Domestic Battery and Orders of Protection
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In Lake County, Illinois, there is a specialized courtroom
which hears Domestic Violence related cases. Domestic Battery and other charges where a family member or someone who
previously had a dating relationship with the defendant are heard exclusively in this courtroom. The courtroom also hears
Petitions for an Order of Protection and other protective orders. McCollum Hodgkinson, PC has an extensive practice
in this courtroom handling many complicated Domestic Battery cases in addtion to Orders of Protection petitions. This courtroom was initially created in reaction to several domestic violence
murder cases. At that time, Steven McCollum was the Chief Deputy State's Attorney for Lake County, Illinois. In that role,
Steve was the Chairperson of the Domestic Violence Council and wrote the initial bylaws for police and prosecutors which determined
how these cases would be handled in the Lake County Courts. Also in that role, Steve prosecuted many of the domestic First
Degree Murder cases being prosecuted by the State's Attorney. When Steve entered private practice as a defense attorney,
it was natural that this background and experience led to him defending many cases in the specialized courtroom. In addition to the criminal charges being heard in this courtroom, many Petitions
for a Domestic Violence Order of Protection are also heard there. While some of these petitions may be heard in the Family
Law courtrooms, many are heard in this specialized courtroom. Civil No Contact petitions, which involve allegations
of a sexual assault, are also heard in this courtroom. Since the courtroom's inception then there have been many changes in the law and in the way
Lake County hears these cases. Steve McCollum, as a defense attorney has been the Chairperson of the Lake County Bar
Association's Criminal Law Committee and on the Board of Directors of the LCBA and Lake County Bar Foundation. He has
been involved in advocating for the rights of persons charged with Domestic Battery or who are defending against Domestic
Violence Order of Protection. Our
firm handles many Domestic Battery and Order of Protection cases and these cases continue to be an important part of our law practice. When Daniel Hodgkinson joined the
firm it was in large part due to the extensive experience that Dan had in the State's Attorney's office. While in the
State's Attorney's Office one of Daniel Hodgkinson's assignments had been as a prosecutor in the Domestic Violence courtroom.
In his time in the Domestic Violence Division of the State's Attorney's Office Dan tried many Domestic Battery, Assault and
other charges, thereby gaining an expertise in how to defend these cases and how the courtroom works. He knows the judges,
clerks and other court personnel that work in this courtroom extremely well. Lake County is very different from other counties in how these cases are prosecuted
and how they must be defended to be successful. Since joining with Steve in McCollum Hodgkinson, PC, Daniel Hodgkinson has
regularly defended all types of charges in the Domestic Violence courtroom in addition to defending people against a Petition
for a Domestic Violence Order of Protection. That type of experience and knowledge helps our clients to get the best possible
outcome when facing charges or petitions in this specialized courtroom. Please call our office and speak to either Steve or Dan about your Domestic Violence charges or a Petition for an
Order of Protection.
Steve McCollum and Dan Hodgkinson are well respected Lake County, Illinois criminal defense and juvenile
defense lawyers, with extensive, practical experience as prosecutors and defense attorneys representing both adult and juvenile
clients concerning cases throughout Northeastern Illinois, including the cities of Antioch, Barrington, Buffalo Grove, Deerfield,
Fox Lake, Grayslake, Gurnee, Highwood, Highland Park, Lake Villa, Lake Bluff, Lake Forest, Lake Zurich, Libertyville, Lincolnshire,
Lindenhurst, Long Grove, Mundelein, Round Lake Area, Spring Grove, Vernon Hills, Wauconda, Waukegan, Zion, and all other areas
of Lake County, Illinois. Our experience and types of cases handled includes: Murder, Robbery, Aggravated Battery, Domestic
Battery, Juvenile court cases, Driving Under the Influence of Alcohol (DUI), Theft, Criminal Trespass, Burglary, Speeding
and other traffic charges, DCFS Appeals, Criminal Sexual Assault, Predatory Sexual Assault, Child Pornography, Solicitation
of a Minor, and all other areas of felony and misdemeanor criminal defense, drinking and driving, and Juvenile Law.
McCollum Hodgkinson, PC
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