What to Do When Your Doctor Tells You to “Get Your Affairs in Order”

Hearing a doctor say, “Get your affairs in order,” is one of the most difficult moments anyone can experience. Yet you’re not alone — nearly 76% of Americans do not have a will, and many only begin planning after receiving a life‑changing diagnosis.

While the words may feel overwhelming, getting your affairs in order is ultimately about regaining control, protecting your wishes, and easing the burden on your loved ones. Rincker Law is here to guide you through every step with clarity and compassion.
Continue Reading Get Your Affairs in Order After a Diagnosis

A home inspection is one of the most important protections you have when buying a home, and knowing what to do with the results can make a big difference in how things turn out. If an inspection has revealed serious issues in 2026 and you are not sure what to do next, the Libertyville real estate lawyers at Newland & Newland, LLP can help you understand your options and protect yourself.
What Is a Home Inspection Contingency?
A home inspection contingency is a clause in your purchase contract that gives you the right to have the home professionally inspected…
Continue Reading What Happens if a Home Inspection Reveals Major Problems?

If you’re considering a prenuptial agreement, you’re likely looking for a way to protect yourself and the life you’ve worked hard to build as you enter marriage. After all, no one wants to spend years building financial security only to wonder later whether it could be at risk. But how much protection can a prenup […]
The post What Can and Can’t Be Included in a Prenuptial Agreement? appeared first on SAM LAW OFFICE LLC.
Continue Reading What Can and Can’t Be Included in a Prenuptial Agreement?

Estate planning often gets reduced to paperwork, signatures, and legal terms. But your estate plan can be so much more than a collection of documents. It can reflect your values, your history, and the lasting impact you want to leave behind.

Just like stepping from black‑and‑white into a vibrant Technicolor world, you can bring your legacy to life by adding depth, meaning, and personal expression to your plan. At Rincker Law, we help clients build estate plans that honor both the legal and the human elements of their lives.

Estate Planning: More Than Documents and Decisions
When people think about…
Continue Reading Add Meaning to Your Estate Plan with Living Legacy Tools

Many individuals receive inheritances from parents, grandparents, or other loved ones during their lifetime. While an inheritance is often intended…
The post How to help protect an inheritance in the event of a divorce first appeared on Family Law Headquarters by Stange Law Firm.
The post How to help protect an inheritance in the event of a divorce appeared first on Family Law Headquarters by Stange Law Firm.
Continue Reading How to help protect an inheritance in the event of a divorce

If you die without a will in Illinois, you lose the opportunity to direct what happens to your belongings, your money, even your children. Illinois has a fixed set of rules that takes over when someone passes away without leaving written instructions. Those rules do not know your story, your relationships, or what you would have wanted. They just follow a formula. The people you love most may end up with less than you intended, or nothing at all. A Wheaton, IL will and trust lawyer can help you take control of what happens to your family before that decision…
Continue Reading What Will Happen if I Die Without a Will in Illinois?

How to Resolve Summer Parenting Time Disputes in Illinois is a question many separated or divorced parents face once the school year ends. Summer can bring vacations, camps, and changing work schedules. Even a reasonable request can create conflict when parents disagree, or the parenting plan is unclear. Fortunately, many disputes can be addressed through communication, attorney-assisted negotiation, mediation, or another appropriate process before litigation becomes necessary.
Why Summer Parenting Time Conflicts Happen
Summer changes the predictable school-year routine. Parents may want to travel, enroll a child in camp, adjust childcare, or change exchange times because of work or family…
Continue Reading How to Resolve Summer Parenting Time Disputes in Illinois

Ohio can regulate hemp. Ohio can regulate intoxicating cannabinoids. Ohio can decide that certain products are too risky, too strong, too attractive to minors, or too poorly tested to be sold in the state. What Ohio cannot do, at least according to a new temporary restraining order from the Northern District of Ohio, is build a hemp regime that gives Ohio-licensed, Ohio-sourced, Ohio-distributed cannabis businesses the market while shutting out federally lawful hemp products moving in interstate commerce.

