Innovations in Law

Law and Social Networking

2010-07-13T09:41:00.001-07:00

With the rise of social media networks such as Twitter and Facebook, it was only a matter of time before lawyers started using these networks. The latest social network Twitter, allows users to post 2 sentence status updates. Recent statistics show that there are more that six million Twitter users and in the average day, there are more than 225 million tweets.

Dinizulu Law Group attorney Erin K. Russell, Esq. was recently mentioned in the July 2010 edition of Chicago Lawyer. The article " Lawyers enter the Twitterverse" touches on several Chicago lawyers making use of Twitter for marketing, and for their own personal lives.

According to Gina F. Rubel Esq, President and CEO of Furia Rubel Communications INC "Twitter is certainly a useful tool and an excellent way to expand your network, build your reputation, comment on legal issues and trends, and establish a relationship with members of the media and other thought leaders. It is also an excellent tool for you to research public opinion on many different topics."

Experts have warned to be careful for lawyers to not give out legal advice, and to remind everyone that Twitter and Facebook are subject to public scrutiny.

You can follow us on Twitter @dinizululaw

Check out these sites for more information on twitter and legal marketing

http://www.typepad.com/services/trackback/6a010534a0800c970c01127964b09c2

http://www.typepad.com/services/trackback/6a010534a0800c970c01156f9bbd7f970c

Headlines...

2010-04-27T14:54:00.000-07:00

Headlines for the last several days have centered around the idea of the police state.

Arizona's immigration law, which allows police officers to stop anyone they deem to potentially be an immigrant...

Chicago Alderman proposing that the National Guard become a part of the policing strategy as it relates to the increased violence in Chicago neighborhoods...

Red light cameras monitoring intersections...

What does this say about our society? What does this say about our future?

Too far...

2010-04-20T15:30:00.001-07:00

Every day, each of us finds ourselves in situations where another person says or does something that goes too far. It's almost as if people don't know how to "edit" themselves, feeling free to say and/or do anything they want. In many ways, this forum, the online forum is responsible for this denigration in values and etiquette. People tend to think that what they say online, stays online, it makes them invisible and that there are no repercussions. That thought process is quickly changing.

In the last week, month or year, has there been an instance where someone has gone too far?

Finish this thought...

2010-04-13T07:53:00.000-07:00

I am most __________________ about why people ______________________. If it was me, I would _____________________.

We all are motivated to do things for different reasons. But we often forget that we cannot apply our own logic to others and their actions - because we are not walking in their shoes. That doesn't stop us though from assessing a situation or a person based upon how we, ourselves, would respond.

Communication

2010-04-06T18:31:00.000-07:00

What is your preferred method of communication, specifically what type of online communication tool do you use most? Why?

Email, text messaging, VOIP...computers, phones and the internet. Today we have the ability to be connected, stay connected and remain connected 24/7. That being said, how do you prefer to receive information from others? Too, how often are you receiving information but not responding? If you aren't responding, does that mean you are not connected and that you are not communicating?

Weigh in now - respond and communicate!

What motivates you?

2010-03-30T14:34:00.000-07:00

We all make choices that impact our lives and the lives of others. Our decision making is often a result of the values we were brought up with, who we looked up to, and our own barometer of what was right and wrong. As children, the demarcation between right and wrong was very clearly drawn. As adults, we often learn that these lines aren't so clear - a lot of grey area exists. It's that grey area that causes consternation and forces us to question our motivations.

What would motivate you to seek legal counsel? Is it the desire to right a wrong? Or is it the need to exact some form of retribution? Revenge?

Health Care Reform

2010-03-23T16:56:00.000-07:00

Health care reform - it's here. The bill, signed today, changes health care in America as we know it. What is your take on this historic change? How do you think it impacts you and your family?

Have they lost their minds?

2010-03-16T17:08:00.000-07:00

As the weather gets warmer, people tend to become more careless as they drive. Who hasn't been driving along and gotten cut off by another driver who wasn't paying attention to his or her surroundings, or just didn't care that other people are on the road. Often added to the mix: alcohol. Add all of these factors together and you have the recipe for disaster.

If you find yourself the victim of a careless driver, how likely are you to seek the counsel of a lawyer? Or, depending on the severity of the accident, are you more inclined to submit a claim to your insurance company and call it a day?

Would you or wouldn't you?

2010-03-09T18:16:00.000-08:00

You often hear about how litigious our society is, that we don't deal with problems head on anymore. But what you don't often hear is the fact that society has changed in such a way that oftentimes, seeking the support of a lawyer is necessary. Much of that has to do with the fact that today, people are the underdogs and we fight for the underdog.

