Divorce or separation in Illinois often leads you to focus on parenting time, child support and school routines. Even so, tax benefits tied to your children may also affect your financial situation each year. When parenting agreements do not clearly address these...
A move can seem routine until it affects your child’s schedule. A new address can affect school travel time and midweek exchanges. Illinois law draws a legal line for “relocation” when you already follow a parenting plan. When you know where that line may fall, you...
Same-sex couples in Illinois face unique legal considerations when pursuing adoption. Although the law does not discriminate based on sexual orientation, certain procedures, documentation requirements and potential court expectations may differ from traditional cases....
Under Illinois’ child support laws, parents and legal guardians of children can request for an increase or decrease in their child support amount to accommodate a recent change in their circumstances. This modification aims to provide the parents and legal guardians...
The Illinois family courts may order one spouse to provide regular spousal maintenance payments to the other as part of a divorce. Also known as alimony or spousal support in other jurisdictions, spousal maintenance helps ensure that lower-earning or dependent spouses...
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...
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...
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...
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,...
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...
