Tag Archives: Orland Park Family Law Attorney

Responsibility for Your Child’s Medical Expenses

Issues involving child support can be rather complicated and, of course, intensely personal. As a parent, you no doubt recognize that you have responsibility to help provide for your child. Exactly what that responsibility may entail is often in dispute, as parents often have different opinions on the definition of reasonable contributions. The state of Illinois, as you might expect, provides a guideline for baselineContinue reading

What Are Parental Responsibilities?

As we get further into 2016, the new laws regarding child custody and other family concerns are beginning to have an impact on court proceeding around the state of Illinois. It is much too early to identify any emerging trends or inclinations of the court, as of yet, but it probably will not be long before that starts to happen. In the meantime, it may be usefulContinue reading

Substance Abuse and Parenting Time

Substance abuse continues to be a problem all throughout the United States. Addiction to alcohol and drugs can ruin lives and tear families apart. Family law courts are especially concerned about parents with substance abuse issues. Substance Abuse and Being an Unfit Parent Family court judges are often required to decide how much time each parent should spend with the children of the relationship when theContinue reading

Stepparent Adoption in Illinois

Relationships between stepparents and stepchildren can be just as important and strong as the relationships between biological parents and children. Under Illinois law a stepparent can file a petition to legally adopt a stepchild. However, the family must follow the rules and regulations exactly if the adoption is to be successful. The Basics Illinois considers stepparent adoptions related adoptions. Both biological parents must consent to the adoptionContinue reading

Understanding Fixed-Term Maintenance

As part of the family law changes that went into effect this month, courts will now have the authority to enter fixed-term orders for spousal maintenance during a modification review. Dating back to the beginning of last year, fixed-term maintenance has been an option for new orders related to the dissolution of shorter marriages, but has now been extended to modified orders as well. What is Fixed-TermContinue reading

New Law Places Limits on Support for College Expenses

If you are currently paying child support pursuant to a court order, you probably expect that your obligations will be complete when your child turns 18 and/or graduates high school. While such an expectation is certainly reasonable, and even accurate in most cases, the state of Illinois may require you to continue providing support beyond age 18 for the purposes of assisting with educational expenses.Continue reading

QDROs and Back Child Support

When you are working hard to raise your child, but the other parent fails or refuses to comply with his or her obligations for child support, it is easy to feel like your options are limited. You may begin to believe that once he or she has missed an ordered payment, your child will never see that money, no matter what type collection activities are pursued.Continue reading

Family Law Changes for 2016: Child Custody and Visitation

In the last post on this blog, we talked about a number of upcoming changes to the laws regarding divorce in Illinois. These changes are being implemented January 1, 2016, and are the result of a family law reform measure that was signed by the governor this past summer. The amendments to the Illinois Marriage and Dissolution of Marriage Act also address child-related concerns, making substantialContinue reading

When is Litigation Your Best Option in a Divorce?

Even though divorce cases are among the most emotional and divisive of all civil cases, the vast majority of them settle before ever going to trial. There are many benefits to settling a case before trial. Often, this can save on court costs and avoids the uncertainty of letting a judge decide the case. However, settlement is not always to best option. Sometimes, your rights are betterContinue reading

Should I Ask For Spousal Maintenance?

When you are going through a divorce, there will almost certainly be a large number of decisions to make. If your divorce is more amicable, you and your spouse may be able to reach an agreement on many issues. If not, however, the court will be required to decide on concerns such as property division, parental responsibilities, and parenting time. Spousal maintenance, on the other hand,Continue reading