Recent Blog Posts
Stay-at-Home Dads: A Departure from Generations Past
According to Professor Karen Kramer of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, in the 1970’s, less than ten American men identified as stay-at-home dads. Not less than ten percent. Less than ten men. In fact, according to Kramer’s research, the number may have been closer to six. In 2014, the number of stay-at-home dads was estimated to be around 1.9 million, not only a staggering difference from 40 years ago, but as much as 16 percent of all stay-at-home parents in the country. There are, of course, a number of factors that contribute to the evolution of stay-at-home parenting for men, including unemployment and disability, but many simply have the choice to be home with the children and seize the opportunity.
Defining a SAHD
The U.S. Census Bureau is normally responsible for gathering demographic information on stay-at-home caregivers, including stay-at-home moms, or SAHMs, and stay-at-home dads, or SAHDs. However, the Census Bureau does not include dads in same-sex relationships, single dads, or dads of children older than 15 as eligible for consideration as SAHD. The Pew Research Center, on the other hand, reviewed the census data while looking differently at the information. When considering any father at home with children 18 or younger in the same household, Pew found that nearly 2 million men are now stay-at-home dads, down slightly from the all-time high of 2.2 million men in 2010, at the end of the last recession.
The Crime of Drag Racing
Drag racing, sometimes also referred to as street racing, involves at least two vehicles competing in a speed race against one another. Drag racing can be a straight shot, meaning that the racers maintain a straight path, or could be a race along a designated course that comprises public streets, roadways and highways. The object of drag racing is for one driver to arrive at a destination first, and within a short amount of time. However, sometimes the point of street racing is to prevent another vehicle from passing, or is to test the physical limitations and stamina of drivers over the course of a long driving route.
Street racing has been highly popularized over the last decade or so due to its appearance in a number of movies and high profile celebrity deaths. However, drag racing and any other form of racing is illegal on the roads and highways of Illinois under 625 ILCS 5/11-506, and the consequences of being caught participating in street racing activities are severe criminal charges with lasting effects.
Social Media Explodes with Blended Family Bliss
In today’s world of viral photos, many images are shared and quickly forgotten. Some, however, leave a lasting impression, especially when that impression is one of love and caring. Such was the case with a series of candid wedding photos that made the rounds on social media outlets last month, which many have found to be a source of inspiration for children of divorced and remarried parents.
A Loving Surprise
One of the major challenges facing remarried couples and blended families is determining the roles that are appropriate for each parent and stepparent. This can be especially difficult when preparing for a major family event like a wedding. Even in the best of situations, stepparents may not be sure how to act or what to expect, and, due to their devotion to their stepchildren, are often willing to step aside and remain relatively unobtrusive.
Weapons in Schools: When Children Exercise Poor Judgement
Weapons in schools is an issue that teachers, professors, principals, and school districts do not take lightly, and often any student who brings a weapon into the classroom faces severe consequences for this juvenile offense. A school can be any place of learning, which includes public and private educational institutions ranging from elementary level to college or university.
Severity of Punishment Tied to the Type of Weapon
Illinois statute 720 ILCS 5/24-1(c) specifically addresses how no one may bring weapons into a school, carry weapons on a school bus, or even have a weapon within 1,000 feet of a school. The punishments associated with these crimes vary depending on the threat or potential danger associated with the weapon.
- Guns, rifles and bombs. Under the statute, if a person brings a weapon into a school, such as a gun, rifle, or a bomb, that person will be charged with a Class 2 felony, and faces between three and seven years of jail time;
The Basics about Criminal Record Expungement in Illinois
A person’s criminal record is available to and viewable by the public and many people who have a criminal record in their history find that the existence of that criminal record causes a lot of problems. A criminal record might prevent someone from getting a job opportunity, or a scholarship. It can even cause a person problems if they are trying to get into professional school. For those individuals with a criminal record, there is the possibility that your criminal record can be expunged.
What Is Expungement?
Expungement is a legal process for which eligible candidates can petition the court of their sentencing county, and, if successful, an expungement effectively erases past crimes, court supervisions, and certain probations from the individual’s criminal record. This means that your criminal record is cleared of any evidence of those particular convictions, supervisions, or probations. To think of this another way, expunged records are destroyed.
Prostitution and Entrapment
Every few weeks, local headlines celebrate the success of another prostitution sting. Inevitably, the stories are similar: law enforcement officials went undercover, posing as prostitutes or "johns" to help clear the streets of sex-for-hire activities. While the average citizen may not think twice about such police action, if you have been arrested for prostitution or soliciting a prostitute, the manner in which the sting was conducted can have a drastic impact on outcome of your case. Many stings border on entrapment, and it important to understand exactly what that means.
