The fatal Amazon Air/21 Air Boeing 767 runway overrun at Miami International Airport raises serious questions that demand a thorough, evidence-driven investigation.

Investigators must examine the stability of the approach, the aircraft’s speed and touchdown point, the flight crew’s decision-making, braking and reverse-thrust performance, weather conditions, air-traffic control, and the safeguards available beyond the runway.

Aviation disasters rarely result from one isolated mistake.

Understanding every contributing factor is essential—not only to determine what happened, but also to prevent another tragedy.

See Brian LaCien’s featured interviews below.

Watch Brian LaCien’s Commentary on NBC Chicago
Continue Reading Aviation Attorney Brian LaCien Provides Expert Insight on Fatal Amazon Air Incident

Listen to the full podcast here.

In this episode of the Personal Injury Marketing Minute, host Lindsey Busfield is joined by Brian LaCien, founding partner of Smith LaCien LLP, to discuss the integration of AI in personal injury law. Brian shares his insights on how AI is transforming case management and analysis, drawing from his extensive experience in the competitive Chicago market. The conversation delves into the practical applications of AI, from consolidating large volumes of information to enhancing research efficiency, and the potential pitfalls such as AI’s “hallucination” problem. They also explore the cautious use of AI in…
Continue Reading Brian LaCien on the Personal Injury Marketing Minute Podcast

If you were arrested in Illinois for your first DUI, you probably have a lot of questions: Will I lose my driver’s license? Can I still drive to work? Am I going to jail? Can I get court supervision? What happens at my first court date? Can the DUI be dismissed?

A first DUI arrest can be intimidating, particularly for someone who has never been through the criminal court system. The good news is that an arrest itself is not a conviction, and there may be opportunities to challenge both the DUI charge and the suspension of your driver’s…
Continue Reading First DUI: What Happens After an Illinois DUI Arrest?

Can a supplier line up a replacement distributor and then argue that the replacement has no real legal stake in the outgoing distributor’s lawsuit? That argument ran into trouble in an Ohio dispute over Jacob’s Creek wines. The federal court’s response captured the problem neatly: “Vinarchy has it backwards.” Opinion at 11.

In Esber Beverage Co. v. Vinarchy North America, Inc., No. 5:26-cv-308 (N.D. Ohio Sept. 4, 2026), Chief Judge Sara Lioi sent the dispute back to the Stark County Court of Common Pleas. The court concluded that “Esber did not fraudulently join Heidelberg as a defendant,”…
Continue Reading New Distributor, Wrong Courthouse: Wine Franchise Fight Kicked Back to State Court – But Could Have Been Avoided

Dividing an accounting firm in an Illinois divorce begins with a difficult question: What is the firm actually worth, and how much of that value belongs to the business rather than the individual accountant? An accounting firm may not own substantial physical assets, but it may still generate substantial income. Often, its value lies in professional reputation, experienced employees, recurring client relationships, and the ability to continue providing services after an owner leaves. Financial Valuation: Applications and Models, 5th ed., ch. 21. When an accountant divorces in Illinois, the court must identify more than how much revenue the firm generates…
Continue Reading Valuing And Dividing An Accounting Firm In An Illinois Divorce

In many states, including Illinois, the permission of both parents is required for someone to adopt their child. Sometimes, one or both parents are unwilling to give this permission. In some other cases, birth parents can’t be contacted to find out if they are willing to allow their child to be adopted.
Fortunately, this doesn’t necessarily signal the end of your adoption case. With enough evidence, courts can find that a parent’s consent is not required, allowing an adoption to proceed even if they do not agree. There are also legal steps that can be taken when a parent cannot…
Continue Reading Can I Still Adopt if a Birth Parent Won't Give Permission?

Illinois’s two new taxes aimed at the digital economy do not take effect until January 1, 2027. They are already in court.

On September 11, 2026, NetChoice filed two separate complaints in the Circuit Court of Cook County, Chancery Division, challenging provisions enacted through Public Act 104-468. One case challenges Illinois’s new Targeted Advertising Services Tax. The other challenges what the statute calls a “social media platform fee,” which NetChoice argues is a tax for purposes of federal law.

Both lawsuits seek declaratory and injunctive relief before the new provisions become enforceable. At this point, these cases…
Continue Reading Illinois’s New Digital Taxes Are Already in Court

An aggravated felony now closes off a green card by itself. Not through the criminal grounds of inadmissibility Congress actually wrote for felons. Through a definition Congress wrote in 1952 for men who dodged the draft. The Board of Immigration … Continue reading →
Continue Reading The Board Just Turned a 1952 Draft-Dodger Law Into a Permanent, Unwaivable Bar for Aggravated Felons

An award in Chicagoland to salute the best educators in the area is back for 2026!

