Cook County Lawyers

There are over 40,000 practicing lawyers in Cook County - more than in the rest of the state combined. This number includes attorneys specializing in practically all conceivable types of law, in a variety of settings. Below is a bit more information on where and how these lawyers operate and some of the biggest practice areas. Key Locations The Daley Center is the main courthouse for Cook County; it is also the courthouse for the County's 1st District. Most civil cases and traffic cases are held inside, along with many other suits. There are 5 other Cook County Districts, each with its own courthouse. The courthouses are in the following locations: Skokie (2nd District), Rolling Meadows (3rd District), Maywood (4th District), Bridgeview (5th District) and Markham (6th District). If you live in the suburbs, your case may be heard your local district courthouse, but many claims are still heard at the Daley Center, in particular most of those involving over $100,000.

It is best to hire an attorney who has experience both with your specific legal issue and familiarity with the courthouse where your case has been filed. In addition to understanding your case, this type of lawyer may know some of the judges and attorneys who you will be dealing with during your lawsuit. This lawyer will be best equipped to present your case in a way that gives you the best chance of winning.

Payment Lawyers in Cook County vary widely in the amount and types of fees that they charge for their services. Some lawyers work on contingency which means you don't have to pay any fee to the lawyer unless he or she gets a financial award or settlement for you. The lawyer will then earn a percentage of the monetary amount, often 30%. Certain areas of law are not allowed to be taken on contingency, though, such as criminal and divorce cases. Lawyers working on these cases will probably charge a retainer, which is the fee to officially hire the lawyer. You will most likely also pay an hourly rate for the time the lawyer spends working on your case, although sometimes you can negotiate to pay a flat fee for all of the legal work up front. The amount of the retainer and hourly fee will depend on the law firm the lawyer works for and what type of case you have.

Personal Injury Most lawsuits arising out of accidents, like car accidents or slip-and-fall cases, are personal injury suits. These cases are also known as tort cases. Tort cases are assigned to two Divisions in Cook County, Law Division and Civil Division. Tort cases for more than $30,000 are assigned to the Law Division and are usually heard at the Daley Center, although smaller cases may be heard in the suburban District courthouses. Smaller cases are assigned to the Civil Division. These smaller cases usually end up in arbitration where the parties try to reach an agreement that works for both sides.

Criminal In criminal cases, you will always be opposing the government in your case, and you may face jail time if you lose. Criminal cases are heard in all 6 of the Cook County District courthouses, and in additional Cook County courthouses as well. For instance, most felony cases (like murder or weapons charges) occur at the courthouse located at 26th Street & California. These cases are the most serious and most likely to result in jail time. Lesser criminal charges are typically held in the nearest District courthouse. As with all practice areas, it is very important to hire an attorney who has won cases involving the same crime you are charged with in Cook County, in order to try to avoid penalties.

Medical Malpractice Almost all medical malpractice cases in Cook County are filed at the Daley Center. Most Cook County attorneys that specialize in medical malpractice are located in Chicago as a result, but will work with individuals from throughout Illinois.

Worker's Compensation All workers' compensation claims are heard at the Illinois Workers' Compensation Commission which is located in the Thompson Center. The Thompson Center is located in downtown Chicago, near the Daley Center. This is true if you are injured on the job in Cook County, or you are injured working outside Cook County but your company is based here or you were hired here. Again, most lawyers in this area practice out of Chicago due to its proximity to the Thompson Center, but they will work will all clients who need their services.

Divorce and Family Law Divorce cases can be heard at the courthouses in Chicago, Skokie, Rolling Meadows, Markham and Maywood. However, the Daley center is the main divorce courthouse and hears the most cases. The location of the divorce proceedings is determined by the person who originally files the case; however the other party can apply to have the case transferred to another courthouse. Divorce and family law attorneys are located throughout Cook County.

Probate All Cook County probate (will, trust and estate issues) are heard at the Daley Center, this includes people who were residents of Cook County when they passed away, even if their family members don't live in the area. Many Cook County probate lawyers are located in Chicago, but some will practice out of suburban locations and travel into Daley Center when necessary.

35,000+ lawyers in Chicago, why can't I find a Chicago legal malpractice lawyer?

