Join me and Jacqui Melius of Dudley & Lake as we discuss personal  injury work — including motor vehicle accidents, medical malpractice and nursing home negligence. Together, we address the common questions that people have when involved in these kinds of claims and attempt to demystify them for you and your family!

 

In this episode, Attorney Julio Argueta joined me to discuss traffic and DUI offenses. We discussed how Attorney Argueta decided to become a lawyer, how he developed a show of his own that broadcasts from Waukegan, as well as the substantive issues regarding traffic, DUI offenses and Secretary of State issues.

 

Is practicing law an art? Is it a craft? How much self-expression do you really want your lawyer to put into his or her work? Join us at Everyday Law as we preview these questions about art and creativity in the law of real estate, family law and trial work.

Is Real Estate Law Creative?

When I first considered a real estate law practice, for example, I didn’t think that there was much art or creativity to it. The lawyer has standardized form contracts. Every transaction is similar in terms of its parts – contract, inspection, attorney review, title search, closing documents, etc.

But speaking with Judy Maldonado really opened my eyes. She explained how much there was involved in keeping a deal afloat, and that her skill in negotiation is what helps families achieve their dreams of home ownership.

Moreover, knowing Judy personally helps me understand what a genius she is with people. She is a connector, and her love for helping her clients shines through in every deal. I was a little jealous – but not surprised – when she told me that her clients inundate her with gifts of chocolates and cookies around Christmastime, and other holidays.

For the Everyday Law episode, on Buying or Selling Your Home, featuring Judy, click here!

What About Family Law?

Because I don’t practice family law at all, I had a hard time determining the answer to this question – until I sat down for lunch with Gary Schlesinger and Mike Strauss of their firm — Schlesinger and Strauss.

Family law certainly takes creativity, according to those two divorce attorneys. The most difficult part of the job, according to them, is shoe-horning delicate family disputes into the rigid bureaucracy of the court system.

Here is an example. How should the court system handle the situation where Mom has the kids on the weekend, but there is a baseball game; Dad does not want to miss the game, but he brings his new girlfriend, ruining Mom’s weekend with the kids? So much emotion goes into this kind of dispute – love, maternal or paternal instinct, jealousy, control, boundaries, etc.! How should the court handle this, I wonder?

Tune in to our show on March 17th to listen in!

Trial Work as Artistry

The kind of attorney work that I feel is indisputably creative is “trial work” – mostly because it seems to be a kind of performance art. As a trial attorney, you have to write your lines, direct your witnesses, perform your part, etc.

You have to have the skills of a master story-teller, the stage presence of an actor, the insight of an experienced director and the finely tuned instincts of a poker-player, all at the same time.

We’re really looking forward to having Steve Larson of Swanson Martin & Bell — an outstanding and creative trial attorney — on the show in May to talk about trial work and everything else that is involved in medical malpractice defense work!

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Join me and Judge John Phillips (ret.) as Everyday Law delves into Lake County’s specialty courts — including drug court, mental health court and veterans court — which help offenders rehabilitate, rather that just lock ’em up and throw away the key!

 

Join me and Joanne Vandestreek — the law librarian of the William D. Block Memorial Law Library — as we discuss how the law library is not for lawyers only, but for any citizen who needs legal help. Ms. Vandestreek walks us through the print and on-line resources available, and we discuss the Center for Self-Representation!

 

On today’s podcast of “Everyday Law,” we discuss how to measure the value of your injury in $$$.

We discuss the three legal factors — the medical bills, the lost income, and the pain and suffering — as well as the emotional factor of the injustice by the defendant. In other words, how badly did the defendant act? The greater the injustice, the greater the award. And finally, we close by noting that injustice is the bedrock foundation of any claim.

You shouldn’t have to pay for what a careless person did to you. Your injuries are a debt that he owes you and he should pay that debt. The only question is this: What is that debt worth?

 

Mediation offers a way to resolve legal claims that is faster and less expensive than courtroom litigation. Judge Terry Brady, a retired Lake County judge, has been practicing mediation for the past 10 years. His 27 years on the bench have equipped him with a wealth of experience that allows him to bring people together to resolve a claim without the expense and time of a trial.

 

In this episode, join me as we discuss the four main parts of a trial — the opening statement, the direct examination, the cross examination and the closing argument. We also delve behind the scenes a little, to discuss the evidence rules that govern what happens at trial!

 

If you can’t put food on the table, or a roof over the heads of your children, the last thing you think you can afford is a lawyer — no matter how desperately you may need one.

That’s where Prairie State Legal Services comes in.

Sam DiGrino, the managing attorney of Prairie State Legal Services in Lake County, was my guest on Everyday Law to discuss what Prairie State is, and the wide variety of services it provides to the poor and the elderly.

 

Though technology has changed our lives in countless positive ways, there is also a dark side to technology. Mary Stanton, Chief of the cybercrime and white collar crime unit of the Lake County State’s Attorney’s Office, has seen the explosive growth of crime associated with the internet.