Divorce is a challenging journey, especially when children are involved. It is not uncommon for one or both parents to struggle with mental health issues. One out of every five Americans lives with a mental illness. That is a significant portion of the population and...
Family Law
3 tools for co-parenting successfully after a contentious divorce
Parents in Illinois often have a hard time working together to co-parent their children after a messy divorce. The more emotional and intense the process may have become, the greater the likelihood that parents will continue to lash out at each other during custody...
How unmarried dads establish paternity in Illinois
There is rarely any question about a mother's biological relationship with a child. However, the role of a father can be a bit less clear. Illinois has a law that applies a presumption of paternity when a married woman has a child. However, when an unmarried woman has...
What are temporary orders in an Illinois divorce?
Whether you made the decision to divorce, your spouse made it or it was by mutual consent, you now have a whole lot of decisions about the future that need to be made. In the meantime, you have to keep your household running, and that means that bills need to be paid,...
Can you claim your business is separate property in a divorce?
A business may be the only asset in your Illinois divorce worth more than your family home or your retirement account. The bigger and more successful your business is, the more likely it is to become a sticking point in your property division negotiations for a...
The influence of local schools when splitting parenting time
Whether you intend to cooperate with your ex to draft a parenting plan or you have to go to court because you argue, resolving custody disagreements is important when planning for life after divorce. Regardless of the approach employed, parents should try to keep the...
Do grandparents get visitation rights Illinois?
Grandparents often wonder if they will have an opportunity to see their grandchildren if their sons and daughters separate or divorce. Most of the time, divorced families do continue to see each other, but problems could arise if one parent wants to move away or if a...
Is a genetic test necessary to establish paternity in Illinois?
You don't need to get married to have a committed relationship with someone else, and you don't need to be in a committed relationship to have a baby. However, as the father of a child, not marrying the mother somewhat changes your legal situation from what a married...
Co-parenting tips for an easier life after divorce
Divorcing isn’t always the easiest thing for parents to do, especially because it can mean tighter schedules with greater demands on an individual. Co-parenting can help make parenting after divorce easier, because it helps maintain the family unit in a way that...
Co-parenting after a difficult divorce
Whether you and your ex fought about money, faced the challenge of infidelity or had a contentious battle for custody, you have survived your high-conflict divorce. However, if you and your ex share custody, there is a new challenge ahead of you: figuring out how to...