Briefs

LEGAL ADVICE AT NO CÕST

Posted on 12. Jul, 2011 by citizen in Briefs

CHICAGO—The Chicago Bar Association (CBA) Lawyer Referral Service will host its next monthly Call-A-Lawyer program on Saturday, July 16 from 9 a.m. to noon. Volunteer attomeys will give free legal advice over the phòne to Chicagoland residents who call (312) 554-2001.

Attorneys will be available to answer general questions on a variety of legal issues including Adoption Law, Domestic Relations, Corporate Law, Estate Planning and Computer Law.

Callers can explain their situation to an attorney who will then suggest self-help strategies to resolve their legal issues. If callers need further legal services, they will be advised to see their attorney or to contact the CBA Lawyer Referral Service.

The CBA Lawyer Referral Service is one of few bar associations in the country to meet the American Bar Association Standards for lawyer referral and approved to use its logo and slogan, The Right Call for the Right Lawyer. For referral to an experienced attorney, the public can contact
the CBA Lawyer Referral Service at 312-554-2001 during business hours or through the Web site at www.chicagobar.org.

Location Privacy Legislation Introduced in House and Senate

Posted on 21. Jun, 2011 by citizen in Briefs

A bill was introduced recently both in the House and Senate that would protect Americans’ geolocation data from being obtained by law enforcement without a warrant. Geolocation, or tracking, data is used to locate individuals and can be derived from GPS devices or cellphones – even when turned off. These devices hold detailed information on Americans’ locations, and gathering that information without any warrants or oversight is currently a pervasive law enforcement practice.

The bill, the Geolocation Privacy and Surveillance Act, which was introduced by Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah), would protect both historical and real-time location data. It would also mandate that private telecommunications companies obtain their customers’ consent before collecting location data.

“Whether they realize it or not, Americans are carrying tracking devices with them wherever they go. Whether they visit a therapist, liquor store, church or gun range, Americans’ activities are often available to law enforcement in real-time or even months after the fact,” said Laura W. Murphy, director of the American Civil Liberties Union Washington Legislative Office in a recent press release:

“Tracking our locations and movements without warrants or probable cause is a massive privacy violation. With unclear standards to regulate the collection of this information, our Fourth Amendment rights are left largely unprotected. This bill is a welcome step toward guarding some of our most private information and we hope both the House and Senate make its passage a priority,” she said.

Justice Department Meets “The Wire”

Posted on 07. Jun, 2011 by citizen in Briefs

Posted May 31, 2011
Justice Department Meets “The Wire”: Attorney General Eric Holder, left, was joined by three stars from HBO’s poignant drama “The Wire” in Washington, D.C., at the Justice Department, during a panel discussion to launch a new public awareness campaign, addressing the challenges faced by children and families affected by drug abuse and its tragic toll on children and families.
The three actors – Wendell Pierce, second from left, Sonja Sohn, second from right, and Jim True-Frost, right – starred in the “The Wire”, which was set in Baltimore and depicted the effects of the drug scene through the eyes of drug dealers and law enforcement.
“Protecting youth from exposure to drug abuse is a key priority for this department, and we are unwavering in our commitment to raising awareness about this vital mission and continuing our efforts to assist the most vulnerable victims of the illicit drug industry,” Holder said.
Last year, the Justice Department established the Drug Endangered Children Task Force to help the millions of children living in drug environments.

My home phone number has been registered with the donotcall.gov site for several years, yet I still receive calls from companies trying to sell me something. I’ve reported the calls but nothing seems to help. Is there anything more I can do?

Posted on 07. Jun, 2011 by citizen in Briefs

Unfortunately, scam artists don’t seem to care if you’re registered. The Federal Trade Commission has filed lawsuits against many of the violators and won a number of cases. Your best bet is to continue to report offenders to the Do Not Call site.

I’m considering small claims court as a way to resolve my dispute with someone who owes me money. Will I need a lawyer?

