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Does My Child With Disabilities Need a Guardian at Age 18 in Illinois? The answer depends on your child’s ability to understand, make, and communicate responsible decisions, not simply on a diagnosis. When a child turns 18, Illinois generally treats that person as a legal adult, and a parent’s automatic authority ends. Some young adults may need a court-appointed guardian, while others may be able to make decisions with limited assistance or another legal arrangement.
What Changes When a Child Turns 18?
A parent’s legal guardianship over a child ends automatically when the child turns 18. After that birthday, a…
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Rural Attorney Shortages and Legal Deserts: How States Are Expanding Access to Justice examines a growing challenge facing rural America. Many rural communities do not have enough attorneys to meet the legal needs of residents, farmers, families, and local businesses.
Rincker Law attorneys Sam Ellis and Cari Brett Rincker recently examined several efforts aimed at addressing this problem, including expanded access-to-justice funding in Illinois, a rural practice academy in Indiana, financial incentives for attorneys in Kansas, and technology-based service models developing across the country.
Although these programs take different approaches, they share a common goal: improving access to legal services…
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Agricultural Law Updates for 2026: What Farmers and Agribusinesses Should Know examines several federal and Illinois developments that may affect farmers, ranchers, agricultural landowners, food businesses, and other members of the agricultural industry.
Rincker Law attorneys Sam Ellis and Cari Brett Rincker recently reviewed major developments involving the 2026 Farm Bill, pesticide regulation, specialty crop assistance, antitrust enforcement, rural development, and Illinois conservation programs. Although these developments affect different parts of the agricultural sector, they reflect a common theme: agricultural law continues to become more closely connected with environmental regulation, market competition, federal funding, and national economic policy.
Farmers and…
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Can You Use an Illinois Small Estate Affidavit Instead of Probate? In many cases, yes. Illinois law allows certain estates to transfer personal property through a small estate affidavit without opening a formal probate proceeding. However, the estate must meet specific legal requirements, and the person signing the affidavit assumes important responsibilities regarding debts, heirs, beneficiaries, and the distribution of property.
What Is an Illinois Small Estate Affidavit?
An Illinois small estate affidavit is a sworn, notarized document used to collect and distribute a deceased person’s personal property. Instead of asking a probate court to appoint an executor or administrator,…
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If a competitor is selling a knockoff of your product on Amazon with your exact packaging and a different brand name slapped on it, the patent you need is probably not the one you’re thinking of. A design patent protects how something looks. The shape of a bottle. The layout of a label. The distinctive visual identity of a product or its packaging. If your product has a look that customers recognize, a design patent may cover it.
The post Design Patent vs. Utility Patent: Which One Stops Amazon Copycats From Stealing Your Packaging? appeared first on King Patent Law,
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Summer Travel With Children After Divorce: What Illinois Parents Should Know is an important topic for separated and divorced parents planning vacations with their children. A family trip can create lasting memories. It can also lead to conflict when parents disagree about dates, destinations, passports, or missed parenting time.
Whether an Illinois parent may take a child on summer travel depends on the parenting plan, court orders, and the facts of the trip. Some orders require advance notice, while others require consent. International travel may also raise additional passport and documentation issues. Parents should not assume that a vacation is…
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Summer Agritourism Legal Risks: What Farm Owners Should Know is an increasingly important topic for farms that welcome the public. U-pick fields, farm tours, livestock encounters, educational workshops, farm dinners, and seasonal activities can create new sources of revenue. They can also expose the operation to legal and financial risks that may not exist on a production-only farm.
Before inviting visitors onto agricultural property, farm owners should review their insurance, contracts, business structure, property conditions, local requirements, and safety procedures.
Agritourism Changes the Farm’s Risk Profile
Agritourism generally connects agriculture with recreational, commercial, or educational visitor experiences. Once members of…
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Grill Rescue LLC d/b/a Rescue LLC v. The Individuals, Corporations, Limited Liability Companies, Partnerships, and Unincorporated Associates Identified on Schedule “A”, No. 23-cv-15984, Slip Op. (N.D. Ill. Feb. 20, 2026) (Kness, J.).

