Legal Blog of Thaddeus M. Bond & Associates

Friday, March 5, 2010

Child custody disputes in Illinois

Courts look to certain factors set forth by the Illinois Legislature in making custody decisions, including:
-The wishes of the parent(s) as to the child's custody
- The wishes of the child
- The relationship between the child, parent(s) and/or siblings
- How well the child is integrated into home, school, and community and whether one custody solution would uproot the child or disturb that integration
- The mental and physical health of child, parent(s), and sibling(s)
- The existence of or threat of physical violence against the child or anyone else by either parent, especially "ongoing abuse" as legally defined by the Illinois Domestic Violence Act
- The willingness of each parent to foster a positive relationship between the child and the other parent

If you are involved with a dispute regarding child custody, please contact our family law attorneys to see if we can be of assistance.

posted by Ted Bond, Jr. at 2:24 PM 0 comments

Wednesday, February 10, 2010

Illinois Voters Disenfranchised Yet Again

At least twice in the past decade, winners of statewide primary elections in Illinois have been forced by party leaders to withdraw from the general election. While I do not intend to defend the conduct or character of Jack Ryan or Scott Lee Cohen, their treatment by the aristocracy that run Illinois political parties is deplorable. If it was up to the Republican and Democratic party leaders, we would just dispense with primaries altogether and let them anoint their preferred candidates. That way us members of the bourgeois would be left with only two choices each election cycle and the power of the two dominant parties would be preserved. It's time to eliminate political parties altogether. Anyone who wants to run in a general election should run. The person with the most votes gets the job. No interference from Mike Madigan, Andy McKenna and the other snobs who dominate the political parties and could care less about the electorate. The centralization of political power in only a few hands has made the State of Illinois an embarrassment. Time for radical change and for the voting public to once again be relevant.

posted by Ted Bond, Jr. at 2:20 PM 0 comments

Monday, February 1, 2010

The Lake County Board Has No Grasp of Reality

During the worst economic recession of my lifetime, our Lake County Board continues to spend money like they have a never ending supply. As we speak, they are completing construction of a gargantuan and overly elaborate facility for the health department on Grand Avenue in Waukegan. They recently finished a palace for the building department in Libertyville, a department which is little needed these days but which has not significantly cut its budget. Now they want to spend over $4 million to acquire a new home for the forest preserve district in Libertyville. They have the audacity to argue that spending $4 million rather than staying in and maintaining the existing facilities will actually save money. What planet to they live on? This is the same board which complained vehemently about having to lay off 18 people out of a work force in excess of 3000. This nonsense has to stop. Vote against the incumbents this year so we can get some people who will behave in a responsible manner and cut spending instead of increasing it. The rest of us have had to tighten our belts. It's time for Lake County government to do the same.

posted by Ted Bond, Jr. at 2:15 PM 0 comments

Monday, January 18, 2010

Vote Anti-Tax and Anti-Spending

Illinois has primary elections scheduled for February 2nd. Whatever party you belong to, make sure that you understand all of the candidates' positions on taxing and spending. Almost every government entity, whether it be local, state or federal, is now spending more than they take in. While it is convenient to blame all of our current economic troubles on the banking industry and the real estate market, an over burdensome government is as much to blame as anything. We are all overtaxed. Most of us work from January 1 to mid May just to pay our obligations to the government. None of us get a good return on our investment. Even with revenues way down, most government bodies have done little or nothing to curb their voracious appetite for spending. Insist on elected officials who are not afraid to significantly cut their budget. Look for those who promise to spur the economy not by spending more but by taxing us less. History has shown us that economic prosperity always arises when tax rates are low. Vote for those who believe that government is not the solution. It is the problem.

posted by Ted Bond, Jr. at 10:23 AM 0 comments

Tuesday, December 29, 2009

Yet Another Appellate Court Victory

For the third time this year, our firm received a favorable ruling in an appellate court matter. In this most recent case, we represented the purchaser of a tax sale certificate who was seeking title to the property for non-payment of real estate taxes. The property owner challenged the legal sufficiency of the notices served upon him notifying him of the tax sale, the last day to pay his delinquent taxes and the consequences of his failure to pay. We were able to convince the First District Appellate Court that our client's notices were legally proper. Despite errors alleged by the property owner's attorney, we successfully argued that the property owner was not mislead by the notices he received and that he suffered no harm or prejudice as a result of the deficiencies being asserted. This victory came despite recent appellate court rulings holding that tax sale notices were defective due to such errors as the failure to include superfluous digits when referring to the certificate number and for directing the property owner to a court hearing at a specific building without including the address of that building. Our two victories on behalf of tax buyers this year overcame recent case law trends which strongly favored property owners. We continue to represent both tax buyers and property owners in delinquent tax sale matters. Feel free to contact us if we can be of assistance.

posted by Ted Bond, Jr. at 10:45 AM 0 comments

Thursday, December 17, 2009

Say Merry Christmas, not Happy Holidays

Many people I have spoken to have grown tired of the politically correct practice of saying Happy Holidays instead of Merry Christmas. This time of year is a celebration of a glorious Christian holiday. Although other faiths and groups my also celebrate certain events in December, the fact remains that much of what is good about this time of year arises from the joy brought about by the recognition of the birth of Jesus Christ. As a practicing Catholic, I respect the beliefs of non-Christians and offer no direction to them on how to celebrate their holidays. The Christmas holiday should not be diminished just because we Christians are a majority group in this country. Nor should we be forced to include everyone in our celebration. Next time you are out in public, proudly say Merry Christmas to those you meet. For anyone who is offended by this salutation, lighten up. We Catholics believe in tolerance for all belief systems. All we ask is that you show us the same courtesy and respect that we show you.

posted by Ted Bond, Jr. at 12:52 PM 0 comments

Monday, December 7, 2009

Property tax assessments not the real problem

At this time of year, we hear many complaints from our homeowner and investor clients about their real estate tax assessments. Much anger and hostility is directed towards the assessor by people who believe that their property has been over valued. However, the assessor is not really the problem. For one, the assessor must base his valuation on an average of the last three years, not just the current market condition. Also, the assessed value of an individual property merely determines what portion of the tax burden you must pay to each taxing body. The only real way to get property tax reductions is to get the government to spend less. The amount each school district, village, fire district, etc., spends is determined by their tax levy. The assessed value of your home is compared with the assessed value of the other properties in the taxing district and the amount each property owner pays is then allocated based on their assessed value. Unless and until tax levies are lowered, your property tax bill will continue to increase. Property owners need to spend more time encouraging elected government officials to lower their tax levies in light of the current economy. The real anger and hostility should be directed as those whose budgets expand every year regardless of need and not at the assessor charged merely with proportioning the tax burden.

posted by Ted Bond, Jr. at 11:58 AM 0 comments

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