It is totally your choice. In small claims court, you can handle your personal or business legal matters without an attorney. If, however, the other party has an attorney, you may want one as well to improve your chances of winning the case.

If you have a legal question for a future column, send it to illinoislawcolumn@isba.org.

Note: This information was prepared as a public service by the Illinois State Bar Association and is a joint project with the Illinois Press Association. Its purpose is to inform citizens of their legal rights and obligations and does not constitute legal advice. For questions about a particular legal question, please consult your lawyer.

Black Pioneers In Law Enhance Firm’s Practice

Posted on 31. May, 2011 by citizen in Briefs

A. Martin Wickliff, Jr., Alton J. Hall, Jr., and 12 lawyers from the Houston office of Epstein Becker Green Wickliff & Hall have joined Cozen O’Connor, a full-service litigation and business law firm with more than 550 attorneys practicing in 22 offices throughout the United States and in Toronto and London. Wickliff and Hall previously founded the largest minority-owned law firm in the state of Texas and are two of the country’s leading practitioners in labor, employment, energy, and environmental law, including litigation and trials.

Their team enhances Cozen O’Connor’s presence in Texas, where the firm has offices in Houston and Dallas, and brings a high-profile roster of major business clients to its nationally recognized labor and employment group and commercial litigation practice. It also strengthens Cozen O’Connor’s capacity to serve energy and public utility clients in the geographic heart of that vital economic sector.

Martin Wickliff and Alton Hall joined together in practice more than two decades ago as Wickliff & Hall and then became part of Epstein Becker & Green in 2002. Not only are Mr. Wickliff and Mr. Hall litigators and trial lawyers, they are also pioneers in Texas as founders of the state’s first African-American-owned law firm that represents major corporate clients. They provide civil defense counsel to Fortune 500 companies, local entrepreneurs, and public, government, nonprofit, and charitable organizations. Key practices include labor and employment, energy, environmental, public utility law, and litigation. The team that they lead is also highly respected for civic and community service.

Apartment Buildings Can Get Funds To Go Smoke-Free

Posted on 24. May, 2011 by citizen in Briefs

CHICAGO (AP) – Owners of apartment buildings and other multi-unit residences in Chicago are getting an incentive to go smoke-free.

The Chicago Tobacco Prevention Project has announced grants of up to $10,000 to create smoke-free policies in these buildings. The idea is to reduce exposure to secondhand smoke.

The money can be used to update leases and other legal documents and for educating residents. It also can fund resources for tenants who want to quit smoking.

A recent survey found nearly half of Chicago renters would be more likely to rent in a smoke-free building, and 32 percent would be willing to pay more to live in a smoke-free building.

The Respiratory Health Association of Metropolitan Chicago runs the tobacco prevention project.

Grant applications are available at ChicagoSmokefreeHousing.org. There’s a June 15 deadline.

Associated Press text, photo and/or graphic material shall not be published, broadcast, rewritten for broadcast or publication or redistributed directly or indirectly in any medium. Neither these AP Materials nor any portion thereof may be stored in a computer except for personal and non-commercial use. The AP will not be held liable for any delays, inaccuracies, errors or omissions therefrom or in the transmission or delivery of all or any part thereof or for any damages arising from any of the foregoing.

Report: Limit Searches of Electronic Devices

Posted on 24. May, 2011 by citizen in Briefs

by Pete Yost

WASHINGTON (AP) – Travelers carry so much personal information on laptops, computer disks and smartphones that routine searches of electronic devices at the nation’s borders are too intrusive now, in the view of a bipartisan panel that includes a Republican conservative who once headed border security.

A report released recently by The Constitution Project, a bipartisan legal think tank, recommended that the Homeland Security Department discontinue its policy of searching electronic devices without a reasonable suspicion of wrongdoing.

From Oct. 1, 2008, to June 2, 2010, over 6,500 people almost half of them U.S. citizens had electronic devices searched at the border, the report found.