What is Entrapment?
Under Illinois law, a person is not guilty of criminal activity if he or she was "incited or induced by a public officer or employee, or agent of either, for the purpose of obtaining evidence for the prosecution of that person." Such inducement is called entrapment, and the law is meant to prevent law enforcement from convincing a person to commit a crime they would not have committed otherwise. Providing an opportunity to commit the crime, however, is not considered entrapment, and the part of law upon which prostitution stings typically rely.
Understanding the Limits of Prenuptial Agreements
When many people think about a prenuptial agreement, the first thought that comes to mind is a wealthy, celebrity couple looking to protect their individual assets and property. Prenuptial agreements, sometimes called premarital agreements, are certainly useful in providing financial security in the event of a possible divorce, they do not have unlimited contractual powers. Before signing a prenuptial agreement, it is important to recognize some of things they cannot do.
They Cannot Be Too One-Sided
Provisions regarding the powers and limitations of prenuptial agreements are contained in the Illinois Uniform Premarital Agreement Act. While there are several possible reasons that an agreement could be found to be unenforceable, including coercion or deception, only one concerns the terms of the agreement itself. A prenuptial agreement will not be enforced if it is shown to be unconscionable. So what does that mean?
False Allegations of Domestic Violence
Domestic violence is not always physical abuse. Sometimes domestic violence takes the form of emotional abuse, which is executed by the use of threats. Threats can take the form of words or gestures, and under Illinois law, the use of threats against a family or household member is illegal and victims can be protected from it. Threats are considered a form of harassment, because threats, such as threats of physical violence and threats confinement or restraint, are used to cause the victim emotional distress.
Orders of Protection
Victims of domestic violence can seek a protection order from the courts, which prohibit the alleged abuser from abusing them. In the case of alleged threats, the protection order will force the person making the threats to stop doing so.
But sometimes victims claim they are being threatened, when really no such thing happened. False allegations of domestic violence can be made when a “victim” feels threatened, but has ulterior motives for making the false or inflated allegation. There are a number of reasons a “victim” might make a false allegation of domestic violence, such as:
Bullying and School Violence
Bullying in schools is a serious issue that many schools across the country are dealing with and is an issue that is under scrutiny by the public right now. On the one hand, it is important for children to be able to go to school and feel safe, but on the other hand, there is a concern that some children are overly sensitive and that overprotecting children might be doing them more harm than good.
Every school in Illinois is required by law to have a bullying prevention policy in place so that children have a place to learn where they feel safe. Schools not only are launching their own initiatives, but there is also government funding available for schools that make efforts to combat school bullying and other acts of violence in schools.
Where Are Students Protected from Bullying?
Illinois has laws directed to preventing bullying in schools, codified as 105 ILCS 5/23.7, which protects students from being subjected to bullying while a student is:
National Hockey League Acknowledges Serious Drug Problem
As the Chicago Blackhawks get set to open the 2015-2016 season this week, concern over illicit drug use around the National Hockey League is growing. The NHL, like most professional leagues, has strict testing and disciplinary guidelines in place regarding the use of steroids and other performance enhancing drugs (PEDs), but the rules are less defined in relationship to street and party drugs like cocaine and ecstasy.
Results of Random Testing
As part of the program to eliminate the use of PEDs, NHL players are subject to team-wide testing during training camp and once more during the season. Individuals may also be tested at random under the terms of the league's existing labor agreement. Some 2,400 test are collected each year, of which, about 800 are analyzed more closely for other illegal drugs. Over the last several years, these tests show that cocaine use among NHL players is again on the rise. While the NHL is certainly no stranger to drug issues, including cocaine, the league has made assurances that the situation is a point of focus going forward.
Schedule Your Free Consultation
Arlington Heights Office 3030 Salt Creek Lane, Suite 120 Arlington Heights, IL 60005 Phone: 847-253-3100
At Cosley Law Office, we represent clients in Illinois, including the cities of Rolling Meadows, Schaumburg, Palatine, Arlington Heights, Mount Prospect, Buffalo Grove, Barrington, Elk Grove Village, Inverness, Wheeling, Long Grove and Mundelein, as well as Cook County, Lake County, DuPage County and throughout the Chicago, IL, metropolitan area.
Results listed are not a guarantee or indication of future case results.
© 2026 Cosley Law Office
3030 Salt Creek Lane, Suite 120, Arlington Heights, IL 60005
847-253-3100