Criminal Defense
25
Apr
During life people all make mistakes or errors in judgement. Some of these errors can have lasting impact on our lives going further, especially those instances which result in a criminal record. An individual may want to move beyond this past history and seek to clean up their criminal record. There could be several reasons […]
24
Mar
Today our co-founding attorney Jonathan James was successful in arguing a preliminary hearing on behalf of our client in Stephenson County. In Illinois, before the State may proceed on felony charges, it must first have a probable cause determination hearing. The State has the option of either empaneling a grand jury or conducting a preliminary […]
01
Mar
Today, one of our founding attorneys, Jonathan James, was able to secure a directed verdict after a jury trial in Stephenson County. Our client was charged with resisting or obstructing a peace officer. The arresting officer claimed that our client had obstructed a completely separate investigation after a traffic stop spilled over into our client’s […]
15
Dec
The volumes that make up criminal law statutes are exhaustive. Daily, depending on the jurisdiction, criminal law changes. It can be scary if you find yourself involved in a criminal case. You’ll be comforted to learn that many cases do not make it to trial. For example, in the fiscal year of 2018, while roughly […]
13
Aug
We hear it in movies and on TV all the time, but what is probable cause and why is it important? Probable cause is the burden of proof that a police officer must meet prior to placing someone under arrest or performing a search. The reason it is important is if a police officer arrests […]
09
Jun
In Illinois, everyone charged with a criminal offense has a right to have their case set for a trail, either in front of a judge, referred to as a bench trail, or a jury. At a jury trial, it is twelve persons from the community that decide the question of guilt or innocence, whereas at […]
06
Jan
Every January 1st in Illinois brings with it, cold temperatures, heavy snow, and usually a ton of new laws on the books. However, because 2020 was like no other year, only a handful of laws will go into effect on 1/1/21. In contrast, in January of 2020, more than 200 laws and policies went into […]
24
Aug
Many people spend their entire lives without having any interaction with the police. However, one of the most common places a person will encounter a member of law enforcement is on the road while behind the wheel of their car. Whether you are a teenage driver who just got their license or an experienced driver […]
05
Aug
Today our founding Attorney Jonathan James finished a three day class 2 felony jury trial. Our client was charged with two counts of aggravated battery against two different police officers. There were eight total witnesses called during the trial which including several law enforcement officers. If found guilty, our client would have faced 3-7 years […]
01
Jun
Winnebago and Boone County Courthouses For the last couple of months, the Winnebago and Boone County Courthouses have been operating on a reduced traffic schedule to combat the spread of COVID-19. During that time, the court was only allowing essential cases to be heard and all other matters were continued. As of today, the 17th […]