Category Archives: Illinois Family Law Attorneys

Pets Are More than Property to Many Divorcing Couples

Do you own a dog or a cat that you treat like part of the family? Does he or she sit with you while you watch television and sleep on the bed with you at night? More than half of Illinois households own pets, and in many cases, they represent more than just animals. Each one is a member of the family with his or her ownContinue reading

Grandparents’ Rights to Visitation

The effects of a divorce or family separation on the life of a child can be rather significant. Often, the child must adapt to a new schedule of spending time with the important people in his or life, including aunts, uncles, cousins, and, in some cases, even siblings. What about grandparents? It is reasonable for one to think that grandparents must have some sort ofContinue reading

Infidelity and Divorce: My Spouse Cheated, What Now?

There are few things in the world more difficult to describe than the hurt of betrayal associated with infidelity. The trust that is destroyed as a result may take years to rebuild, if it can even be restored. For couples who are dating, an act of infidelity can easily end the relationship. For those who are married, a cheating spouse can certainly precipitate divorce, as theContinue reading

Grandparents’ Rights to Visitation

The effects of a divorce or family separation on the life of a child can be rather significant. Often, the child must adapt to a new schedule of spending time with the important people in his or life, including aunts, uncles, cousins, and, in some cases, even siblings. What about grandparents? It is reasonable for one to think that grandparents must have some sort ofContinue reading

Child Custody and Moving Out of State

As a divorced or unmarried parent, it is certainly understandable that you will always be looking for an opportunity to improve your life. Finding a new and better-paying job, developing new relationships, or improving existing relationships with friends and family can all contribute to the health and well-being of both you and your child. There are times when such opportunities may even lead you toContinue reading

Working Through an Uncontested Divorce

Although divorce is never very easy, many couples come to the conclusion that ending the marriage is necessary for the health and well-being of both partners. When this is the case, a couple is often able to complete a large portion of the divorce negotiation on their own, only requiring legal assistance with actually completing the process. Such a situation is often referred to asContinue reading

Limiting Child Visitation in Illinois

You obviously want what is best for your child. As a parent, you probably understand that decisions that are made regarding child support, custody, and visitation are not necessarily for your benefit or that of the other parent. Instead, they are made, or at least supposed to be made, with the best interest of the child in mind to the extent that a judicial entity like aContinue reading

Amended Illinois Spousal Maintenance Laws Look to Improve Consistency

Since taking effect on January 1, 2015, new Illinois laws regarding spousal support are already having an impact on divorce proceedings around the state. A few weeks ago, a poston this blog looked at some of the updated provisions, but never really examined what precipitated the changes. Spousal Support Change Was Needed For most of the last three decades, Illinois law had left all decisions regarding alimony, orContinue reading

Child Support and College Expenses

If you pay child support in Illinois, you are probably looking forward to the day that your child turns 18 or graduates from high school. Most likely, you recognize the need for your support obligation, but once your child is no longer a minor high school student, there certainly other things you could do with the money. Before making any plans for long-term investments orContinue reading

Retained Earnings in Divorce

When a couple decides to divorce, among the more contentious issues is often how assets and property are to be divided. Either spouse’s ownership or investment in a businesscan make property division even more complicated. One of the biggest challenges is determining how much of a company’s value, in general, and, specifically, retained earnings are to be considered marital property, subject to equitable distribution upon divorce.Continue reading