Is Illinois an At-Will Employment State?
Yes, generally. Illinois follows at-will employment, meaning either an employer or employee can end the relationship at any time for almost any reason, or no reason at all. That general rule has important exceptions, particularly when a termination is based on a legally protected characteristic or comes in retaliation for exercising a legal right.
What Counts as Illegal Discrimination at Work?
The Illinois Human Rights Act prohibits discrimination based on characteristics including race, color, religion, sex, national origin, ancestry, age, disability, sexual orientation, and several other protected categories. Unlike some federal laws that only…
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What Duty Does a Property Owner Actually Owe?
Illinois simplified this question considerably compared to many other states. Under 740 ILCS 130/2, the old common law distinction between invitees and licensees was abolished, meaning most lawful visitors are owed the same standard: reasonable care under the circumstances regarding the condition of the property. This is a notable departure from states that still separate visitors into different categories with different levels of protection.
Does That Mean Every Visitor Is Treated the Same?
Mostly, yes, with one significant exception. Lawful visitors, whether they are there for a business purpose or a…
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A Different Kind of Damages Calculation
Most personal injury claims resolve once medical treatment concludes and a final bill total exists. Spinal cord injuries rarely work that way. The full financial impact often unfolds over decades, which means a claim has to account for costs that have not happened yet, not just the ones already documented in medical records.
What Immediate Costs Typically Include
The first phase after a spinal cord injury usually involves emergency treatment, surgery, and inpatient rehabilitation, all of which generate substantial and well-documented bills. Insurance companies rarely dispute these early costs seriously, since they are supported…
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Two Rules Working Together
Every personal injury claim in Illinois moves within two structural rules that shape how much time a person has to act and how much their own conduct might affect what they recover. Understanding both from the outset helps set realistic expectations rather than learning the details partway through a case, since insurers routinely raise both issues once a claim is underway.
The Two-Year Filing Deadline
Under 735 ILCS 5/13-202, most personal injury claims in Illinois must be filed within two years of the date of injury. This covers car accidents, slip and falls, and most…
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Does the Property Owner Automatically Owe Me Money?
No. A fall on someone else’s property does not automatically create liability. Illinois requires showing that the property owner or occupier failed to exercise reasonable care under the circumstances, and that this failure caused the fall. A hazard existing on a property is not enough on its own; the owner generally needs to have known or reasonably should have known about it. Simply falling, even in a place where a hazard was present, does not by itself establish that anyone else did something wrong.
What Do I Actually Need to Prove?
A…
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A Law Written Specifically for This Problem
Most personal injury claims rely on general negligence principles that apply to any kind of harm. Illinois took a different approach with nursing home abuse and neglect, passing a statute aimed specifically at protecting residents and giving families a clear path to court when that protection fails.
What the Nursing Home Care Act Actually Does
The Illinois Nursing Home Care Act creates a private right of action for residents harmed by neglect or abuse, allowing a resident or their family to sue a facility directly rather than relying solely on state regulatory action.
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A 16-year-old boy was injured in a shooting on Main Street in Plainfield in mid-July. Police have identified a suspect and continue to investigate. While the criminal case belongs to prosecutors, incidents like this one also raise civil questions that victims and their families are often unaware of.
What Police Have Reported
According to WGN-TV, officers responded to the 24100 block of West Main Street shortly before 9 p.m. on a Thursday evening after a report of a person shot. The teen was driven to Plainfield Fire Protection District Station 1, where crews provided medical care before he was…
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Severe thunderstorms moved through Naperville on Tuesday, leaving behind flooded walkways, downed trees, and hundreds of service requests across the city. Conditions like these do more than disrupt daily routines. They create fall hazards on sidewalks, in parking lots, and inside buildings for days after the weather clears.
What the Storms Left Behind
According to NCTV17, the city received more than 300 service requests after the storms, including 60 reports of trees fully blocking roads, with damage concentrated in south Naperville. The lower walkways along the Naperville Riverwalk were closed due to flooding. Several parks reported damage to fencing…
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Figuring out which insurance policy actually applies after a Lyft crash trips up a lot of people, and reasonably so. Illinois law ties coverage to exactly what the driver was doing on the app at the moment of the crash, which means the same accident can be handled very differently depending on small details.
Why Does A Driver’s App Status Change The Insurance That Applies?
Illinois regulates rideshare companies through the Transportation Network Providers Act, which sets tiered insurance requirements based on where a driver was in the trip process. A driver who is logged in but has not…
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Sharing some blame for an accident does not automatically end a claim in Illinois. State law reduces compensation based on fault rather than wiping it out entirely, though there is one specific point where recovery does disappear completely.
Illinois Uses A Modified Comparative Fault Standard
Under Illinois law, an injured person can recover damages as long as their own share of fault stays below 51 percent. This standard is set out directly in the state’s civil procedure statute governing negligence claims, and it applies broadly across car accidents, premises cases, and most other injury claims. Once fault reaches that…
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What Public Act 104-0683 Means for Illinois Workers and Employers
Serving on a jury is one of the most important civic responsibilities Americans have. Every day across Illinois, ordinary citizens help decide criminal and civil cases that shape lives, businesses, and communities. Yet for many workers, receiving a jury summons has created a difficult question:
Can I afford to miss work?
Until now, many Illinois employees had to choose between fulfilling their civic duty and receiving a paycheck. While employers were generally required to allow employees time off to serve on a jury, they were not required to continue paying…
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When someone has been injured in a car accident, their world can change in an instant. They’re overwhelmed with medical appointments, insurance adjusters, lost wages, and uncertainty about the future. Choosing an attorney isn’t just another business decision—it’s a deeply personal one.
So what makes someone choose one law firm over another?
That question was the focus of a recent conversation between Disparti Law founder Larry Disparti and nationally recognized attorney Mike Morse on the Fireproof Podcast. During the discussion, Larry shared insights into building one of Chicago’s most recognized personal injury law firms and why true success has always…
Continue Reading The Power of a Law Firm Brand: Why Trust Matters Long Before an Accident Happens

Losing a family member because of someone else’s carelessness brings an overwhelming amount to deal with, and the legal side of it often gets confusing fast. Illinois actually recognizes two distinct types of claims after a death like this, and understanding the difference matters for what a family can ultimately recover.
The Survival Act Covers What The Person Experienced
Illinois’ Survival Act allows the deceased person’s estate to pursue the claims that person could have brought had they lived. This includes medical expenses from the time between the injury and death, lost income during that same period, and compensation for…
Continue Reading Two Claims Families Can Pursue Together