The Illinois manslaughter statute recently came under scrutiny after a controversial conclusion to a highly publicized case. The loophole, as some news sources refer to it, stems from the language of the statute and its interpretation by the court. With the right argument, it may create a successful defense against … [+]
Criminal Defense Attorney Stephanie Kemen has been selected to the 2015 Illinois Rising Stars list, which recognizes the state’s top up-and-coming attorneys. Each year, no more than 2.5 percent of the lawyers in the state are selected by the research team at Super Lawyers to receive this honor. Super Lawyers … [+]
Last week, a client of mine wasn’t sure if he wanted me to attend his preliminary hearing. He said to me, “They’ll just find probable cause anyway. Why bother?” If you aren’t familiar with what a preliminary hearing is, it is basically a hearing to determine if there is enough … [+]
I realize that nobody wants to go to court, but it’s pretty important. Just yesterday I had two different clients call me about missing court. The first had already missed court and wanted to know if a warrant was issued. It was. The second client wanted to know if they … [+]
Today, my client became the first defendant in Madison County, Illinois to be offered the newest form of probation under a law that went into effect on January 1st of this year. This probation is called Second Chance Probation. Second Chance Probation gives judges the option to sentence certain first-time, … [+]
If you or a loved one has been arrested and/or charged with a crime, you may be at the beginning of a long journey through the Cook County criminal justice system. Cook County is the largest court system in Illinois and one of the largest in the world. Dealing with … [+]
