Chicago Criminal Lawyer Blog

After multiple court cases involving sexual violence have sparked national outrage, the penalties and treatment of sexual violence victims (as well as offenders) has become a hot-button topic of discussion in recent months. Many of these discussions focus specifically on sexual assaults on college campuses. Statistics say that 1 in 4 women will experience some…

If you are in a serious altercation with a significant other, relative, or household member, they may threaten to file a restraining order to keep you away from your children, residence, or certain possessions. These orders are no joke. Having an order of protection placed against you can severely limit your freedom, your relationships, and…

In early July, the Chicago City Council’s Committee on Public Safety passed a resolution encouraging Springfield lawmakers to expand criminal record sealing and allow more offenders to have their records sealed sooner. The resolution does not make any legislative changes, but it does indicate that more reforms are on the way. What might this mean…

Back to school shopping is expensive. Even with stores everywhere touting huge sales to help parents get their kids ready for the new school year, the cost can be prohibitive. Recently, a Bedford Park woman took matters into her own hands by attempting to steal 90 back to school items from the local Walmart. She…

While the Olympics this year had many high points, the final days were surrounded by controversy. At first, it was reported that four American swimmers, including Gold Medalist Ryan Lochte, had been robbed at a gas station in Rio by men posing to be law enforcement. At least, that is what the swimmers told the…

There are many kinds of property crimes in Illinois (trespassing, burglary, robbery, and so on), and sometimes only a single intention or action distinguishes one from another. But each crime has its own set of penalties and appropriate defense strategies; if you are charged with any kind of property crime, it is important to know…

In our state, an assault charge means that the offender caused the victim to be afraid of immediate violence. That’s it. You do not actually have to have made physical contact or caused bodily harm to be charged with assault. To make matters worse, an assault charge can be bumped up to an aggravated assault,…

Generally, if you get caught selling a few grams of cocaine, you could face up to 15 years in prison. But if you get caught selling a few grams of cocaine in a public park, you could face up to 30 years in prison. Wait, what? That’s right. Literally depending on where you are standing…

Five Illinois child sex offenders are taking a stand against the state’s confusing, vague, and highly restrictive sex offender registry. Over the past 30 years that the Illinois sex offender registry has been in place, there have been more and more restrictions placed on registrants. Illinois law limits where a registrant can and cannot live,…

Domestic violence is currently a rising epidemic and controversial topic in America. As more attention is drawn to these crimes, sentencing and charges seem to be harsher and more common. If you are charged with domestic violence, will you be facing a felony? It depends. Let’s go more in depth and talk about when domestic…