Irrevocable Trusts

Once established, irrevocable trusts can't be changed or canceled by the grantor (hence the “irrevocable” in their name). The grantor forfeits ownership and authority over the trust and is unable to make any changes or amendments to the terms of the trust without permission from the beneficiary or a court order. The only three times you might want to consider creating an irrevocable trust is when you want to (1) minimize estate taxes, (2) become eligible for government programs, or (3) protect your assets from your creditors. If none of these situations applies, you should not have an irrevocable trust. #irrevocabletrust,

Revocable Trusts

Revocable trusts, otherwise known as “living trusts,” do not protect your assets from creditors. In fact, they are subject to collections actions and lawsuits, and they are included when third parties evaluate your personal assets. With a revocable trust, you are typically both the founder and the trustee. This means that you both create the trust and manage its assets and operations. You also have full access to the trust’s terms, beneficiaries and assets at all times. You can change how the trust operates, who benefits from it and even dissolve the trust at will. In addition, you can also take assets back out of the trust as you see fit. #revocabletrust,

Assult Weapon Ban

Illinois Governor Pritzker signed the Protect Illinois Communities Act banning the sale and distribution of assault weapons, high-capacity magazines, and switches in Illinois, effective immediately. #assultweaponban,

Illinois Safe-T Act

One of the most comprehensive, and likely the most contentious, laws to be signed into law this year was the Illinois SAFE-T Act, a massive criminal justice reform legislative package updating rules governing jail time while awaiting trial and the use of force by police. The greatest controversy in the SAFE-T Act is the key provision for ending cash bail, which advocates said causes poor people to sit in jail because they can't make bail, even on minor charges, while affluent people can pay for their pre-trial release, even for more serious crimes. #IllinoisSafe-TAct, #eliminationofcashbail,

Electronic Order Of Protection

A new Illinois law addressing electronic orders of protection makes filing paperwork to take your abuser to court should not be dangerous. To better protect survivors, this law allows anyone to file for a protective order at any time by email or online in addition to the in-person option. It also requires counties with populations above 250,000 to offer the option of a remote hearing.#electronicorderof protection,

Eviction

In Illinois, a landlord cannot legally evict a tenant without cause. Legal grounds to evict include not paying rent on time, staying after the lease ends, violating lease terms or illegal activity. Even so, proper notice must first be given before ending the tenancy. #eviction,

Cause Of Death

The primary or underlying cause of death is defined as that condition or injury (or circumstances of the injury) that initiated the train of morbid events leading directly to death. The question sometimes arises as to which of several existing conditions has caused death. Generally, only four manners of death are acknowledged: homicide, suicide, accidental, and natural. The deceased may have met his or her end in a way that appears suspicious to the authorities, and therefore, the cause and manner of death must be established. #causeofdeath,