Judge Kness granted Defendant Shenzhen Lantianjinrun Trading Co., Ltd.’s Fed. R. Civ. P. 12(c) motion for judgment on the pleadings, finding that the accused grill cleaning brush was plainly dissimilar to Plaintiff Grill Rescue’s design patent, U.S. Patent No. D946,850 (the “’850 patent”). The ruling is a useful illustration of how design patent infringement claims can be resolved at the earliest stages of litigation when the visual differences…
Continue Reading Design Patent Infringement Claim Dismissed on the Pleadings Based on Plain Dissimilarity

April was an active month for patent filings against retailers and consumer-facing businesses. NPE activity remained brisk, with frequent filers Patent Armory and Rabicoff Law-affiliated entities continuing to generate volume across multiple districts. Notably, Sport Squad (JOOLA) launched an aggressive offensive campaign against pickleball paddle competitors across at least six districts. Retailers in the brick-and-mortar and e-commerce space faced suits targeting loyalty/token-based commerce systems, location services, and in-store customer assistance technologies.As usual, I prepared the report in partnership with and using Docket Navigator and its powerful database. Docket Navigator is a valuable resource, and the place to go if you…
Continue Reading APRIL 2026 RETAIL PATENT LITIGATION REPORT

Innovation Industries, LLC v. The Partnerships Identified on Schedule A, No. 25 C 3157, Slip Op. (N.D. Ill. Feb. 19, 2026) (Bucklo, J.).Judge Bucklo granted summary judgment to Innovation Industries, LLC on its copyright infringement claims against three Amazon sellers, UMagic, Perbelee, and Sumnify, who had been marketing knockoff hummingbird feeder heaters using Innovation’s copyrighted product images in this Schedule A case. The Court awarded $150,000 in damages per defendant after finding willful infringement.Innovation sells heaters for hummingbird feeders designed to support overwintering hummingbirds in colder climates. Defendants operated Amazon storefronts selling apparent counterfeits of Innovation’s products, collectively earning $640,844.95…
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The Hidden Gender Gap in Estate Planning and How Women Can Close It

Estate planning isn’t just about documents—it’s about protecting yourself, your family, and your future. But research shows that women are significantly less likely than men to have a formal estate plan in place, even though they often face greater financial risks over their lifetimes.
This hidden gender gap leaves many women without the legal tools they need to safeguard their assets, make healthcare decisions easier for loved ones, and ensure their wishes are honored. At Rincker Law, we help women understand these challenges and build plans that

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How your real estate is titled affects far more than just whose name is on the deed. It plays a major role in your legal rights, how vulnerable your property is to creditors, and what happens to the property when you pass away. Many people assume their estate plan will “fix” any issues, but title problems can actually undo your planning if they’re not addressed properly.

At Rincker Law, we help clients understand their ownership structure and ensure their deeds match their goals—whether for asset protection, probate avoidance, family planning, or business needs.

Individual Ownership: Simple but Not Always Strategic

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Rincker Law, PLLC is pleased to announce that founder and principal attorney Cari B. Rincker will present at the Illinois Institute for Continuing Legal Education’s Elder Law Short Course 2026.
The two-day continuing legal education program will take place on November 5–6, 2026, at the UBS Tower and Conference Center in Chicago. Attorneys will also have the option to attend through a live webcast.
Cari will co-present the session “Planning Considerations for Farmland” with attorney L. Kaye DeSelms Dent of Dent Coulson Elder Law, LLC. The presentation is scheduled for Friday, November 6, 2026, from 9:00 to 10:00 a.m.
Addressing…
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Trademark Protection for Farms, Food Businesses, and Agricultural Brands should be considered before a business invests heavily in packaging, signs, websites, merchandise, or advertising. A farm may spend years building recognition around a name or logo, only to discover that another business has earlier rights in a similar mark. Addressing trademark issues early can help reduce the risk of an expensive rebrand, marketplace confusion, or legal dispute.
What Can Function as a Trademark?
A trademark is a word, phrase, symbol, design, or combination of these elements that identifies the source of particular goods or services. It helps consumers distinguish one…
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Choosing the Right Business Structure for a Farm or Family-Owned Business is an important decision that may need to be revisited as the operation grows, changes ownership, or prepares for the next generation. The structure selected can affect limited liability protection, taxation, management authority, financing, succession planning, and what happens when an owner dies, becomes disabled, divorces, retires, or leaves the business.
There is no single structure that is right for every farm or family-owned company. The appropriate choice depends on the owners, assets, business risks, tax goals, land arrangements, and long-term plans of the operation.
Why Informal Business Arrangements…
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Different AI design tools have wildly different rules about trademark registration. Canva explicitly prohibits it. Midjourney has a revenue threshold. Adobe Firefly offers IP indemnification. Here’s what to know before you file.
The post Can You Trademark a Logo Made with AI? What Business Owners Need to Know appeared first on King Patent Law, PLLC.
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