Blog
An Effective And Money-Saving Alternative To Gathering Records
Going through a divorce can be draining for so many reasons. One of the most tedious and time consuming tasks clients are often faced with is obtaining years of records for bank and credit card accounts. More often than not, lawyers will request three to five years of these types of records in a… Read More »
Collaborative Divorce: 8 Things You Might Not Know
Collaborative divorce is a structured team approach to addressing the family crisis of divorce. A form of mediation, collaborative divorce is an alternative to litigation, and a way for divorcing couples to have much more of a say in the outcome of all aspects of the divorce settlement, which includes resolving issues of parenting… Read More »
The Best Ways Clients Can Minimize Divorce Attorney Fees
There are many components that add to the stress of going through a divorce, one of them being attorney’s fees. Already concerned about finances, couples going through a divorce are now receiving a new monthly expense that can seem overwhelming and scary. That said, hiring an effective attorney who puts in the time to… Read More »
A TV Guide To Parenting
As a product of the 70’s and 80’s golden years of television family sitcoms, I spent countless hours in front of the family Magnavox watching how other people parent their children. The Bradys, Partridges, Cunninghams, Romanos, Keatons, and Tanners could all face some of the more typical but challenging parenting issues head on and,… Read More »
Tips for a Productive Divorce Attorney Client Relationship
In Atul Gawande’s thought provoking book, “Being Mortal,” he describes different relationships patients have with their doctors. In the oldest and most traditional relationship he explains a doctor would simply tell a patient: “’Take the red pill. It will be good for you.’ [The doctor] might tell you about the blue pill; but then… Read More »
The Rewrite of the Illinois Marriage and Dissolution of Marriage Act
The overhaul of Illinois’ marriage, divorce and parentage laws was long overdue, as the Illinois Marriage and Dissolution of Marriage Act was enacted in 1977, and the Parentage Act was enacted in 1984. Society and family dynamics have changed dramatically in the past 35 years. Three decades ago it was still typically the mother’s… Read More »
Can The Court Order My Former Spouse Or Me To Pay For My Child’s College?
Illinois law provides that the court may order parties in a divorce or post-dissolution proceeding to contribute to their child’s college educational expenses. Effective January 1, 2016, the section governing educational expenses for a child who wishes to attend college has been revised to ensure more consistency and fairness. Specifically, the court can now… Read More »
Is Mediation Right For You?
Whether you are already involved in a divorce or child-related dispute, or whether you are thinking about filing a case, you should consider whether mediation is right for you and your family. Mediation has the potential to work for most families; whether you are a financially sophisticated spouse or a spouse who has not… Read More »
ASSET Rich and Cash Poor: Temporary Relief and the Sale of Marital Assets
It’s no secret that money can be a contentious issue during a marriage and even more so during a divorce, especially if you and your spouse could never agree how to spend it. You always wanted that Florida condo and that classic car, but now you’re getting divorced and can’t pay the bills. Some… Read More »
Civil Union Dissolution
The recent Second District Appellate Court decision in In Re Civil Union of Debra Hamlin, Petitioner, and Victoria Vasconcellos, Respondent, 2015 Ill.App. (2d) 140231, has at least for now resolved the issue of when civil union property begins to accumulate. Respondent unsuccessfully argued that because Illinois first recognized civil unions on June 1, 2011… Read More »