If faced with a situation where you felt that you were harmed or injured as a result of someone's (in)action, would you seek legal counsel? If yes, why? If no, why not?

A safe assumption?

2010-03-02T10:18:00.000-08:00

For many of us, getting behind the wheels of our cars is something that we do every day, many times a day. Our assumption is that the vehicles are safe to drive. The problems with Toyota cars, a maker with a pretty solid reputation, takes us all by surprise. Do you own or drive a Toyota? If so, was your vehicle one of the ones recalled? Share your experience.

Par for the course or more...

2010-02-23T19:38:00.000-08:00

As the 2010 Winter Olympics continue on, we look back at the tragic loss of the Georgian athlete Nodar Kumaritashvili, who died during a practice run on the luge. There is talk that his family might file a lawsuit against the International Olympic Committee for not providing a safe track for the athletes. Do you agree with the family or do you feel that this occurred as a consequence of an already dangerous sport?

Fire Safety

2010-02-16T17:20:00.000-08:00

At least seven people died in an early morning fire that tore through a Cicero, Illinois apartment building on Monday, spreading to nearby buildings and rendering families homeless in one of the deadliest residential fires in the Chicago area since 2006.

Sometimes, when these fires occur, failure to place smoke alarms or failure to comply with fire codes lead to deadly injury. How do you keep your home safe? Have you or a family member been affected by a fire?

Texting while driving continued...

2010-02-09T09:54:00.000-08:00

Last week, I talked about the recent passage of Illinois law that banned texting while driving. This phenomenon has created a maelstrom of controversy. Many state that it's common sense that one shouldn't text and drive, and that this law serves to further emphasize the importance of halting this behavior. Others agree, though think it was unnecessary to take the extra step of involving the legal system. Still others have made it their personal mission to do all that they can to make people understand that texting while driving is as dangerous, if not more dangerous, than driving while drunk.

What about you? What is your stance? What will you do from this point forward to address the issue of texting while driving?

Post your comments to this blog here or visit one of Dinizulu Law Group's other social networking sites to weigh in on the topic.

Visit http://twitter.com/dinizululaw

Visit http://www.facebook.com/pages/Dinizulu-Law-Group-Ltd/267915740736

The Ban of Text Messaging While Driving

2010-02-04T12:22:00.000-08:00

Illinois has passed a new law banning text messaging while driving in Illinois that went into effect Jan. 1, 2010.

What are your thoughts on the new law? Do you agree? Do you disagree? Would you like to share a personal experience about someone who was texting while driving? Weigh in on this important topic today!

Cook County Bar Association Judicial Evaluation Results

2010-01-26T14:09:00.000-08:00

Judicial Candidate Evaluations Released by the Cook County Bar Association

The Cook County Bar Association's Judicial Evaluation Committee has reviewed the qualifications of judicial candidates for the February 2, 2010 Illinois Primary Election. The CCBA does not endorse any candidate.

The CCBA's process includes reviewing a detailed questionnaire completed by each candidate, personal and professional references and holding an interview with each candidate. The evaluation criteria includes experience, professional competence, judicial temperament and integrity.

Candidates were rated "Highly Recommended," "Recommended," and "Not Recommended." A rating of Not Evaluated was given to at least one judicial candidate. The CCBA Judicial Canditates ratings for the 2010 Primary Elections are as follows: (will insert Celestia's Grid)

