Chicago Criminal Lawyer Blog
If you have received a traffic ticket in Illinois, you may be concerned about how it will affect your driving record and whether it will lead to a suspension of your driver’s license. The Illinois Secretary of State operates a point system to track traffic violations, and accumulating too many points can have serious consequences. As an experienced Illinois criminal defense and traffic attorney, I have helped countless clients navigate the Illinois point system, fight traffic tickets, and protect their driving privileges. Understanding how this system works is crucial if you are facing a traffic violation and want to minimize the impact on your record.
What Is the Illinois Secretary of State Point System?
The Illinois Secretary of State’s point system is a method of assigning demerit points to drivers who are convicted of traffic violations. When you receive a traffic citation and either pay the ticket or are found guilty in court, points are added to your driving record. The number of points assigned depends on the severity of the violation. If you accumulate too many points, your driver’s license may be suspended or revoked.
Transporting a firearm in Illinois can be a complex process, as the state has specific laws and regulations designed to balance public safety and the rights of gun owners. Understanding these requirements is essential to avoid criminal charges and ensure compliance with Illinois firearm transportation laws. As criminal defense attorneys, we often see individuals facing legal consequences for failing to properly transport their firearms, often due to confusion about the law. This article aims to provide a comprehensive guide on how to legally transport a firearm in Illinois while avoiding common pitfalls.
As an experienced criminal defense attorney in Illinois, I have seen firsthand how the definition of “driving” can significantly impact DUI cases. When facing DUI charges, it is essential to understand what the law considers as “driving” under the state’s statutes. This blog post aims to provide clarity on what constitutes driving for a DUI in Illinois, the legal nuances involved, and how an experienced DUI defense attorney can help protect your rights.
I frequently get calls from clients asking me what they should do because the police called asking them to come to the police station to answer some questions. Being asked by the police to come to the station for questioning can be intimidating and confusing. Whether you’re a witness, a person of interest, or potentially a suspect, it’s crucial to handle this situation carefully to protect your rights and avoid unintentionally complicating matters. Here, I will guide you through the essential steps to take if the police request your presence for questioning, so that you are informed and prepared.
Illinois law places severe restrictions on the ability of people convicted of a felony from legally changing their names. Illinois law is among the strictest in the United States for convicted felons seeking to change their names. The Illinois Secretary of State allows Illinois license owners to put their gender identity on their licenses. Under current Illinois law, felons convicted of a crime that requires that individual to be placed on a state registry, such as a Sex Offender Registry, are barred from ever changing their name. The lifetime ban also applies to people convicted of Murder, Arson, and Identity Theft. Anybody convicted of any other felony has to wait at least 10 years after the completion of their sentence before they can petition the court to legally change their name.
Last week, the Alliance Against Intoxicated Motorists released their annual survey of DUI arrests in Illinois. The Alliance Against Intoxicated Motorists conducts annual surveys of DUI arrests by the 700 police agencies in Illinois. The survey is funded by the Illinois Department of transportation. The survey gives us an understanding of where most DUI arrests happen and allows us to compare previous years to see any emerging patterns and trends involving DUI cases and DUI arrests.
This morning I met with a client who was charged with a 
A few weeks ago, I signed up a new DUI case in Rolling Meadows. The client is only 23 years old and this was his first DUI. The client’s car broke down on the way home from a friend’s house and he had to to pull his car over by the side of the road. After a short time, a police officer approached his car and started asking him questions. The officer asked my client to perform the Standard Field Sobriety Tests on the side of the road and the client declined to do so because he is recovering from ankle surgery and was worried that he would fail the tests. The officer asked the client to blow into a Portable Breath Device to determine whether he was good to drive, and the client complied with the request. The Portable Breath Test indicated that he was slightly over the legal limit. The officer informed my client that he would be taking him to the police station to prepare some paperwork. When my client arrived at the police station, he was asked to take a Breathalyzer Test and refused. The officer told my client that he would be taken to the hospital for a blood draw to determine what his Blood Alcohol Level was. The client has a fear of needles so he refused to go to the hospital. The officer told my client that if he did not take a Blood Test that he would be placed under arrest. Fearing that he would be arrested for refusing to take a Blood Test, my client agreed to go to the hospital and agreed to have his blood drawn. Even though the police did not have the blood results, they arrested him and charged him with a DUI anyway.