Springfield Legal Blog

Is your spouse committing financial fraud?

On behalf of Law Office of Kerley & Associates posted in family law on Sunday, September 16, 2018.

As you begin thinking about the possibility of an Illinois divorce, you likely have many things to worry about: custody and visitation of your children; spousal support; and equitable division of your marital property. And underneath all this, you may have the uneasy feeling that your spouse may be attempting to hide assets from you.

As the Huffington Post reports, spousal asset hiding is nothing new. It constitutes a form of financial fraud practiced by some greedy or vindictive spouses so as to better their own financial position after a property settlement agreement.

Tire safety checks may help you stay safe on the road

On behalf of Law Office of Kerley & Associates on Thursday, September 13, 2018.

Many aspects of your vehicle help you travel safely. When an issue with any part of your car exists, you could easily find yourself in danger. Fortunately, with routine assessments and repairs, you can make sure that your vehicle stays in proper working order.

In particular, one part of your vehicle that you may want to pay close attention to is your tire quality. Your tires are literally the only thing between your vehicle and the road, and they are what keep your vehicle moving safely and securely on the blacktop. Even if just a seemingly small issue presents itself with one or more of your tires, the problem could put you in serious danger.

How serious is a whiplash injury?

On behalf of Law Office of Kerley & Associates posted in car accidents on Friday, September 7, 2018.

When you become the victim of a car crash in Illinois, particularly one in which a negligent motorist rear-ends you, you have a very high risk of sustaining a whiplash injury. As Spine-Health.com explains, a whiplash occurs when the force of the impact of the other car hitting yours makes your head and neck suddenly jerk backward and forward. These extremely quick, violent movements put enormous stress on your cervical spine.

The medical name for whiplash is cervical acceleration-deceleration syndrome, also known as CAD. While many people recover from a whiplash injury within three months of its occurrence, you could experience long-term or even lifetime symptoms including the following:

Neck pain ranging from mild to excruciating
Neck stiffness
Reduced range of motion of your head and neck
Shoulder and/or upper back pain
Headaches, often severe
Tingling, weakness or numbness radiating into your shoulders and/or down your arms

Understanding Illinois' adoption criteria

On behalf of Law Office of Kerley & Associates posted in family law on Sunday, September 2, 2018.

At the Law Office of Kerley & Associates in Illinois, we enjoy representing people seeking to adopt a child. Not only is adoption one of the happiest aspects of practicing law, it likewise is one in which everyone wins: you, your adopted child, and the State of Illinois.

If adoption is something you have been thinking about, it will please you to know that Illinois’ adoption laws are very liberal. As FindLaw explains, the two basic requirements are that you must be a reputable person over the age of 18 and that, if married, you and your spouse jointly file for adoption, unless, of course, one of you is seeking to adopt the other’s biological child(ren).

Is Illinois a common law marriage state?

On behalf of Law Office of Kerley & Associates posted in family law on Thursday, August 23, 2018.

If you and your significant other are living together in Illinois, you likely feel just as married as your friends who had wedding ceremonies. In fact, many of your friends may think the two of you really are married, especially if you have lived together for a long time and/or have children together.

Unfortunately, Illinois takes a much more restrictive view. As Unmarried.org explains, Illinois is not one of the states that recognizes common law marriage. However, there is one exception. If you and your significant other began your relationship in one of the states that does provide for common law marriages and then moved to Illinois, our state must recognize your marriage.

What is the truck driver clearinghouse?

On behalf of Law Office of Kerley & Associates posted in truck accidents on Monday, August 20, 2018.

Navigating the Illinois roadways may seem daunting at times, especially when sharing the road with massive tractor trailers. These giant vehicles can weigh up to 80,000 pounds and require well-trained and licensed operators to ensure they are handled safely around you and other drivers on the road. Surprisingly, there are a number of truck drivers on the road who have previously violations involving drugs and alcohol. Although these truck drivers may have been penalized for violations, a number of them are still out on the roads and cause danger to other drivers.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, nearly 5 percent of truck drivers who were inspected on the road during a checkpoint were found to have too many violations to be behind the wheel. This equates to over 170,000 truckers. As a way to minimize the number of unqualified truck drivers on the road, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration designed the Commercial Driver’s License and Alcohol Clearinghouse.

Gray divorce is on the rise

On behalf of Law Office of Kerley & Associates posted in family law on Sunday, August 12, 2018.

Many people believe that once their marriage has survived 15 to 20 years, they will surely keep the vows, ‘till death do us part.’ Although the theory that those who are married longer have a lower chance of divorce still holds some truth, the number of people over the age of 50 that file for divorce in Illinois and across the United States is rising. According to the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey, 2.8 percent of people over the age of 50 were divorced 50 years ago. That number increased to 11.8 percent in 2000 and is still on the rise.

A study by Bowling Green University found evidence to support the gray divorce trend as well. Researchers found that while only 1 in 10 people over the age of 50 were divorced in 1990, more than 1 in 4 people in this same age range were divorced in 2011. Why are more people filing for divorce after so many years of marriage?

How can you maximize compensation through your injury claim?

On behalf of Law Office of Kerley & Associates on Friday, August 10, 2018.

If you suffered injuries in a motor vehicle accident here in Illinois, you are familiar with the ways that kind of incident can negatively affect your life. In addition to your physical pain, you can experience various types of financial losses and complications. If it is appropriate to move forward with a civil claim, you would be prudent to look for ways to maximize the amount of compensation you may be able to get.

One important step is to carefully evaluate your losses and work for the full and fair amount of compensation you deserve. This takes a complete evaluation of both your current needs and the potential losses you may experience in the future as a result of your accident. This is an important step of the personal injury claims process.

Why is nighttime driving so dangerous?

On behalf of Law Office of Kerley & Associates posted in car accidents on Monday, August 6, 2018.

As an Illinois motorist, you may have places to go and errands to run even after the sun has set for the day. Bright headlights and streetlights illuminate the roadways of Illinois so that motorists can continue to navigate their way throughout the state. The trouble lies in the fact that more people are killed while driving at night than those driving during the daytime. According to the National Safety Council, you are three times more likely to be killed in an accident while driving at night. Understanding what causes this increased death rate may help to minimize your chances of being killed or injured in a nighttime car accident.

A lack of natural light is one of the main causes of accidents at night. It is no surprise that you have decreased visibility when driving in the dark, even though headlights are used to light the way. These bright headlights may cause temporary blindness when you look directly in approaching beams of an oncoming vehicle. Furthermore, you may have trouble spotting the distance and speed of oncoming traffic when attempting to turn out onto the road. Your peripheral vision may also be affected. It is important to avoid looking directly in headlights and to use extreme caution when pulling out into traffic. Take your time and be patient.

What happens when drowsy truckers get on the road?

On behalf of Law Office of Kerley & Associates posted in truck accidents on Monday, July 30, 2018.

If you navigate Illinois roadways on a daily basis, you may be familiar with driving alongside tractor trailers. What you may not know is just how dangerous driving next to tractor trailers can be, especially when the truck driver manning the enormous vehicle has spent more than 14 hours behind the wheel. Drowsy truckers are a major problem for people in Illinois and across the United States. They are responsible for causing thousands of truck accidents, injuring and killing many people along the way.

In an attempt to reduce the number of people who are injured and killed in large truck accidents, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration imposed Hours of Service regulations on U.S. truckers. Under these regulations, truckers are prohibited from driving more than 11 hours a day and must take a 10-hour break after this time behind the wheel. Every eight hours, truckers must take a 30-minute break. Furthermore, truckers are only able to drive 60 hours every six days before taking 34 consecutive hours off.