Tag Archives: Illinois law

Child Support for a Pageant Participant

There is an elite group of individuals who go on to become pageant queens and kings. However, they all must start somewhere. Many times, the desire to hold these titles begins with a nudge from one or both parents during the school-aged years. Participation includes effort of appearance in addition to positive personality traits and a high financial cost. If the parents are divorced, changesContinue reading

New Law Requires Domestic Violence Training for Hairdressers, Cosmetologists

Men and women alike tend to share fairly intimate details of their lives with the individuals who cut their hair. The nostalgic image of men sitting in a barbershop chatting about any number of topics is almost timeless and still, to an extent, exists today. Similarly, women are often not afraid to talk about their lives with their hairdressers and nail technicians, frequently revealing extremelyContinue reading

Knowing What You Want: Asking for Spousal Maintenance in Divorce

The role of each spouse in a marriage is often unique to that particular couple’s needs and circumstances. The days of presuming that the husband will work a nine-to-five job while the wife tends to the home and children are all but gone. Of course, couples are free to choose such an arrangement, just as they are free to choose one in which the wife is theContinue reading

Modifying the Allocation of Parental Responsibilities: Can It Be Done?

There are many reasons that parents may wish to modify their allocation of parental responsibilities (child custody) order, but can a parent really change a court order once it has been entered? If so, under what circumstances? The following information may be able to provide guidance to those who wish to modify the allocation of parental responsibilities for their child. Obtaining a Modification Is Often Difficult TheContinue reading

Registering as a Putative Father Can Protect Your Rights

Recent estimates indicate that two out of every five babies born in the United States are born to mothers who are not married at the time. The rate is even higher among certain racial groups and socioeconomic classes. Regardless of ethnicity or income level, single parenthood is a daunting concept, and many unwed mothers often give thought to the idea of putting their child upContinue reading

Illinois Child Custody Revamped

On January 1 of this year, major changes to the Illinois Marriage and Dissolution of Marriage Act went into effect. These amendments were intended to reflect the societal changes regarding how child custody should be handled. In fact, the updated law does away with the term “child custody,” replacing it with the terms “parenting time” and “parenting responsibilities” instead. Change Needed When many people hear the phraseContinue reading

Non-Marital Property Can Affect the Division of Marital Assets

When you get divorced in Illinois, the law requires your marital property to be divided equitably between you and your spouse. The process raises two primary questions: what is marital property and what is equitable? A qualified divorce attorney can help you understand how the answers to those questions can impact your divorce settlement. Marital Property Defined The Illinois Marriage and Dissolution of Marriage Act (IMDMA) providesContinue reading

Divorcing With Children: Future College Expenses

The children may be young now, yet all too soon they will be achieving high school graduation and looking at different colleges and universities to attend. In many situations, if biological parents are financially able to pay for the costs of their children’s college education, they have the responsibility to do so. The same is true regardless if the biological parents are married, divorced, orContinue reading

Paying Support for a Child Who Is Not Yours

When an unmarried couple finds out that they are expecting a baby—and especially if it is a surprise—men are generally expected to “do the right thing” and to provide for the mother and the child. This is often the case even if the man and woman are not involved in a committed relationship. For many people, “doing the right thing” means voluntarily acknowledging paternity andContinue reading

Abandoned Newborn Found By 9-Year Old Girl

Health officials in Lowell, Indiana—about an hour south of Chicago, just across the state line—say that tragedy seems to have been averted as an abandoned newborn baby is expected to fully recover after being found in a rural backyard. According to reports, the baby girl was found wrapped in a towel, lying in the sun about 100 yards from the street. The infant was takenContinue reading