2010 Primary Election Candidate Ratings

Appellate Court - 1^stDistrict

To Fill Vacancy of Hon. Jill McNulty Rating

Arnette R. Hubbard Highly Recommended

Ellen F. Flannigan Not Recommended

Jim Ryan Not Recommended

James Epstein Recommended

Kathleen G. Kennedy Highly Recommended

To Fill Vacancy of Hon. Denise M. O'Malley Rating

Thomas Lee Hogan Recommended

Pamela E. Hill Veal Not Recommended

Frank Edward Gardner Not Recommended

Aurelia Marie Pucinski Not Recommended

Don R. Sampen Recommended

To Fill Vacancy of Hon. Leslie E. South Rating

Mary Katherine Rochford Recommended

Sabastian T. Patti Recommended

Kevin Rogers Not Recommended

William D. O'Neal Recommended

Anthony Lynn Burrell Not Recommended

Circuit Court - CookCounty

Countywide

To Fill Vacancy of Hon. Richard B. Berland Rating

William H. Hooks Highly Recommended

Deidre Baumann Recommended

William Burnett Raines Recommended

To Fill Vacancy of Hon. Philip L. Bronstein Rating

Terry MacCarthy Recommended

Diann Karen Marsalek Recommended

Sharon Finegan Patterson Recommended

Thomas William Flannigan Recommended

To Fill Vacancy of Hon. Francis J. Dolan Rating

Susan Kennedy Sullivan Recommended

Linda J. Pauel Recommended

Kevin J. Murphy Recommended

Ubi O'Neal Not Recommended

To Fill Vacancy of Hon. Marsha D. Hayes Rating

Raymond W. Mitchell Highly Recommended

Bonnie Carol McGrath Not Recommended

Carl B. Boyd Not Recommended

To Fill Vacancy of Hon. Daniel J. Kelley Rating

John Patrick Callahan, Jr. Recommended

Joanne F. Fehn Not Recommended

To Fill Vacancy of Hon. Carol Pearce McCarthy Rating

Maureen Masterson Pulia Not Evaluated

Michaela Nolan Ryan Not Recommended

Daniel J. Gallagher Recommended

To Fill Vacancy of Hon. James P. O'Malley Rating

Thomas J. Lyons, II Recommended

To Fill Vacancy of Hon. Ronald C. Riley Rating

Sandra G. Ramos Recommended

Russell W. Hartigan Recommended

James Michael Bailey Recommended

John Patrick Nyhan Not Recommended

Edmund Paul Michalowski Not Recommended

Marvin W. Gray Recommended

Tracey J. Stokes Recommended

CircuitCourt - CookCounty

1^stSubcircuit

To Fill Vacancy of Hon. Sharon Johnson Coleman Rating

Thaddeus L. Wilson Recommended

Linnae Bryant Not Recommended

To Fill Vacancy of Hon. John O. Steele Rating

Sharon Dolores Oden-Johnson Recommended

Michelle Hugghis Flagg Not Recommended

Jesse Outlaw Recommended

Joseph Chico Not Recommended

Theodore "Ted" London Not Recommended

To Fill Additional Judgeship A

Bonita Coleman-John Recommended

CircuitCourt - CookCounty

3^rd Subcircuit

To Fill Vacancy of Hon. Thomas F. Carmody, Jr. Rating

Allen F. Murphy Recommended

Peter M. Kramer Not Recommended

Thomas G. O'Brien Not Recommended

Steven G. Watkins Recommended

Charles Francis Fitzgerald Recommended

Daniela Silaides Not Recommended

To Fill Vacancy of Hon. Daniel P. Darcy Rating

Edward S. Harmening Recommended

James Patrick Doran Recommended

Thomas J. Murphy Recommended

David J. Coleman Recommended

To Fill Additional Judgeship A Rating

Daniel Malone Recommended

Ronald Joseph Hurley Not Recommended

Mary McNamara Not Recommended

Bernadette McNicholas Recommended

Pamela Cotten Recommended

CircuitCourt - CookCounty

9^thSubcircuit

To Fill Vacancy of Hon. Sandra R. Otaka Rating

Abbey Fishman Romanek Recommended

Yehuda Lebovits Recommended

Geary W. Kull Recommended

Dennis Michael Fleming Recommended

To Fill Additional Judgeship A Rating

Steven James "Steve" Bernstein Not Recommended

Michael Ian Bender Recommended

Jeffrey Dov Greenspan Recommended

William Joseph Luby Recommended

Scott Bagnall Not Recommended

Mary Susan Trew Recommended

CircuitCourt - CookCounty

11^thSubcircuit

To Fill Vacancy of Hon. Barbara Ann Riley Rating

Steve Fruth Recommended

Maritza Martinez Recommended

Ann Finley Collins Recommended

Pamela McLean Meyerson Recommended

John Michael Lagattuta Recommended

Pamela M. Leeming Recommended

Thomas David Bilyk Not Recommended

Lisa A. Marino Recommended

Eugene Joseph Berkes Not Recommended

Kim R. Kardas Recommended

John W. Chwarzynski Not Recommended

Radusa Ostojic Recommended

CircuitCourt - CookCounty

14^thSubcircuit

To Fill Additional Judgeship A Rating

Daniel J. Pierce Recommended

CircuitCourt - CookCounty

15^thSubcircuit

To Fill Vacancy of Hon. Marcella C. Lipinski Rating

Linzey D. Jones Highly Recommended

Frank James Ryan Recommended

Patrick Flanagan Recommended

Nicholas W. Karas Not Recommended

Richard G. Karwaczka Not Recommended

Karla Marie Fiaoni Recommended

Michael Brendan Barrett Recommended

Joan Marie G. Kubalanza Recommended

To Fill Vacancy of Hon. Thomas Paul Panichi Rating

George F. Scully Recommended

Mary Therese Quinn Recommended

Michael T. Huguelet Recommended

Peter A. Fera Recommended

To Fill Vacancy of Hon. William Michael Phelan Rating

John C. Griffin Recommended

Carl Evans, Jr. Recommended

Nichole C. Patton Recommended

