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In this episode we learn about the history, background and plans of Jennifer Banek, candidate for coroner. She aims to promote awareness of health issues as the coroner, including spotlighting issues like the opioid crisis, ethylene oxide, gun control and vaping.   The post Episode 99: Jennifer Banek | Coroner Candidate appeared first on Robert A Monahan.

Join Mary Ellen Vanderventer and her Chief Deputy, Cynthia Pruim-Haran, as we discuss with her what the Lake County Recorder’s Office does and how it helps the Lake County Community! In the Lake County Recorder’s Office, there are over 7 million documents — mostly relating to real property, like homes, or buildings, or land. The office is responsible for holding those documents for title searches (to ensure that a seller has “clear title” to the land he is selling) OR recording liens from workers, materials suppliers or public taxing bodies OR other activities. If you are ever concerned about whether your property has liens on it that you may not know about, Mary Ellen Vanderventer has started a service called “Property Check,” that can help you discover any unwanted activity on what is probably the biggest asset of any family.   The post Episode 96: Lake County Recorder Mary Ellen Vanderventer appeared first on Robert A Monahan.

What can you expect when you see a lawyer to draft your will? How much do you need to prepare? What documents do you need to bring? Join us as we discuss estate planning with Attorney Julie Kolodziej, of The Matlin Law Group, in Northbrook, who has been doing estate planning for nearly 20 years. During our episode, we talk about what led Julie to begin estate planning, the typical documents in a plan (and what happens if you don’t have them), and then we address the concerns that a typical family might have when they begin to plan their estate. The post Episode 95: Estate Planning with Julie Kolodziej appeared first on Robert A Monahan.

Join Everyday Law and Lake County Treasurer David Stolman, as we discuss what the Treasurer’s Office is, what it does for Lake County, and what challenges it has faced over the last few years — especially with regard to the changes in the tax code regarding the property tax deduction! The post Episode 92: Lake County Treasurer David Stolman appeared first on Robert A Monahan.

While our leadership garners all of the headlines, could the problems of the country really result from The US Constitution? Has The Constitution stopped working? Join Attorney Matt Stanton and I as we discuss how the Constitution developed, fortifying the weaknesses of the prior Articles of Confederation; and whether its very structure is preventing us from confronting our current, pressing issues — such as the monopoly power of the tech industry, the bank-bailouts, the aftermath of the Great Recession, and immigration reform.   The post Episode 91: Are We in a Constitutional Crisis? appeared first on Robert A Monahan.

Join Everyday Law as we discuss accident reconstruction with Sgt. Andrew Thomas of the McHenry County Sheriff’s Office. Sergeant Andrew Thomas works for the McHenry County Sheriff’s Office. He also does accident investigation and reconstruction through his own company, Collision Analytics, LLC, (collisionanalyticsllc.com), for accidents outside McHenry County. In addition to his job for McHenry County and his business, Thomas teaches classes in accident investigation and reconstruction at the Northwestern University Center for Public Safety. Thomas originally started studying architecture in college but changed majors after a good friend suffered serious injuries from an automobile crash. This event led him to study criminal justice at Western Illinois University. While a college student, Thomas worked for the McHenry County Sheriff’s Office. He obtained full-time employment with McHenry County after he finished his education. Thomas started as a patrol deputy and later was assigned to crash investigation. He took further coursework in crash investigation and accident reconstruction at the Northwestern Center for Public Safety. His experience, education and interest in this subject led to starting his own business and teaching about the subject at Northwestern. Law enforcement personnel learn about crash investigation and accident reconstruction not only to know who is at fault and who gets the ticket; a bigger issue is transportation safety. County and state agencies study and analyze local traffic accident reports to look at issues of engineering of roadways, vehicle safety and driver behavior like distracted driving. Law enforcement personnel first learn about accident investigation. They learn to collect and document the physical evidence. This evidence includes the vehicles, the environment or scene of the accident and the people involved in the accident and any witnesses. Accident reconstruction follows accident investigation and takes all of the physical evidence and determines how the accident occurred. Accident Investigation and reconstruction is always evolving. One aspect of documenting an accident scene might be measuring skid marks to calculate velocity of vehicles. However, with the advent of ABS (anti-lock braking system) in most cars, heavy skid marks on roadways are a thing of the past. A different technological advance in autos that assists in accident investigation is the “black box” or event data recorder for air bag systems. These recorders were installed in autos to help manufacturers understand how well the air bags were working. An additional benefit to investigators and reconstructionists is the data recorded by these recorders. These recorders, when activated, can be a valuable source of information about what the driver was doing moments before the crash. These recorders record data regarding speed, braking, throttle, steering wheel angle and the severity of the crash. Thomas’ passion for accident investigation and reconstruction leads him to do as much as research and investigation as possible in this field through his work with the McHenry County Sheriff’s Office, his business and teaching. He derives satisfaction from his work especially in the case of serious or fatal accidents where his investigative work can provide answers and understanding as to why an accident occurred. He currently finds distracted driving to be one of the toughest issues for law enforcement.   The post Episode 90: Accident Reconstruction with Sgt. Andrew Thomas appeared first on Robert A Monahan.

