Monday 5 March 2012

Does Your Business Require a Chicago Corporate Lawyer?


Businesses of all sizes need legal help from time to time, including corporations. Does your company need the help of a skilled Chicago corporate lawyer ? Actually, even if you don’t think so, the answer is yes. However, that doesn’t mean you have to hire an in-house attorney. You can work with a skilled expert on an as-needed basis and find significant benefits. What might a corporate lawyer offer you, though?

Conversion Considerations
There are many situations in which a business might need to change their entity type. For instance, you might decide that you want to take advantage of tax benefits by incorporating. A Chicago corporate lawyer will be able to help you with business entity conversion and ensure that everything is done correctly. 

Mergers and Acquisitions
As a firm grows, there will come a point when it is advisable to merge with another firm or acquire another business. This is a very complex process and must be done correctly from the outset in order to avoid any legal issues. A good Chicago corporate lawyer will be able to provide you with everything you need during mergers and acquisitions, regardless of the scope or type of merger or acquisition in question.

Franchise Taxation
Tax regulation compliance is vital for businesses. Uncle Sam does more than just frown on those who are outside the bounds set by regulations – he can cause some serious problems. In order to ensure that you are adhering to tax law and to reduce your tax burden as much as possible through legal means, you should work with a skilled corporate tax attorney.

As you can see, working with a Chicago corporate lawyer can offer some significant advantages. There are many other areas where such a legal expert can help as well, including business continuation planning, shareholder agreements and regulated industry compliance.

Wednesday 25 January 2012

Don’t Go to Court without Help from an Illinois DUI Lawyer



The Illinois government takes DUI cases very seriously. You can face some very serious repercussions from DUI charges, including losing your driver’s license completely. Given the seriousness of these charges, it’s vital that Chicago DUI attorneys represent you in court. Of course, there are a few things that you’ll need to know before hiring an attorney for your case.

The Best Time to Call

Many people think that waiting to call an Illinois DUI lawyer until they have been released on bail is the best option. This is incorrect. You need to have a skilled DUI attorney on your case from the moment you can make a phone call. In fact, your first call should be to your attorney and no one else. There are numerous ways in which your attorney can begin working for you right away and some of them can even result in your case being thrown out of court.

Protecting Your Rights from the Beginning

DUI is certainly a serious crime, but in their zealousness to uphold the law and protect people from drunk drivers, officers occasionally make mistakes. For instance, the office might have had insufficient reason to pull you over in the first place. The officer might have made an error in judgment or the breathalyzer might have been calibrated incorrectly. All of these situations can result in your case being dismissed without you having to go to court. Of course, you’ll need Chicago DUI lawyers to help determine if any of these situations were present during your arrest.   

Losing Your License

If you do not have expert representation during your trail, losing your license is not only possible, but highly likely. However, with skilled Chicago DUI attorneys on your side, you can mount the best defense and give yourself the best chance for a positive outcome.

Wednesday 4 January 2012

Steps to Choosing the Best Chicago Probate Attorney


The process of handling a will or estate is incredibly complex. It’s not a simple matter of following the last wishes of the decedent. Rather, it’s a convoluted process during which assets must be inventoried, the will validated and creditors contacted. For will executors and estate administrators, this can be an incredible headache. Working with a Chicago probate attorney is an essential consideration and can help save time, frustration and ensure that the wishes of the decedent are carried out as closely as possible.


Qualities to Look for in aProbate Lawyer in Chicago

If you are a trust administrator or will executor, you’re going to need help. However, you will need to make sure that you choose the right probate attorney. The first thing you need to ensure is that the attorney you choose has experience in dealing with estates similar to yours. For example, an attorney who only has experience handling very small estates would probably not be the best choice in a very large estate with lots of assets and beneficiaries.

Handling Creditors

An important part of executing a will is satisfying creditors before allocating assets to beneficiaries. You need to ensure that any probate lawyer in Chicago that you choose has experience in dealing with creditors correctly, maximizing the amount of money left over after taxation, and creditors have been satisfied for the beneficiaries. 

Expediting the Process

The most important consideration when hiring a Chicago probate attorney is to ensure that you choose a professional capable of expediting the process. Estates and wills hung up in probate run up significant additional costs – expediency is vital here. Consider the attorney’s experience, reputation and record of accomplishment when it comes to speed of litigation, handling creditors and ensuring the fairest possible distribution of assets.