Non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) are employment contracts between employer and employee that serve as a necessary safeguard to protect business trade secrets. Such trade secrets include proprietary information of the disclosing party and any research or knowledge that is not yet patented or copyrighted. There are two types of non-disclosure agreements: unilateral and mutual. The one-party unilateral NDA is the most common. Unilateral NDAs specify employee confidentiality during and after employment and usually includes an expiration date.
Every NDA is distinctive to the business’ needs. Astutely drafted NDAs are more likely to be upheld by the courts. NDAs with overreaching provisions…
Continue Reading Protecting Businesses with Non-Disclosure Agreements

When family law cases involve children, including situations where parents get divorced or child custody cases where parents are unmarried, child support will often be a factor. This form of support will ensure that children’s ongoing needs will be met. While parents may expect that child support will be paid by one parent to the other, they may not be fully aware of what child support is meant to address and what types of expenses will be included. By working with a family law attorney, a parent can make sure they understand how the law applies in their situation, and…
Continue Reading What Does Child Support Cover in an Illinois Family Law Case?

Business owners will need to address a variety of legal issues when establishing and operating a business. One of the most important decisions that will need to be made involves how a business will be structured. During the business formation process, owners or partners will need to select the correct type of business entity, meet all legal requirements for registering the business, and ensure that the proper organizational structure, management practices, and reporting procedures are in place. In many cases, structuring a business as a limited liability company (LLC) can provide a number of benefits. By working with a business …
Continue Reading What Are the Benefits of Structuring a Business as an LLC?

There are many reasons why a couple may choose to enter into a prenuptial agreement before they get married. These agreements, which are commonly known as “prenups,” will detail how certain issues will be handled if a couple chooses to get divorced in the future. A person who owns significant assets may use a prenup to ensure that they can maintain ownership of these assets in the case of divorce. A couple may also make decisions about whether either party will receive spousal support or how different types of marital property will be divided. While these agreements can be…
Continue Reading How Can I Make Sure My Prenuptial Agreement Is Enforceable?

Businesses often rely on contracts to protect their rights and interests, and these legal agreements can protect them from financial losses if they meet all of their contractual obligations. However, there are many cases where a business may be placed in a difficult position because another party failed to fulfill a contract’s terms. In these cases, a business may pursue a breach of contract lawsuit, and it may seek to recover damages from the other party to address the losses that it experienced because of the breach.
Types of Breach of Contract Damages
When pursuing civil litigation to address…
Continue Reading What Damages Can a Plaintiff Receive in a Breach of Contract Lawsuit?

During the estate planning process, most people will focus primarily on what will happen after their death, addressing how their property should be distributed among their heirs and how they want to handle the disposal of their remains. However, an estate plan can also address how certain matters will be handled while a person is still alive, including the types of medical care they will receive. Addressing these issues in your estate plan can be important, since it will help your family members avoid uncertainty, and it will ensure that you will receive the medical care and treatment you want,…
Continue Reading Should I Include Advance Medical Directives in My Estate Plan?

There are multiple types of business contracts that can provide a business and its owners with legal protections and ensure that a company will be able to operate successfully. A well-drafted partnership agreement is one of the most crucial types of contracts for a business since it will define the relationship between business partners and ensure that they fully understand their rights and responsibilities. When creating a partnership agreement, an attorney with experience in business law and contractual issues can make sure the terms of this contract will protect the partners’ rights and meet their ongoing needs.
Terms of a…
Continue Reading What Terms Should Business Partners Include in a Partnership Agreement?

Having a child can bring a couple closer together and make them more committed to each other. Unfortunately, child-related matters can be some of the most divisive and contentious issues that can arise if the couple decides to break up. Child custody cases can become heated, with parents turning on one another. This is why it is critical to have a skilled Illinois child custody attorney to represent you.
Addressing Child Custody in Illinois
In Illinois, “allocation of parental responsibilities” is the legal term now used to refer to child custody. In any custody case, the courts will have to…
Continue Reading 3 Situations That May Lead to Complex Child Custody Disputes

When a person gets married, “yours” and “mine” becomes “ours.” Unfortunately, untangling property and debt during a divorce is often one of the most complicated and contentious aspects of the divorce process. Many divorcing couples assume that they can easily divide assets on their own. Armed with a calculator and a cooperative attitude, they begin allocating property only to realize that the process is much more complex than they realized it would be. If you are getting divorced and any of the following factors are involved, you may need professional legal assistance to divide your property during divorce.
Owning Hard-to-Value…
Continue Reading Factors That Can Complicate the Property Division Process During Your Divorce

Being the parent of a disabled child is a challenging situation in which to find yourself. If you are the parent of a disabled child, one of the most pressing issues you may be facing is how to protect your child’s wellbeing when you are no longer around to care for him or her directly. Estate planning is important for any parent; however, it is especially crucial when your child has a mental or physical disability. A special needs trust is an estate planning tool that can help you ensure that your assets are used for your child’s benefit after…
Continue Reading Estate Planning Considerations When You Have a Disabled Child