Ankin Law, a personal injury law firm in Chicago, is proud to once again join WGN-TV to present our “Teacher of the Month Award.”

The honor is given monthly throughout the 2026-2027 school year to educators who are going above and beyond to educate children and young adults. Students nominate teachers through the WGN website with the staff at Channel 9 making the selection.

Ankin Law provides the $1,000 donation to the school while also presenting the check on-site to the winner. Over the…
Continue Reading The Ankin Law/WGN Teacher of the Month Award is Back!

As you approach a Cook County Domestic Relations Courtroom, you’ll notice a numbered list hung beside the courtroom door. That list will contain your case number, your name, your spouse’s name, and the names of a hundred other people whose cases are before the judge that day. And almost all of these cases will be listed as being scheduled for 9:30 AM. Your divorce case encompasses your whole life: Who is picking the kids up and when; Who is to pay what bills; Who has the kids this Christmas…which is only a few weeks away. How can a judge accurately…
Continue Reading What Is A Guardian Ad Litem Or Child Representative in Chicago, Illinois?

We pulled 31 days of register data out of our own dispensary last week and found that dispensary discount leakage ate 18.3% of gross sales — just under half of every dollar of gross profit the store made. Not one of those discounts was a mistake. We approved all of them, one at a time, over months. That is exactly the problem: discounting never arrives as a decision. It accumulates.

Collateral Base has helped more than 100 operators across 30-plus states, but the numbers below are not from a client file. They come from Pekin’s Local Dispensary & Supply, the…
Continue Reading Dispensary Discount Leakage: 7 Hidden Profit Drains

Accident News | Chicago

The family of a Chicago letter carrier killed in a July hit-and-run is calling for justice as her loved ones and fellow postal workers gathered outside court Wednesday. Churone Walls, 47, was off duty and riding a scooter on July 24 when she was struck in the 2200 block of West 79th Street, according to Chicago police and her family. Police allege that Darryl Short, 45, was driving at a high rate of speed when he hit Walls and left the scene.

Short was arrested on August 25 and faces felony charges of reckless homicide and…
Continue Reading Family of Chicago Letter Carrier Killed in Hit-and-Run Demands Justice

Depending on how the fault is assigned after a car accident, you may be able to recover compensation for medical bills, lost wages, and other losses. In Illinois, as long as you were not more than 50 percent responsible for an accident, you may still recover damages.
Proving that the other driver was at fault in 2026 often depends on evidence like photos, videos, witness statements, or accident reconstruction. A Barrington, IL car accident lawyer can help you gather what you need to build a strong case.
What Do You Need to Hold Another Driver Responsible for Car Accident…
Continue Reading How Do I Prove Another Driver Is Responsible for My Injuries After a Car Accident?

Before getting started on the blog entry of the day, congratulations to the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Milwaukee Brewers for clinching their division. I still have three teams in the hunt. Atlanta looks like they will win the division, but you never know. The Chicago Cubs and the Chicago White Sox are still fighting for a playoff spot or playoff positioning. Lots of teams in the American League still in the hunt for that final wildcard spot. This week’s blog entry is a follow-up on the Fourth Circuit decision in  Billesdon v. Wells Fargo Securities, LLC, which we discussed here…
Continue Reading Billesdon Ain’t Over Yet

Illinois employers using artificial intelligence to screen applicants, evaluate employees, or make personnel decisions are now operating under new restrictions. Effective January 1, 2026, House Bill 3773 amended the Illinois Human Rights Act to directly address AI in the workplace. If you have applied for a job, been passed over for a promotion, or been disciplined or terminated after your employer used some kind of automated system, this law may be relevant to your situation.

What Illinois Employers Can No Longer Do

The amendment makes it a civil rights violation for an employer to use AI in a way that…
Continue Reading Illinois Restricts AI in Hiring and Employment Decisions: What Employees Need to Know

Approximately 400 people have filed lawsuits involving alleged sexual abuse at the Cook County Juvenile Temporary Detention Center in Chicago. The allegations span decades, with former detainees describing abuse dating back to the 1990s and claims involving conduct as recently as 2023.

CBS News Chicago recently spoke with survivors who described sexual assaults, threats, retaliation, and staff members allegedly exploiting the extraordinary authority they held over children in custody. 

These cases raise a larger question: How could this allegedly happen for so long inside a facility responsible for protecting children?

Ankin Law is investigating sexual abuse claims involving institutions and…
Continue Reading Hundreds Allege Sexual Abuse at Cook County Juvenile Detention Center