grand jury played a prominent role. Both cases involved a white police officer who killed an unarmed black suspect during an altercation. The first of these cases was the fatal shooting of a...
Reputation is a very powerful tool for people who are influential, wealthy or high-profile. They can make much of their living based on what people think about them and must be very careful about protecting their image. But all it takes is an allegation of...
For several years, the Justice Department and U.S. taxing authorities have been working aggressively to implement the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act, or FATCA. For the individual taxpayer who owns or has signatory authority over certain foreign assets or bank...
For decades, the War on Drugs in the U.S. has resulted in massive arrest efforts and pushes to maximize penalties for even minor offenses. However, critics of this so-called war have been quick to point out that these law enforcement tactics have done little more than...
People who are arrested after a fight or altercation can be very upset. These situations often arise when emotions are running high and people are already quite angry or scared, and being put in handcuffs in the back of a police car can only increase the level of...
It is a fact of the human condition that we make mistakes. As much as we would like to think our social structures, institutions and systems are without flaw, the reality is that they reflect merely reflect our ideals. They are only as good as the human beings who run...
One of the things about the law that may seem paradoxical is just how stretchy the fabric of justice can be. The language of a given law does not change, but the way it is applied does not stay static. Over time, new challenges may be brought and different courts may...
As experienced criminal defense attorneys in Chicago know, major felonies get particular attention from prosecuting attorneys. But what constitutes a "major" felony? That's something that's a little harder to answer.Certain criminal charges are easy to identify as...
For most people the concept of law is probably quite simple. There are behaviors that are deemed illegal and there are laws on the books that spell out what they are. Violators of the laws get charged with the crime by the government and, if they're found guilty, they...
One of the cornerstones of the U.S. law enforcement system is that police are not supposed to be able to place a person in custody without probable cause.That's such a common term that many people in Chicago may think they know what it means, but do they really? If...