Thomas "TJ" Somer Recommended

Mary Beth Kent Duffy Recommended

The Cook County Bar Association is the oldest African American Bar Association in America and an Affiliate chapter of the National Bar Association. The CCBA is also a participating Bar in the Alliance of Bar Associations. To see the Alliance of Bar Assocations Judicial Grid please visitwww.voteforjudges.org.

Snow and Ice

2009-12-28T14:32:00.000-08:00

Removing snow and ice promptly from roads, sidewalks, driveways and parking lots is more than a neighborly courtesy. Some communities have ordinances requiring property owners to remove freshly fallen snow within hours. In some cases, failure to do so can result in fines.

For property owners and pedestrians, the consequences of failing to remove snow and ice can be far worse. In one case, a woman slipped and fell on ice in an apartment complex parking lot and broke her ankle. She subsequently died two months later from a blood clot resulting from the fractured ankle. She was survived by three minor and three grown children. Her estate's lawyer successfully sued the property's owner for failing to clear the snow that later turned to ice from the parking lot.

Have you been faced with a similar situation? If so, how did you handle it?

Weighing in on health care reform

2009-12-15T14:21:00.000-08:00

Recently, a lot of attention has been given to talk about the need for health care reform. While President Obama is working closely with Congress to introduce legislation that will overhaul the existing health care system to make coverage available for all Americans, Republicans and other tort reformers are arguing that there is a need for a federal cap on malpractice awards as the remedy for our health care system.

Even though sound research clearly shows the legal system does not drive health care costs, inaccurate information about medical malpractice continues to plague honest debate about reforming America’s health care system. Health care reform is about making sure that every American has access to quality, low-cost health care, not about limiting the legal rights of innocent patients harmed by medical negligence.

Medical malpractice is a tiny percentage of health care costs – less the 1 1/2 percent of overall spending – according to the Government Accountability Office (GAO) and Congressional Budget Office (CBO). Restricting patients’ legal rights would have little to no effect on premiums or health care costs. Medical malpractice suits are less than one percent of the entire civil caseload, and have been declining for nearly a decade. The GAO and CBO have found no evidence of so-called “defensive medicine,” but instead determined that doctors run additional tests to generate more income or help diagnose patients.

Given that estimations of the cost of malpractice litigation is roughly on 2 percent of overall health care spending, economists don’t agree that tort reform (even in the most radical sense) would not significantly cut the costs associated with what Americans spend on health care. Studies show that malpractice lawsuits have the least impact on health care spending, with the aging population, advances in medical technology and an increase in those suffering from chronic conditions being the major causes for the trend in increased spending.

At DLG, know that there is no dollar amount that can replace the loss of life or remove the tragedy associated with injury. Our attorneys aggressively seek settlements and verdicts that remedy actual damages – medical bills, loss of wages, and the like while keeping in mind the pain and suffering aspect for the victims. Malpractice lawsuits will continue to be necessary until health care providers implement measures to ensure the safety and well-being of their patients as their first obligation to, “do no harm.”

A Note from Yao

2009-12-09T18:41:00.000-08:00

For as long as I can remember, I have loved the law and helping people. I became a lawyer and founded the Dinizulu Law Group, Ltd. to be an advocate for those in the community who would otherwise not understand their legal rights and therefore, probably never seek the advice of an attorney. Over the course of my career, I have represented victims involved in all types of injuries, but one thing that I've noticed is that the victims and their families invariably face uncertain futures. Confusion, despair, grief and financial difficulty are all too common, making their injuries even more stressful and the road to recovery difficult to navigate. Our attorneys and staff are compassionate, knowledgeable and trained to respond to each clients individual needs. That's our commitment.

Our attorneys are skilled and often handle complex cases wherein our clients have received substantial verdicts and settlements. If trust, integrity and results matter to you like they do to us, call DLG when you or your loved one is in need. Let us be there for you.