A recent article found here explains how difficult access to e-mails or "digital assets" can be after death. Evidence can "lurk" in e-mails and such "assets". Where are your passwords stored? Philip J. Berenz, CPA, JD - Exclusive invitation and selected! Proud and honored to be a member! The National Trial Lawyers: Top 100 an invitation-only organization composed of the premier trial lawyers from each state in the Read More
Chicago Trial Attorney: Personal Injury & Business Litigation
Exclusive invitation and selected! Proud and honored to be a member! The National Trial Lawyers: Top 100 an invitation-only organization composed of the premier trial lawyers from each state in the nation who meet stringent qualifications as civil plaintiff and/or criminal defense trial lawyers. Selection is based on a thorough multi-phase process which includes peer nominations combined with third-party research. Read More
Chicago Trial Attorney: Personal Injury & Business Litigation: The Reality of Pain due to Personal Injury and “Pain” (aka “Damages”) due from Bad Business Deals, Fraud and The Like
We have probably all experienced some sort of pain - physically, emotionally and what can easily be called "pain" from a business or personal perspective when money is lost in a business deal. We can call this "business pain" or "business damages". Obviously, real, physical and emotional (or mental) pain cannot literally be "equated" with the business pain. One truly hurts the body and/or mind. The other hurts mainly Read More
Chicago Trial Attorney: Personal Injury & Business Litigation: The Reality of Pain due to Personal Injury and “Pain” (aka “Damages”) due from Bad Business Deals, Fraud and The Like
We have probably all experienced some sort of pain - physically, emotionally and what can easily be called "pain" from a business or personal perspective when money is lost in a business deal. We can call this "business pain" or "business damages". Obviously, real, physical and emotional (or mental) pain cannot literally be "equated" with the business pain. One truly hurts the body and/or mind. The other hurts mainly Read More
Chicago Trial Attorney: Personal Injury & Business Litigation: Workers Compensation Law — An Introduction to Rule 19(b) Petition
Another unique factor involved in workers compensation cases that differs significantly from your typical personal injury lawsuit is that workers comp claims are occasionally "accepted," which is essentially where the employer's insurance company admits that there has been a valid work injury and agrees to pay benefits -- something to the effect of a first step forward on the path to an eventual settlement. But what Read More
Chicago Trial Attorney: Personal Injury & Business Litigation: Workers Compensation Law — Why All the Red Tape?
One of the interesting things about workers compensation law is that, unlike certain areas of civil law such as auto accidents or medical malpractice, for instance, that come down to case-by-case factual determinations, it seems as though a great majority of the facets, nuances, and "ins and outs" of this area is regulated and spelled out in the text of the law. From a practical standpoint, this is due in large part Read More
Chicago Trial Attorney: Personal Injury & Business Litigation: Workers Compensation Law — An Introduction to Independent Medical Examination
When it comes to personal injury disputes that are filed in court, one of the most common things that the average person tends to hate about the process is the persistent "finger pointing" and attempts to "discredit" the other side. This tends to rear its head most often when it comes to medical opinions -- one side comes up with a doctor that says the plaintiff is hurt, the other side comes up with a doctor that Read More
Chicago Trial Attorney: Personal Injury & Business Litigation: Workers Compensation Law — Personal Injury Lawsuit or Workers Comp Claim — Where Do I Draw the Line?
Being injured on the job is one of the most stressful things that can happen to the average American. Navigating the unique legal and procedural area of Workers' Compensation law -- a figurative "island unto itself" -- is a rather daunting task that requires a great deal of expertise and compassion. In order to understand this area of the law, it is perhaps most useful, as is the case with most things in life, to Read More
Chicago Trial Attorney: Personal Injury and Business Litigation: The Power of Subpoenas
The fact finding process in civil cases is known as "discovery" -- that is, where you can ask the other side to turn over any document or other piece of evidence/information in their possession that might have some bearing on your case (provided that you ask for it in fairly descriptive terms). Many litigants make the mistake of stopping their focus after obtaining discovery -- once they've gathered everything they Read More
Chicago Trial Attorney: Personal Injury and Business Litigation: Attorney-Client Privilege
Conversations and communications between you and your attorney are covered by what is known as the attorney-client privilege. Privilege attaches to such conversations and communications so that you and your lawyer can freely discuss your matters without being judged and without hesitation, amongst other reasons. To be entitled to the protection of the attorney-client privilege, a claimant must show that: (1) a Read More
