ABOUT ME
Matt Keenan
Se habla español.
A criminal and school law attorney with over 24 years of experience, I have successfully represented clients all over the Chicago area. My practice includes DUI, felony, criminal, misdemeanor, homicide, internet crime, retail theft, traffic offenses, cyberstalking, drug crimes, weapons violations, domestic battery and juvenile crime. I also represent families involving school cases. My clients come from all over the Chicago area including Skokie, Wilmette, Niles, Northbrook, Glenview, Evanston, Winnetka, Highland park, Northfield, Park Ridge, Des Plaines and Mount Prospect. I am a member of the ACLU, Illinois State Bar Association.
We wrote the chapters on DEFENSES and ARRESTS AND INVESTIGATORY STOPS.
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Illinois Jurisprudence: Criminal Law and Procedure. Vol. 1. (LexisNexis 2014).We wrote the chapters on SEARCH and SEIZURE, MOTIONS AND DISCOVERY, and EVIDENTIARY MATTERS GENERALLY.
Illinois Jurisprudence: Criminal Law and Procedure. Vol. 1. (LexisNexis 2014).
Author Archives: mdkeenan
OVERTURNING YOUR DRIVER’S LICENSE SUSPENSION BASED ON A PRESCRIPTION DRUG
You are on prescription medication. While driving, you ran a stop sign, and the police pulled you over. You were arrested for DUI. As a result, the Secretary of State has suspended your driver’s license. Your prescription is legal. Do … Continue reading
Posted in prescription medication, suspensions
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YOUR OUT OF STATE DUI: WHAT YOU CAN DO IN ILLINOIS
You were celebrating the holidays in Illinois with friends or relatives. You had a few drinks too many before starting the long drive to your home state. Before you left Illinois, a trooper pulled you over, and now you are … Continue reading
Posted in out of state dui
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DO THE CHARGES AGAINST YOU COMPLY WITH ILLINOIS LAW?
In order to charge you with DUI or another offense, the prosecution must prepare written charges against you. Under Illinois law, the charges called the indictment, must contain certain elements. If the indictment is missing an important element, the charges … Continue reading
Posted in DRIVING UNDER THE INFLUENCE
Tagged charge, indictment
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DID YOUR CAR COMMIT A CRIME? THE ILLINOIS LAW ON FORFEITURE
After you were arrested for DUI or another offense, the state took a look at your expensive car. Maybe the car really belonged to an innocent third party. In any case, the state wants to keep it. Can they do … Continue reading
Posted in DUI evidence
Tagged forfeiture, preliminary review, seizure
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THE AUTOMATIC DUI SUSPENSION OF YOUR DRIVER’S LICENSE: WERE YOU ON PUBLIC OR PRIVATE PROPERTY?
(Last updated March 12, 2019) If you are charged with DUI in Illinois, the Secretary of State can automatically suspend your driver’s license—but only if you were on a “public highway.” The law defines a “public highway” as “The entire … Continue reading
Posted in DUI evidence, secretary of state, suspensions
Tagged private highway, public highway
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CAN THEY TAKE MY BLOOD WITHOUT A WARRANT? THE U.S. SUPREME COURT SAYS “NO.”
In a recent decision, Birchfield v. North Dakota, the U.S. Supreme Court held that a state cannot require you to take a blood test in order to enforce its drunk driving laws. Subject to certain exceptions, the police must get … Continue reading
Posted in breathalyzer/field sobriety test, DUI evidence, DUI testing
Tagged blood test, breath test, breathalyzer, search warrant
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FAILURE TO REPORT AN ACCIDENT IN ILLINOIS
You left the bar feeling pretty toasty. Unfortunately, on the way home, you got into an accident. You now have a dilemma. If you report the accident, the police may charge you with DUI. But if you don’t report the … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged failure to report an accident, leaving the scene of an accident
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DRIVING ON A REVOKED/SUSPENDED LICENSE CAN LEAD TO STIFFER DUI PENALTIES
A recent Illinois appellate case underscores the proposition that if your license is revoked or suspended, it’s revoked or suspended until the Secretary of State says it’s not. If you lose your license because of DUI, you cannot drive until … Continue reading
Posted in aggravated dui, driving on a suspended license
Tagged aggravated dui, license suspension, loss of driving privileges, revocation, secretary of state, secretary of state suspension, suspension
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ILLINOIS LAW REQUIRES POLICE TO ASK BEFORE GIVING A PORTABLE BREATHALYZER TEST
Recent Illinois case law has clarified that an officer must ask you to take the portable breathlayzer test (PBT) and give you enough time to refuse before giving the test, or your case could be dismissed. If you are stopped … Continue reading
Posted in breathalyzer/field sobriety test, DUI testing
Tagged breathalyzer testing, portable breathalyzer, probable cause, testing
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EXTRADITION TO ILLINOIS: THE UNFINISHED CRIMINAL CASE
With ever-expanding access to information, police in one state can easily learn about any criminal charges you have open in another state. And that can lead to extradition. Extradition means you could be arrested in your current state and brought … Continue reading
Posted in traffic offenses
Tagged extradition, traffic stop, unfinished sentence, violation of sentence
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