Are they protecting each other? Is there some sort of stigma in the legal community if you take legal malpractice cases? Perhaps. A lot of attorneys handle legal malpractice cases but they don't advertise it, while at the same time, they will heavily promote their legal malpractice work. One reason is that they may have a conflict of interest with the lawyer you want to sue. For example, the attorney you want to hire may already be representing an attorney at the same firm as the attorney you want to sue. The attorney you want to hire cannot represent an attorney at a firm and then sue another attorney at the same firm. Lawyers must adhere to an ethical code in Illinois and many are reluctant to enter any area that may even be a shade of grey because the risks are too great, including fines, suspension and even disbarment. Another reason is that the legal community in Chicago is an active one. Lawyers come together in court, at bar association meetings and even at social events. They interact with each other regularly through work and outside of work. Many do not want to jeopardize that camaraderie and that alone may make finding someone to handle your legal malpractice case a challenge, but not impossible if you have a solid case. Having a solid case is the main reason many lawyers do not advertise their legal malpractice work. They don't want to run the risk of being flooded with calls from dissatisfied clients whose lawyer did a poor job, but who can't prove economic harm or enough of a financial loss to make it worth pursuing. In a legal malpractice case, you have to prove that the plaintiff would have had a substantially better result in his case if the lawyer had not performed so inadequately. Even if the attorney's mistake is plain to see, you still have to prove causation. You have to show that the reason you lost your case was not because of any other factor, but the direct result of your attorney's error. Also, payment in legal malpractice cases is on a contingency basis, which means you do not pay by the hour but, rather, your attorney gets a portion of whatever you recover. On the flip side, your attorney gets nothing if you recover nothing. Therefore, the risk is huge for the attorney taking on such a case and so your case has to be worth taking. This means your damages have to be quite high and your case has to have a good chance of winning. There are 35,000+ lawyers in Chicago and there are many attorneys who will take a legal malpractice case - even if they don't advertise it. But, your case has to be solid and worth their time and expense. To find out more visit http://www.findgreatlawyers.com/LegalMalpractice.htm

Need Legal Assistance for an Accident? Just Ask for a Chicago Personal Injury Lawyer

Injury lawyers are always ready to fight for their clients who have been injured or wounded in an on-the-job mishap because of the carelessness of others. Injury lawyers safeguard their clients' lawful privileges and can even get compensation through litigation.

Chicago personal injury attorneys can help their clients understand their legal rights. When a person is injured while working, then it is important that he or she knows about his/her legal rights.

An individual's physical and financial security is destroyed when he/she is injured while working. So, under these circumstances, one should opt for intelligent and knowledgeable accident or injury lawyers.

If a person gets hurt while working at his/her workplace, he or she could qualify for workers' reimbursement. This can include reimbursement for medical expenses and lost wages. In the workplace, a person may face different health risks. Hence, compensation is necessary.

Different compensations methods are permanent wage- loss benefits, lump-sum cash payments, and professional retraining or re-schooling.

During the preliminary phases of a personal injury suit, it is easy to commit blunders or mistakes. One needs to quickly seek help from expert personal injury attorney.

The major kinds of personal injury cases handled by Chicago personal injury attorneys include products liability, dog bites, slip and fall, medical malpractice, railroad accidents, motorcycle accidents, pedestrian accidents and nursing home abuse, car accidents, etc.

Chicago Title Suit Warns Lawyers About Relying on Title Reports

An unusual lawsuit filed against a veteran New Jersey real estate attorney by a major title insurance company has caused fellow practitioners to sit up and take notice.

Although the suit was dismissed and it appears that the defendant attorney, Albert Birchwale, did nothing wrong, the Chicago Title Insurance Co. malpractice claim points to a possible pitfall for unwary practitioners in unrelated transactions, reports the New Jersey Law Journal.

Relying on a clean bill of health for a Cliffside Park six-unit apartment building from both a current and former title report, Birchwale helped a client close on the purchase of the building. However, unbeknownst to everyone involved in the transaction, a previous seller had failed to pay estate tax on the building, the legal publication recounts.

Chicago Title contended in the now-dismissed suit that Birchwale should have noted in the title report that a prior sale within the past 10 years was an estate and looked for definitive documentation from the Internal Revenue Service that estate tax had been paid by the previous seller.

Such IRS documentation reportedly did not exist in this case: The previous seller, who has been accused of fraud, allegedly certified himself that no estate tax was due on the property.

Chicago Transit Authority's Blue Line Disrupted By Car Crash

Expressway jumped the retaining wall and landed on the railroad tracks, where it was struck by an oncoming train.

The driver of the car was able to exit the vehicle before it was hit by the oncoming CTA train. Seven of the thirty passengers riding in the train were injured. Two passengers in another vehicle involved in the collision were also injured and treated at local hospitals.

Blue line ser