Today Chicago Real Estate Daily, a Crain's Chicago Business publication, reported that foreclosure cases now take nearly 2 years to complete. The report suggests that’s bad for the economy. Our experience among the hundreds of foreclosures we’ve defended in the past 5 years is an average of roughly 30 months. Is that bad news or good news?<< MORE >>

The U.S. home price index reported its largest home value price drop in 2008 and home prices continue to decline. “Under-water” mortgages and bank foreclosures continue to turn the American Dream into a nightmare for many homeowners, yet property tax bills often do not reflect the loss in home value.

 

This makes it particularly important for homeowners to monitor their tax bills for accuracy under current property value and know their rights.

 

If you have a mortgage, your tax bill can generally be estimated by your ...

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We began finding many of the irregularities in paperwork that are making news today. One of these is MERS assignments. MERS, most simply described, is a corporation composed of member banks that was put in place to make mortgage paperwork easier for the lenders. However, in setting up MERS and its variations (the current is MERS-4) the banks repeatedly overlooked the illegality of its operation. Recently a New York judge ruled MERS assignments are illegal, invalid and fraudulent - something we have been arguing for nearly four years. << MORE >>

Today we got to tell a family they can keep their home. The foreclosure against them was dismissed with prejudice. Uncovering errors can produce real results for troubled homeowners. Homeowners may be able to make a good case for halting a foreclosure if the bank can't show it has the right to foreclose.<< MORE >>

The Internet has changed our world tremendously and more tension is likely to occur over posts as employers become more Internet savvy.<< MORE >>

The media is abuzz with recent announcements by Bank of America, GMAC Mortgage and JP Morgan-Chase slowing or halting foreclosures. So if you’re behind on your mortgage can you breathe easy? Is your case over if you’re already being foreclosed upon by one of these giants? The answers are no, and no. Here’s why...<< MORE >>

When it comes to loan modification, the majority of our clients have found that most modifications simply don’t happen. A lot of time, effort and frustration is spent with no gain. While lenders may appear to be negotiating in good faith, few if any of our clients who’ve attempted modification would say that describes their experience...<< MORE >>

Here’s a bit of advice for anyone facing foreclosure from the perspective of a law firm that’s defended hundreds of foreclosures in the past three-plus years...<< MORE >>

It's been more than two years since we reported on the landmark ruling that overturned our client's prenuptial agreement awarding her half of her ex-husband's nearly $2.5 million estate. This week the appellate court upheld the court's findings....<< MORE >>

Kane County's No Refusal weekends can be challenged. The secret is not to fold.<< MORE >>

If you live in Chicagoland and watch the news, it's hard not to know about the new "poster child" for judicial threats, Kevin J. Long, a man who stockpiled some 1,600 knives, guns and other weapons and attempted to enter the Daley Center with four knives...But there is more to this Long story. Our firm and several of its clients have been entangled in these matters for a decade...<< MORE >>

Would you do your own surgery or choose a licensed surgeon? More than 2 years ago we published a guest posting, Self-Representation: The Perils of PRO SE, and the risks of self-representation - and using DIY legal services - remain. << MORE >>

Social media – Facebook, MySpace, LinkedIn, etc. – are designed to bring people together, but reports indicate networking sites also are tearing people apart. From rekindling long-lost romances to finding evidence of extramarital affairs or dispersal of marital assets, social networking sites are increasingly linked to divorce matters. << MORE >>

ABC News reports on the new laws in the nation, including a couple affecting Illinoisans.<< MORE >>

Wishing all our clients, staff and friends a happy and safe holiday season.<< MORE >>

Look Who's Going Mobile.  You now can check us out on your PDA or SmartPhone at jpmlaw.mobi...<< MORE >>

Our heartfelt congratulations go out to three members of our JPMA team who today received their results of the Illinois Bar Exam taken this summer...<< MORE >>

In 1969 one man, Michael Shakman, took a stand against political patronage in Chicago. Shakman's efforts resulted in the Shakman Decrees but 40 years after his initial efforts, Chicago still suffers the effects of political clout. A couple of city employees - Emery Joe Yost who is a longtime JPMA client, and Pat McDonough - have brought many of the issues raised by Shakman back into the spotlight garnering a great deal of media attention with the release of a song about Chicago Clout.<< MORE >>

Language barriers must be overcome for justice to be served. Bilingual and multi-lingual attorneys are a must in a fair court system.<< MORE >>

Banks are walking away from foreclosed properties, leaving neighborhoods devastated by abandoned homes and placing homeowners, who thought their property had been taken away, with financial obligations often beyond the deficiencies of their loans.<< MORE >>