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Thinking About Law School? You May Want to Consider How Much Borrowing You’ll Do — and Whether It Will Be Worth It

May 1, 2025 | John J. Malm

The Dream and the Reality of Law School

Picture this:
You’re standing outside your graduation ceremony, diploma in hand, wearing a borrowed robe that feels heavy with pride — and possibility. You’ve spent years preparing for this moment. Late nights. Heavy textbooks. Endless exams. And now, you’re ready to step into the world as a lawyer.

But somewhere behind that excitement, there’s a voice asking:
“Was it worth it?”

For too many new law school graduates, the answer comes with a sharp edge — shaped by the size of their student loan bill. If you’re thinking about law school, pausing to really understand the debt, the payoff, and the path ahead is one of the smartest choices you can make. Continue reading

Understanding Personal Injury Claims: Your Rights and Options

March 27, 2025 | John J. Malm

If you’ve been injured in an accident due to someone else’s negligence, you may be wondering how to protect your rights and recover compensation. Personal injury claims provide a legal avenue to hold responsible parties accountable and secure the financial support you need for medical bills, lost wages, and other damages.

At John J. Malm & Associates, we bring over 90 years of combined litigation experience to personal injury cases, helping clients across Illinois secure millions in compensation. Our award-winning team of Illinois accident attorneys is dedicated to providing personalized service and results-driven representation. In this blog, we’ll break down the essentials of personal injury claims, your legal rights, and what steps to take to maximize your recovery. Continue reading

What is the Medicare Star Rating System for Nursing Homes?

March 13, 2025 | John J. Malm

Selecting a nursing home for a loved one is one of the most significant decisions a family can make. The quality of care provided by a facility directly impacts the health and well-being of its residents. To aid families in making informed choices, the Medicare star rating system serves as an essential tool for evaluating nursing home performance. At John J. Malm & Associates, with offices in Naperville and St. Charles, we believe that understanding this system is crucial for ensuring your loved one receives the best possible care at their nursing home. Continue reading

Attorney vs. Lawyer: Which One Do I Need?

November 14, 2024 | John J. Malm

You’ve heard people say they need to “call my lawyer” or perhaps talk to “an attorney,” but is there a difference between these terms? While most of us tend to use “lawyer” and “attorney” interchangeably, they actually aren’t the same thing. And if you’re someone needing legal help, it’s worth knowing the difference.

We’ve broken down what separates these roles and why it matters when it comes to finding the right legal representation for your needs. Continue reading

The Dangers of Hungover Driving

July 4, 2020 | John J. Malm

We all know the dangers of drinking and driving. But what about getting behind the wheel the morning after a night of heavy drinking? The average person can break down a single unit of alcohol — a 12-ounce beer, 5 ounces of wine or a 1.5-ounce shot — in about an hour. (Bear in mind that bars and restaurants may serve you more than a single unit of alcohol per drink.)

One hour to break down one standard drink is an estimate for the average person, but not everyone breaks down alcohol at the same rate. There are several factors which affect how quickly your body breaks down alcohol, including your height, weight, gender, age and metabolism, whether you were eating, and whether you take medications that affect the absorption of alcohol. Ultimately, the only thing that can actually reduce your blood alcohol content is time. Late nights and excessive drinking lead to painful mornings and the dreaded effects of a hangover.

The De Minimis Rule in Trip and Fall Premises Liability Cases in Illinois

April 9, 2018 | John J. Malm

What is the De Minimis Rule?

cracked-concrete-1496622-300x225 There are several nuances to premises cases, especially trip and fall cases caused by defective pavements. One of the nuances to a premises case is the de minimis rule. Under the de minimis rule, liability for the defendant generally attaches for sidewalk defects approaching two inches in height. Birch v. City of Quincy, 241 Ill. App. 3d 119, 121 (1993), Harris v. Old Kent Bank, 315 Ill. App. 3d 894, 900 (2000). Courts are hesitant to find a defendant liable for sidewalk or pavement deviations less than two inches in height because the de minimis rule was originally intended to protect [defendants] from the burden of having to monitor and maintain great lengths of sidewalk in perfect condition. Id.

