Miscellaneous

Tax Freedom Day 2009

Posted on April 27, 2009
Tax Freedom Day arrived this year on April 13, according to the Tax Foundation. Each year, the Tax Foundation calculates the price the citizens of the United States are paying for government. For 2009, the answer is that taxes of various types account for 28...

Doherty Named 2009 Illinois Super Lawyer

Posted on January 05, 2009
Congratulations to Kevin Doherty of our Chicago office, who has been named by Illinois Super Lawyers magazine as one of the top attorneys in Illinois for 2009.Only five percent of the lawyers in the state are named by Super Lawyers. Doherty & Progar has law offices located in Illinois, Wisconsin, and Indiana.

IRS Announces 2009 Mileage Rates

Posted on December 02, 2008
<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times new roman;"><span style="font-family: times new roman;">The IRS has issued the 2009 standard mileage rates, which take effect on January 1, 2009. The rate for business miles driven will be 55 cents per mile...

IRS Announces 2009 Mileage Rates

Posted on December 01, 2008
The IRS has issued the 2009 standard mileage rates, which take effect on January 1, 2009. The rate for business miles driven will be 55 cents per mile. For medical or moving purposes, the rate will be 24 cents per mile. The rate for miles driven in the service of charitable organizations will be 14 cents per mile...

To access this complete feed in the blog feed reader login or register for free.

Social Security Administration Unveils New Retirement Estimator

Posted on July 21, 2008
The Social Security Administration has unveiled a new retirement estimator, which allows individuals to calculate their estimated retirement benefit in just a few minutes. Unlike the previous version, the new retirement estimator uses an individual's actual Social Security earnings history, requiring the use only to enter the previous year's income...

Federal Minimum Wage Increases July 24

Posted on July 21, 2008
Effective July 24, 2008, the federal minimum wage for covered non-exempt employees will rise from $5.85 to $6.55 per hour. The Fair Minimum Wage Act of 2007, which amended the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), provides for phased-in increases ultimately reaching $7...

Federal Employees Paid Parental Leave Act of 2008

Posted on July 02, 2008
The U.S. House of Representatives is presently considering H.R. 5781, the Federal Employees Paid Parental Leave Act of 2008. The bill would amend the Family Medical Leave Act of 2003 (FMLA) to provide federal employees with four weeks of paid parental leave in connection with the birth of a child or the placement of an adopted or foster child...

IRS Increases Mileage Rate Through End of 2008

Posted on June 23, 2008
The Internal Revenue Service announced today that due to recent gasoline price increases, it was adjusting the standard business mileage rate for the second half of 2008. Through June 30, the rate will remain at 50.5 cents per mile. Beginning July 1, the rate increases to 58...

Do Not Call Registry Now Permanent

Posted on April 10, 2008
On February 15, 2008, President Bush signed into law the Do-Not-Call Improvement Act of 2007. The Act provides that telephone numbers registered on the National Do Not Call Registry will not be removed from the registry unless they have been disconnected and reassigned, or are otherwise found to be invalid...

How to Obtain Your Credit Report for Free

Posted on March 04, 2008
The Fair Credit Reporting Act provides that at your request, each of the three national credit reporting agencies-TransUnion, Equifax, and Experien-must give you a free copy of your credit report at least every 12 months. You may order all three credit reports at the same time, or you may order the reports individually at different timesBe careful! The only way to obtain your credit reports without charge is through the central website, toll-free telephone number, or mailing address set up by the three consumer credit reporting agencies...

Postage Rates Increasing May 12

Posted on February 12, 2008
The United States Postal Service is adjusting prices for mailing services, effective May 12, 2008. The price of a First-Class stamp will rise by one cent, to 42 cents. The price for each additional ounce will remain at 17 cents.Remember that you can continue to use Forever Stamps that were purchased prior to May 12 at 41 cents, even after the price increase...

Record Cook County Verdict in Medical Malpractice Case

Posted on January 17, 2008
A Cook County, Illinois jury awarded $22 million on January 15, 2008, to the family of a 34-year-old woman who died during labor at an area hospital. The woman's family alleged that the hospital failed to properly treat her high blood pressure, as a result of which she suffered a brain hemorrhage and died four days later...

IRS Increases Business Mileage Rate for 2008

Posted on January 02, 2008
The IRS has raised the standard rate for business miles driven to 50.5 cents per mile, effective January 1, 2008.Offices located in Illinois, Wisconsin, and Indiana.

A Visit From St. Nicholas, Legal Edition

Posted on December 21, 2007
Whereas, on or about the night prior to Christmas, there did occur at a certain improved piece of real property (hereinafter the ?House?) a general lack of stirring by all creatures therein, including, but not limited to, a mouse.A variety of foot apparel, e...

The Christmas Song Quiz

Posted on December 03, 2007
Yes, boys and girls, it?s that time of year again?time to play the Christmas Song Quiz. See if you can name the title of each of the following well-known Christmas Songs.Move hitherward the entire assembly of those who are loyal in their belief.Listen, the celestial messengers produce harmonious sounds...