That is the heart of the decision in Titan Logistics Group LLC, et al. v. Tischler, et al., Case No. 3:26-cv-1300…
Continue Reading Ohio’s Hemp Law Runs Into the Dormant Commerce Clause: Federal Court Blocks Enforcement of S.B. 56 Against Hemp Companies

Thanks to two lawyers, Ankin Law made some Illinois legal history in June 2026.  Attorneys Howard Ankin and Jeff Schulkin were both named as chairmen for their respective section councils in the Illinois State Bar Association. It’s believed to be the first time that a pair of lawyers from the same firm have held the position in the same year in the organization’s history.  Both were appointed during ISBA’s Annual Meeting at the Ritz-Carlton in St. Louis on June 12. A longtime champion of rights for employees, Howard will be the Chairman of the Workers’ Compensation Section Council for 2026-2027. He’s been…
Continue Reading Ankin Law Makes Some Illinois Legal History in June

If you were hurt while performing your job in Chicago, you may be wondering whether your injury qualifies for workers’ compensation benefits. Most injuries and illnesses that occur because of your job or while you are performing work-related duties can qualify for workers’ compensation in Illinois. Workers’ compensation is designed to provide benefits to employees who suffer injuries, develop occupational illnesses, or experience medical conditions that are connected to their work. However, not every injury automatically qualifies, and proving that the injury is work-related is often one of the most important parts of a successful claim. Understanding which injuries…
Continue Reading What Injuries Qualify for Workers Compensation?


[Cue the sound effect.] With over 25 seasons and more than 1,000 episodes, almost everyone is familiar with the Law & Order television franchise. The two-count “clank clank” of a prison door closing. And the phrase “beyond a reasonable doubt.” 
This article is not about that. “Beyond a reasonable doubt” is the burden of proof in a criminal case.
Instead, this article is about “a preponderance of the evidence.” It is the much lower burden of proof  we use in civil cases and usually less familiar than its criminal law counterpart.
Personal injury cases are heard in civil court.
Continue Reading What Evidence (Burden of Proof) Do You Need to Win a Personal Injury Case?

The U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill that would place strict deadlines for employers and newly certified unions to reach a first collective bargaining agreement (CBA). The bill, which garnered some bi-partisan support to pass the GOP-led House, would potentially place the terms of such initial collective bargaining agreements in the hands of federal arbitrators, instead of being negotiated to conclusion by the parties.
Continue Reading U.S. House Passes Bill to Fast-Track Initial Union Contracts

Although this case was decided by a different federal circuit court of appeals than the Seventh Circuit that governs Illinois, it is illustrative of how courts view restrictions on public comment at government meetings. Boddy v. Grech (6th Cir. June 10, 2026).A school board in Xenia, Ohio held a public meeting where public comment was permitted under its public comment policy. While one of the speakers was expressing her views regarding the school district’s alleged teaching of critical race theory, the school board president threatened to turn off the speaker’s microphone and then grabbed the microphone and recessed the meeting.
Continue Reading School Board Violated First Amendment in Restricting Critical Public Comment

You may have seen the headlines earlier this year about the Colorado AI Act taking effect June 30, 2026. If you were preparing for that law, you were preparing for the wrong thing.
The original Colorado AI Act, formally known as SB 24-205, is dead in any practical sense. A federal court stayed enforcement in April 2026. The U.S. Department of Justice and Elon Musk’s xAI joined a lawsuit challenging its constitutionality. The Colorado legislature responded by passing a replacement bill. Governor Polis signed the replacement, SB 26-189, into law on May 14, 2026.
What that means is that the…
Continue Reading The Colorado AI Act Everyone Was Preparing For No Longer Exists. Here Is What Actually Takes Effect and Why Illinois Businesses Should Still Pay Attention

On Thursday, June 25, 2026, from 3:30 to 5:00 p.m., the Northern District, the Asian American Bar Association, the Federal Bar Association, and the Asian American Judges Association of Illinois will host a reenactment of the historic court proceedings involving Fred Korematsu and his fight against Japanese-American internment.The in-person program will take place in the Dirksen U.S. Courthouse ceremonial courtroom.  Afterward, guests are invited to attend a reception featuring light refreshments and enjoy the new art exhibit highlighting the history and impact of Japanese American incarceration.The event is open to the public.  Pending approval attendees will receive 1.0 hour of…
Continue Reading Fred Korematsu & His Fight for Justice

Many families are only now learning that everyday talcum powder products may have exposed them to asbestos, a cancer-causing mineral.
Tens of thousands of talcum powder lawsuits filed against major companies like Johnson & Johnson allege that certain talc-based products were contaminated and that repeated use may have contributed to serious illnesses, including mesothelioma and ovarian cancer.
In this Q&A, Don Blydenburgh, a talc attorney and partner at Simmons Hanly Conroy, shares insight into talc litigation, the cancers at the center of these legal claims, and how an attorney can help families pursue answers and accountability.
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Continue Reading Understanding Talc Litigation with Attorney Don Blydenburgh