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We have already talked about using wills in estate planning. This post will focus on trusts. A trust is a legal entity created to hold property for a beneficiary. A valid trust consists of a trustor, trustee, and a beneficiary. For instance, a grandfather (trustor) may place the title to a lakehouse in a trust with instructions that a bank (trustee) shall transfer the title to a grandson (benef...

Estate planning refers to the process which details how a person’s assets should be distributed after death. An estate planner utilizes wills and various types of trusts in order to distribute a person’s assets in the way that the person wishes. Using a will or a trust to distribute an asset is a strategic choice. This entry focuses on using a will.

Any asset that is not transferred through a tr...

On the morning of March 24th, 2014, a train from the CTA blue line derailed onto the platform and up an escalator at the O’Hare International Airport. As a result of the crash, 32 people traveling that morning were injured. The train operator at the time of the accident, admitted to dozing off moments before the crash. This would be the second time the operator would claim to have fallen asleep...

In everyday life, people are prompted to interact with things for an infinite number of reasons. For example, a factory employee interacts with a certain machine in order to perform his duties. An avid reader interacts with chairs at the coffee shop to sit down and enjoy a book with a cappuccino. A mother interacts with a shopping cart at the grocery store to secure her infant in the child seat...

Under Illinois law, there are certain timing restrictions and deadlines that you need to be aware of and familiar with if you are planning to make a claim. These restrictions are referred to as statute of limitations. These laws and limitations were put in place for a few reasons; that evidence is still apparent and could easily be collected, and also to limit the “threat” of a lingering lawsui...

The Illinois Workers’ Compensation Act allows an employee to receive compensation for sustaining any “accidental injuries arising out of and in the course of the employment.” 820 ILCS § 305/1(d). Accidental injuries can occur in a variety of ways: a construction worker can fall off of a roof while replacing shingles; a nurse can slip on the hospital floor while attending to patients; a factory ...

The Illinois Supreme Court recently overturned an Appellate decision stating that an employee may not collect damages from his employer when a third party is completely at fault.

On August 9th, 2008, Christopher Wardwell, an employee of Union Pacific Railroad, was riding in the passenger seat of a car driven by a woman who was hired by Union Pacific. The two were headed to a work site when they ...