Cost of "Twelve Days of Christmas" Up 3.1% in 2007

Posted on November 28, 2007
Due to higher gold prices and increased compensation for minimum wage workers, the cost of the gifts described in the holiday classic "Twelve Days of Christmas" is up 3.1% for 2007, according to PNC Wealth Management's 23rd annual survey. The total cost for all 364 items will be $78,100, an increase of about 4% over last year...

Federal Minimum Wage Increases

Posted on July 13, 2007
As expected, President Bush signed a bill that amended the Fair Labor Standards Act to increase the federal minimum wage in three annual steps. The minimum wage has been at its current $5.15 per hour since September 1, 1997. Thirty states presently have minimum wages greater than the federal minimum wage...

Anniversary of Aaron Burr and Alexander Hamilton Duel

Posted on July 11, 2007
The most famous duel in American history took place on July 11, 1804, in which Aaron Burr, who was Vice-President of the United States at the time, shot Alexander Hamilton, who died the next day.Burr had been a hero of the Revolutionary War, and ran for President against Thomas Jefferson in the election of 1800...

Most Populous Cities Estimates

Posted on June 28, 2007
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Phoenix is now the nation's fifth most populous city, with an estimated population of 1.5 million. The top three cities remain New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago.Nearly a century ago, the ten most populous cities were all located within about 500 miles of the Canadian border...

Freezing Access to Your Credit Files

Posted on June 13, 2007
Identity theft is one of the fastest growing crimes nationally, claiming nearly 10 million victims each year. The Identity Theft Resource Center reported that a victim of identity theft typically spent an average of 60 hours dealing with various problems brought about by the crime...

Illinois Raises Minimum Wage

Posted on May 25, 2007
The Illinois minimum wage will increase annually over a four-year period, from the current rate of $6.50 per hour. The increases will be as follows:July 1, 2007 - $7.50 per hour;July 1, 2008 - $7.75 per hour;July 1, 2009 - $8.00 per hour; andJuly 1, 2010 - $8...

Congress Approves Increase in Federal Minimum Wage

Posted on May 24, 2007
Congress has approved the first increase in the federal minimum wage in 10 years. President Bush has said that he would sign the bill, which will increase the minimum wage from its current rate of $5.15 per hour to $7.25 per hour, in three stages over two years...

Some Tips for Organizing Your Work Space

Posted on April 23, 2007
When getting ready to do your spring cleaning, don't forget to clean up and organize your desk and work area. Here are a few tips from The National Association of Professional Organizers:Find one hour of uninterrupted time each day to tackle action items and projects on a timely basis...

New Hampshire Most Livable State

Posted on March 30, 2007
New Hampshire is the most livable state, and Vermont is the healthiest state, according to the awards announced on March 29 by Morgan Quitno Press, an independent publisher of state and city statistical reference books and databases.In the 17th annual Most Livable State Awards, New Hampshire and Minnesota retained their first and second place rankings from last year, followed by Wyoming, Utah, and New Jersey...

Daylight Saving Time Begins Earlier in 2007

Posted on February 09, 2007
Beginning this year, Daylight Saving Time will commence three weeks earlier and end one week later than in previous years. This comes about as a result of Congress' enactment of the Energy Policy Act of 2005, which will take effect on March 1, 2007.Daylight Saving Time will now commence at 2:00 a...

Punxsutawney Phil Predicts An Early Spring

Posted on February 02, 2007
For those in the middle of winter like we are here in the Midwest, Punxsutawney Phil, the world's most famous groundhog, today brought good news with the prediction of an early spring. Here is Phil's official forecast from Gobbler's Knob:El Nino has caused high winds, heavy snow, ice and freezing temperatures in the west...

National Do Not Call Registry

Posted on January 28, 2007
From time to time, we are contacted for information about the National Do Not Call Registry. Here is a summary of information about the registry, which is managed by the Federal Trade Commission.Once you register your telephone number, telemarketers have up to 31 days from that date to stop calling you...

Information About Product Recalls

Posted on January 25, 2007
Information on product recalls and recall alerts may be found by using the various searches available on the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission website.Offices located in Illinois, Wisconsin, and Indiana.

Free Annual Credit Report

Posted on January 17, 2007
A recent amendment to the Fair Credit Reporting Act requires each of the three national consumer credit reporting agencies to provide you with a free copy of your credit report once every 12 months, at your request. The only authorized online source for this is through the Federal Trade Commission's website, at AnnualCreditReport...

Arizona Becomes Fastest Growing State

Posted on December 22, 2006
According to population estimates released today by the U.S. Census Bureau, Arizona has replaced Nevada as the fastest growing state. Texas added the most people while Louisiana, still suffering the effects of Hurricane Katrina, lost nearly 5% of its total population...

Bloggers, promote your law blog by nominating your blog for inclusion in USLaw.com's Law Blog Directory and RSS Reader. Benefits described.