Recently, a Senate committee advanced a measure that aims to limit the circumstances under which tenants can face eviction because of ordinances that fall under “crime-free housing.” Across the state of Illinois, one hundred cities have crime-free housing laws that allow landlords to evict a family for a minor offense, even if the offense did not occur on the property.
Thanks to these ordinances, as many as one in four Illinois residents live in rental homes that require them to sign a lease with a caveat. The lease states that if anyone who lives in the rental is accused of…
Continue Reading How the Expansion of Crime-Free Housing Laws Affects Landlords

Traveling to another state can be exciting and interesting as you see new things and perhaps meet new people. Getting arrested for DUI in another state can spoil your vacation or business trip and is just about as messy a situation as you might imagine. If you were arrested in Illinois and charged with DUI, you are likely wondering whether you will have to come back to the state for a trial, what the penalties will be, and whether it will show up on your record in your home state.
Regardless of whether you are a resident of Illinois, the…
Continue Reading What Happens in an Out-of-State Illinois DUI Arrest?

The most common reason that landlords in DuPage and Cook Counties go to eviction court is because of non-paying tenants. When a tenant falls behind on his or her rent and has no way of catching up, the balance of back rent can become significant. Unfortunately, the longer a landlord waits, the harder it may become to legally evict tenants. The average landlord waits until a tenant is at least three months behind and owes approximately $5,000 in back rent.
Since the timeline for a court hearing can be six months or more, a landlord can conceivably end up with…
Continue Reading Advice for Landlords Regarding Tenant Evictions in 2025

In 2022, it was determined that at least 5 percent of all traffic accidents were directly caused by reckless driving. You may be under the impression that reckless driving charges are not all that serious. After all, it is simply a traffic offense, right? In fact, reckless driving is much more than a traffic violation; it is a criminal offense that can be charged as a misdemeanor or felony, depending on the circumstances. If you are facing charges of reckless driving, it is important that you speak to a knowledgeable Naperville, IL reckless driving lawyer.
What Is Reckless Driving?
Continue Reading How Serious Are Charges of Reckless Driving in Illinois?

The state of Illinois has strict laws to curb drug-related activities. The penalties for these offenses are more severe when they occur near a school. The Illinois Controlled Substances Act addresses this issue as it pertains to protecting children in educational environments. Those who are convicted of possession with intent to deliver or distribute near a school will face enhanced penalties.
In simple terms, “intent to distribute” means a person intended to sell a controlled substance. Intent to distribute is usually differentiated from possession by the amount of illegal drugs a person is in possession of. If the amount is…
Continue Reading Charged With Possession with Intent to Deliver Near a School?

Most people who rent a home or apartment do their best to make their living space reflect who they are by personalizing it through painting and/or other forms of interior decorating. But before a tenant decides to dive headlong into rental property modifications, it should be stressed that in Illinois, any modification to a rental property requires the consent of the landlord.
This consent is not simply a suggestion; rather, it is an essential component of tenant rights in Illinois. An alteration can be as significant as installing new fixtures or as minor as painting or wallpapering the entry…
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Every year, Illinois law enforcement agencies take cash, vehicles, land, and other assets worth tens of millions of dollars from residents through civil asset forfeiture. Civil asset forfeiture allows the police to take property they believe was used in the commission of a crime. In the past, these items have sometimes been taken through civil asset forfeiture without bringing criminal charges – let alone convictions.
Since 2005, the state of Illinois has put more than $319 million dollars in the state coffers that came from the asset forfeitures of private citizens. If you are charged with a criminal offense…
Continue Reading Illinois Criminal Charges and Civil Asset Forfeiture

The state of Illinois has witnessed a significant increase in hate crimes over the past couple of years, which a new Illinois bill attempts to address. While there are currently several laws on the books that address hate crimes, the Illinois Commission on Discrimination and Hate Crimes has concluded that police officers often fail to recognize hate crimes as an element of another criminal offense.
Across the nation, hate crimes have also increased, with the FBI showing 5,479 incidences of hate crimes in 2014 and 11,862 by 2023. In Illinois, there were 109 hate crimes in 2014, but by…
Continue Reading Increase in Illinois Hate Crime Triggers Police Education Bill

Since housing has become so expensive and there are more and more homeless people across the United States, more landlords find themselves having to deal with the laws pertaining to adverse possession when attempting landlord eviction. Those who take advantage of adverse possession are often called “squatters.” Unfortunately, it can be challenging to remove squatters from a property who may even try to meet the legal requirements to claim the property as their own.
Adverse possession laws vary considerably from state to state on both ends of the spectrum. For example, while California and Montana have the…
Continue Reading Landlord’s Rights and Responsibilities Regarding Squatters

Illinois is one of only 18 states that makes possession of drugs (except marijuana or ten grams or less of other drugs) a felony in most cases. This results in even relatively small amounts of drugs, resulting in serious involvement with the legal system. Despite the fact that the Illinois Controlled Substances Act states that it is not the intent to treat the unlawful user or occasional petty distributor with the same severity as large-scale drug traffickers, in practice, this is exactly what happens.
Even though Illinois drug crime laws are harsh, in many cases, federal drug laws and punishments…
Continue Reading The Differences Between State and Federal Drug Charges

A Chicago man accused in a fatal DUI in early December had a blood alcohol content of 0.347 when he was arrested. The man was charged with one felony count of aggravated DUI causing death. In this case, because a person died as a result of another’s impaired driving, the charges escalated.
If nobody is hurt, does an extremely high BAC increase the penalties for an Illinois DUI conviction? Whether you have been charged with a first DUI, a second, third, or subsequent DUI, or there are additional factors that can potentially increase your sentence, it is extremely important that…
Continue Reading Does An Extra High BAC in Illinois Increase Penalties for DUI?

Criminal background checks are now routinely used to screen job applicants, enrollees in colleges and universities, and for housing. Unfortunately, these criminal background checks can create a barrier to housing access, even when the charges are dismissed or the individual has paid the penalties for a conviction. This can make it difficult for those with a criminal history to obtain housing, which in turn contributes to increased rates of recidivism.  
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) released “guidance” for housing providers in 2016, cautioning against illegal discrimination for those with criminal histories, revisiting the issue…
Continue Reading Can Landlords Deny Housing to Those with a Criminal Conviction?

When people think about drug possession, they usually imagine someone carrying an illegal substance in their bag or pocket. In Illinois, however, drug possession charges are not limited to cases where a drug is found on a person. Law enforcement can also arrest someone for constructive drug possession, which is a much broader form of the crime. Illinois treats any kind of illegal drug possession harshly with heavy fines and lengthy prison terms. If you or someone you know is facing drug possession charges, reach out to an Illinois criminal defense attorney who will investigate your case and start…
Continue Reading What Is Constructive Possession in Illinois Drug Cases?