by Attorney Eric D. Puryear In family law cases, the best interest of the child is the court’s highest priority. The Iowa District Court and Illinois Circuit Court judges who handle custody and divorce cases are required by law to follow that standard. This article discusses the best interests of the child as applied by the courts.
by Attorney Eric D. Puryear In the Federal court system, the process through which a defendant is granted or denied pretrial release is governed by 18 U.S.C. § 3142. These Federal rules concerning pretrial release or detention are much different than the state court bail rules in Illinois or Iowa.
by Attorney Eric D. Puryear The holidays can be a wonderful time to spend with loved ones, yet it can also be one of the more difficult times for those with family law issues. Properly addressing such problems can help keep the holidays enjoyable.
by Attorney Eric D. Puryear Maintenance, also commonly called alimony, can be awarded by the Illinois Circuit Court as part of a divorce case. This article discusses alimony in Illinois, which was revised effective January 1, 2015 to use a new guideline system.
by Attorney Eric D. Puryear In Illinois, it is crime to possess an open container of alcohol in a motor vehicle, under 625 ILCS 5/11-502:
by Attorney Eric D. Puryear Under Iowa Code Section 123.47, it is unlawful for a person to give or sell alcohol to a minor, or for a minor to possess alcohol:
by Attorney Eric D. Puryear Under Iowa Code Section 321.284, it is unlawful to have an open alcoholic beverage container in the passenger compartment of a motor vehicle
by Attorney Eric D. Puryear In Illinois, an individual has the right to appeal a criminal conviction. If an individual was found guilty either by a jury or at a bench trial, they may appeal their conviction and sentence
by Attorney Eric D. Puryear A person who is sentenced to prison in the Federal court system may be eligible for a Split Sentence, which involves some time in prison and some time in community confinement or home detention.
by Attorney Eric D. Puryear In the United States, criminal charges can be brought by different levels of government, to include the Federal Government or the State government. Whether a person is charged at the State or Federal level depends upon a variety of factors.
by Attorney Eric D. Puryear The crime of Unauthorized possession of offensive weapons is defined by Iowa Code section 724.3, which states that
by Attorney Eric D. Puryear Illinois law defines the crime of Heinous Battery in 720 ILCS 5/12-4.1 as the crime a
by Attorney Eric D. Puryear The crime of Willful Injury is defined by Iowa Code section 708.4 as follows:
by Attorney Eric D. Puryear In Illinois, the crime of home invasion is defined by 720 ILCS 5/19-6 as the crime a person commits when without authority he or she knowingly enters the dwelling
by Attorney Eric D. Puryear Iowa Code section 719.1 defines the crime of Interference with Official Acts as follows:
by Attorney Eric D. Puryear Adoption proceedings in Iowa are governed by Iowa Code Chapter 600. An adoption is a legal process whereby a parent-child relationship is established. This article addresses the adoption process in Iowa.
by Attorney Eric D. Puryear As part of a divorce or legal separation case in Iowa, the court can award spousal support (also called alimony). There are a few types of spousal support in Iowa that the court can award, for various reasons.
by Attorney Eric D. Puryear Fraudulent Practices is a crime in Iowa defined by Iowa Code section 714.8. There are a variety of actions that a person can take in Iowa that will result in the charge of Fraudulent Practices. Those actions are defined by Iowa law as follows.
by Attorney Eric D. Puryear Classification of workers as independent contractors v. employees has become an important focus of the US Department of Labor in recent years. Misclassification of employees as an independent contractor is commonplace, and can subject an employee to significant financial penalties and costs. For that reason it is in the interest of every business owner to
by Attorney Eric D. Puryear In divorce cases, the division of retirement accounts and pensions is often an issue. Properly handling 401(k), pension, thrift saving plans, annuities, IRAs, and other retirement plans is of great importance in Iowa and Illinois.