Join Everyday Law as we speak to LaTonya Burton and Renea Amen of Bur-Men Law Group. Together, they handle criminal defense, divorce and civil rights cases. The post Episode 88: Bur-Men Law Group | Criminal Defense | Divorce | Civil Rights appeared first on Robert A Monahan.

Join us as we hop into the way back machine for a revisit of our first episode ever of Everyday Law — on car accidents! The post Episode 87: Car Accidents appeared first on Robert A Monahan.

Jack Mardoian is a Lake County tax and estate attorney, who joined us on Everyday Law to break down The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017. The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 was passed to fulfill a Republican campaign promise of tax reform and simplification. The last time that the tax code was overhauled in a major way was in 1986. However, as with many campaign promises, simplification is rarely simple. Changes to Deductions and Exemptions The changes to the tax code have resulted in changes to deductions and exemptions. For individuals, the standard deduction has been doubled, which will result in fewer people itemizing their tax return. However, some previous deductions have also been eliminated such as alternative minimum tax, SALT (state and local tax deductions), other miscellaneous deductions as well as a cap on property tax deductions. Under the 2017 Act, some individuals will benefit from the changes while others will not. Changes to Alimony (or Maintenance) Another area affected by the 2017 Act is family law. Changes affecting maintenance (alimony) under the 2017 Act will not actually go into effect until 2019. These changes affect taxable income and deductions. An important distinction is that even a maintenance plan put into place under the old tax law can be affected if it is modified in the future under the 2019 changes. Who Is Jack Mardoian and What Is His Background? Attorney Mardoian grew up in Waukegan, where his father ran a grocery and wholesale business. His parents valued higher education and encouraged him to attend law school. Mardoian’s first job was as an estate and gift tax attorney for the IRS. He really enjoyed this work and gained an expertise in tax law. Mardoian then worked in the corporate arena as an international tax attorney. In 1987, Mardoian left corporate work and opened up his own law firm. Initially, his practice dealt in tax law, but his practice has evolved to include probate and estate work. Jack Mardoian’s office is located in Lake Bluff and he can be reached by telephone at (847) 295-4100. The post Episode 86: The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 with Jack Mardoian appeared first on Robert A Monahan.

What happens to your property if you die without a will? If you don’t have a will, the government has a will for you. What happens to your property is determined by your state’s laws of “intestacy.” In our case, let’s talk about Illinois, where the rules of intestacy are found in the Illinois Probate Act, 755 ILCS 5/2 (Article II – Descent and Distribution). These are the default rules that the government thinks that the average, ordinary person would want to have happen to their property upon their death. And having a will is a way of contracting out of default rules. An Example of Intestacy In Action Here’s a concrete example, if you are married with children, and you die, and are survived by your spouse and children, then Illinois’ laws of intestacy will provide that your surviving spouse get a 50% share of your estate; and your children get the other 50% of your estate; because that is what the Illinois lawmakers imagine that a typical person would want. Not having a will, and relying on intestacy rules to provide the outcome you want can be very risky! Let’s say that you are indeed married with children. And let’s further suppose that your home is in your name alone, because when you purchased it, your credit score was better than the credit score of your spouse. If you die, your home becomes a probate asset. Further, if you die without a will, that home’s disposition is governed by the laws of intestacy — which means that it does not go directly to your spouse. Instead, your spouse gets 50% of your home, but your minor children get the other 50% of it. That can cause all sorts of problems with respect to ownership, guardianship, etc. Get A Will To Avoid Intestacy So that’s the point — If you don’t have a Will, the government steps in, with their own rules of intestacy — which might not reflect what you, or indeed anyone, would want to have happen to their property or their loved ones. So in a big picture sense, your Will gives control to you – instead of to the State government. Five Things to Know Before Using LegalZoom If you are thinking of using a tool like LegalZoom to draft your will, there are (at least) 5 things you should know about it. Click HERE to download our free PDF booklet about it, and let us know what you think at (847) 848-6165 or by email monahanfirm@gmail.com. The post Episode 85: What Happens To You If You Die Without A Will? appeared first on Robert A Monahan.