“Technology is developing so much more quickly and the law needs to catch up,” Sharon Bradford Franklin, The Constitution Project’s senior policy counsel, said in a recent interview. Franklin said safeguards could be instituted administratively without additional legislation.

DHS is responsible for protecting the border but must do so in a way that doesn’t harm the lawful flow of commerce, said Asa Hutchinson, a former Republican congressman from Arkansas who was DHS undersecretary for border and transportation security during President George W. Bush’s administration. Hutchinson was one of 19 experts who developed the report.

“I don’t want anything to diminish security, but some business travelers have had their laptops held for months on end and a reasonable suspicion requirement for U.S. persons is a proper balance,” said Hutchinson, who also headed the Drug Enforcement Administration during Bush’s presidency.

DHS spokesman Matt Chandler said searches of laptops and other electronic media are used in limited circumstances “to ensure that dangerous people and unlawful goods do not enter our country.” He said the department has explained the searches, their privacy impact and the policies behind them clearly to the public.

Laptops and other electronic devices may be subject to searches for violations of law such as child pornography, narcotics smuggling, ties to terrorism or other criminal activity. DHS says less than 1/10th of 1 percent of travelers are subjected to laptop computer searches.

The result: growing tension between Fourth Amendment guarantees against unreasonable search and seizure and the border searches that historically had been viewed as a narrow exception to its requirements, the report concluded.

The Constitution Project found that “suspicionless” border searches open the doors to racial or religious profiling and cited a report in 2008 by the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service.

“If a customs official could conduct a search without providing cause, it would be difficult to deter ethnic profiling because the official would not need to explain why he conducted the search,” the CRS report said.

Learn Your Rights

Posted on 17. May, 2011 by citizen in Briefs

Learn your rights, responsibilities and the resources you have as Attorney Kathleen Curtin discusses legal protections for tenants impacted by foreclosure. The event is free and open to the Public and will take place on May 17 from 9:30 – 11:30 am at Metropolitan Family Services Calumet, which is located on 235 E. 103d Street in Chicago. For questions or to RSVP, contact Virginia Boiler at 773-371-3628 or email her at bollerv@metrofamily.org. You can also call the intake line at 773-371-3642. The event is being sponsored by the Senior Homeowners Program of Metropolitan Family Services Calumet in collaboration with the Legal Aid Bureau of Metropolitan Family Services and is funded in part by the Chicago Department of Housing and Economic Development.

Burglary Killing – NH Jury To Hear Admitted Killer’ Admit His Crimes

Posted on 24. Mar, 2011 by admin in Briefs

NASHUA, N.H. (AP) – Jurors in a deadly New Hampshire home invasion and machete attack trial are listening to recordings of the admitted killer denying his role in the crime.

Twenty-one-year-old Christopher Gribble says he hacked to death Kimberly Cates and thought he had killed her 11-year-old daughter. But he is trying to convince jurors he is not guilty by reason of insanity.

On Tuesday, jurors heard three hours of a taped interrogation of Gribble by police the day after the 2009 home invasion. During that segment, Gribble denies any involvement in the crimes.

As court opened Wednesday, Gribble continued to deny involvement. It is later in the interrogation that Gribble realized investigators had more information and he gave them a detailed account of the attack and the planning that led up to it.

Immigration Bill Remains Stalled In Kansas House

Posted on 24. Mar, 2011 by admin in Briefs

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) – The Kansas House has refused to schedule a debate on a bill that would require law enforcement officers to check the legal status of people they suspect of being in the country illegally.

The vote Wednesday was 84-40 against pulling the measure from the House Judiciary Committee, where it has been tabled.

The measure’s provisions on policing mirror a law enacted in Arizona last year. Critics say it would lead to racial profiling, something supporters dispute.

The bill also would require state agencies and contractors to make a good faith effort to check the status of their workers by using the federal E-Verify program.

Supporters of the measure say Kansans want action on illegal immigration. Opponents say the bill would be burdensome for businesses and local governments.

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