“Whether a height variance between two sidewalk slabs is de minimis depends on all of the pertinent facts, and there is no simple standard to separate de minimis defects from actionable ones. St. Martin v. First Hospitality Group, Inc., 2014 IL App (2d) 130505 ¶14 (quoting Arvidson v. City of Elmhurst, 11 Ill. 2d 601, 604 (1957)). Illinois has held that, although a displacement of two inches in a residential area is actionable, a variation of only 1 1/8 inches is de minimis. Id. However, the de minimis rule’s application depends upon multiple factors, such as heavy foot traffic, distractions, and congestion. Id. at ¶ 19. Continue reading

Uber Self-Driving Vehicle Hits and Kills Pedestrian

March 27, 2018 | John J. Malm

Last week, a self-driving vehicle operated by Uber struck and killed a pedestrian in Arizona. Uber’s car, which was utilizing an autonomous mode, similar to Tesla’s autopilot feature, struck and killed the pedestrian, Elaine Herzberg, around 10 p.m. At the time of the incident, there was a driver at the wheel, but the Uber car did not have any passengers. Even though the car was a self-driving car, a driver was at the wheel to take over in case the car’s autonomous system failed.

The fatal accident occurred as Ms. Herzberg was walking her bicycle across the street. The street she was crossing did not have a crosswalk and the speed limit was 45 miles-per-hour. At the time of impact, Uber’s car was going about 40 miles-per-hour. Initially, the driver of the Uber vehicle, stated that Ms. Herzberg “darted” out in front of the Uber vehicle and as a result, the driver was not able to stop the vehicle in time to avoid hitting her. However, video from the accident, which contains both interior and exterior views, shows that Ms. Herzberg was more than halfway across the road at the time of impact and that driver at the wheel of the Uber was looking down and not looking at the road at the time of the accident. Continue reading

CTA Buses are Striking Pedestrians in Increasing Numbers

March 7, 2018 | John J. Malm

Last night, a Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) bus struck and killed a pedestrian in the West Chatham neighborhood in Chicago. The pedestrian was walking in the crosswalk in the first block of West 79^th Street at around 7:30 p.m., when she was struck by the CTA bus. The pedestrian was pronounced dead at the scene. The CTA bus driver was later cited for failure to yield to a pedestrian in a crosswalk. A similar accident occurred last month, when another CTA bus struck a pedestrian in the Old Town neighborhood in Chicago. According to the Chicago Police Department, the pedestrian was walking in the crosswalk in the 100 block of West Division at around 4:30 a.m., when she was struck by the CTA bus. The pedestrian was taken to the emergency room and was treated for swelling and contusions.

Last summer, a CTA bus struck a mother and her three children as they were crossing the street in the Lakeview neighborhood. According to police, the mother and her children were crossing at the intersection of Halsted Street and Waveland Avenue around 10:15 a.m., when the CTA bus struck them. A witness to the collision told reporters that the infant being held by the mother flew out of the mother’s hands and violently struck the concrete. The children were taken to the emergency room at Lurie Children’s Hospital and the CTA bus driver was taken to the emergency room at Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center. The driver was later given a citation for failure to yield to pedestrians.

How Does an Insurance Company Evaluate My Car Accident Claim?

March 1, 2018 | John J. Malm

If you or a loved one has suffered a personal injury, it is important to know how the insurance company is going to evaluate your claim. Long gone are the days of a skilled insurance adjuster pouring through your records. Nowadays, most insurance companies use a software program, called Colossus, to evaluate your claim. Colossus takes the pressure off the insurance adjuster to evaluate your claim and allows the adjuster to input certain data into its system to arrive at what it thinks is an appropriate settlement number for your claim. Continue reading

Why are Motorcycle Fatalities Increasing in Illinois?

February 26, 2018 | John J. Malm

As the weather starts to warm up, more and more motorcyclists will start hitting the roadways. With the increase of motorcyclists on the roadways, comes an increased danger of those motorcyclists getting into serious, and even life-threatening, accidents. According to the Insurance Information Institute, motorcyclists are more vulnerable on the road and are more likely to be injured or killed in a car accident than occupants in a car, bus, or truck.

In September 2017, three people were injured in a motorcycle accident in Henry County, Illinois. According to the Henry County Sheriff’s Office, a group of motorcycles were driving on U.S. Route 150, when two of the motorcycles crashed into each other. That same month in McHenry County, a sixty-three-year-old man was killed when a SUV struck his motorcycle. The Crystal Lake Police Department’s Accident Investigation Team, in reconstructing the accident, determined that the driver of the SUV, a seventeen-year-old boy, turned left in front of the motorcycle, striking the motorcycle. The motorcyclist later died at a local hospital. A similar occurrence happened in May 2017 in DeKalb County, where a twenty-six-year-old motorcyclist died after a SUV turned left in front of his motorcycle. The driver of the SUV stated that she did not see the motorcyclist before turning. The motorcyclist was pronounced dead at the scene. Continue reading