By Thomas Haught Home sales are low – but we’re only a few weeks into the year. I have heard more than one real estate agent say that the first day of the year (for their purposes) is the Monday after the Super Bowl. The Super Bowl is over, so in theory at least, it’s

By Blake Austin Culver Housing costs, food prices, fuel charges—daily living expenses have been increasing with high inflation rates not seen in over 40 years. With high inflation rates, it takes more money to buy the same goods and services. In Illinois, if high inflation rates may impact your dissolution of marriage case, including child

By Parag P. Bhosale When you have reached a point in a legal dispute where there is hope for a settlement or the filing period is about to expire, a lawsuit must be filed. How does your attorney decide which court he’s going to file it in? It’s not as simple as just picking the

By Thomas Haught Is real estate still hot, or not? Are current real estate trends good, bad or somewhere in between?  At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, the general assumption was that the real estate market was going to suffer. That did NOT happen. Instead, we saw one of the strongest real estate markets

By Aaron Novasic Being in a car crash is one of the scariest things someone can go through. Illinois law requires that all motorists carry car insurance for moments like that, not just for property damage, but also for any injuries someone might sustain as a result of the crash. Now, if you are involved

Recent changes to employment authorization eligibility for asylum seekers By Ann Fischer In September, the federal government amended its regulations relating to employment authorization based upon pending asylum applications. The effect of the decision removes regulations put in place during the Trump administration and restores prior procedures and eligibility requirements.  According to the U.S. Citizenship

How to improve communication between parents during and after divorce By Blake Austin Culver Communication between parents can be challenging, particularly during and after the divorce process. What should a parent do when the other parent attempts to demean, disparage, criticize, blame, or otherwise badmouth him or her, including in writing on social media and

Starting a new business? Should it be LLC or corporation? How company is registered with state depends on goals By Paul Koontz Starting any business can be nerve racking, especially if you don’t fully, or at all, understand the process and the legal ramifications that entails. There are two main business entities: the limited liability

By Thomas Haught Be your own boss. Make your own hours. You call the shots! Have you ever considered purchasing a small business? Here is a non-exhaustive review of the documents you should expect to receive at your small business closing. Seller resolution. The owner of a small business will almost certainly be an entity,

Property Management Agreement’s Indemnity Provision Held Void and Unenforceable Under the Construction Contract Indemnification for Negligence Act By Eric Dobradin Owners of rental properties commonly rely on third-party property managers to handle the day-to-day aspects of leasing. Many property managers not only list available units, enter into lease agreements on behalf of the property owner,

Buckle up as backlog of Illinois workers compensation claims clog the system By Aaron Novasic In Illinois, workers compensation claims are governed under the Illinois Workers Compensation Commission (IWCC). Each claim that is filed with the commission is assigned to an arbitrator, who handles certain areas of Illinois. Illinois has implemented mandatory pre-trials during the

By Tara M. Grimm Since the start of the pandemic, the economy has been impacted in a tremendous way and this has led to interest rates rising and falling. Specifically, the real estate market has been significantly impacted by recent interest rate increases. The cost of lending is rising as mortgage rates continue to climb,

By Paul Koontz When March 2020 rolled around, I would wager that not a single soul would understand what was about to come next for over 19 months—an eviction moratorium. When COVID-19 was designated a worldwide pandemic and a national emergency in the United States, federal and state governments decreed that in order to keep

by: Gardi, Haught, Fischer & Bhosale On March 15, 2020, an event occurred which very few people thought possible. The United States of America closed. Almost every business closed its doors, affecting a nationwide economic shut down. Millions of commercial business owners wondered how they were going to maintain operations and pay their bills, as

By Eric Dobradin If you are like most people, your home is your most valuable asset, next to your spouse, children and, perhaps, a pet. You agonized over the listings looking for it. You spent countless hours viewing properties before you found it. You also may have had a couple of contracts fall through before