“For most people who go through divorce, it’s not easy to get along for the sake of the children, because if it were easy, they might not have gotten a divorce in the first place. Yet, I’m convinced that the couples who divorce who make a conscious decision to be amicable partners in co-parenting have…
Choosing a lawyer for divorce is a significant undertaking. The practice of medicine and the practice of law are two of the three original professions dating back to medieval times (along with divinity). The professional ideals include a high degree of public trust, integrity and learning. It only makes sense that those hallmarks that should be…
Tax time is a wonderful time of year. You gather up all of your W-2’s and 1099s. Your box of receipts gets dumped out, and you start to sort through what can be deducted and what cannot be deducted. As you start to complete your tax return, you are thankful for the deductions your children…
Like a car engine, child support determination in Illinois is often a mechanical process, but not everyone understands how a car engine runs. Although I am the son of a mechanic, I know very little about cars. In the same way, not everyone understands how child support is calculated in Illinois. The purpose of this…
In today’s society, it is not unusual to find children living with grandparents, aunts, uncles or even friends. Sometime the children’s biological parents are in and out of the children’s lives, maybe even more out then in. These circumstances can be temporary, but they are often permanent or grow into permanent arrangements. In these situations, the natural…
The amount and/or percentage of a parent’s obligation for contribution to their children’s college expenses is a matter often left undetermined in a divorce settlement or judgment for dissolution of marriage. Unless the parties have agreed in advance to the allocation of the expenses, one of three situations is present: 1) the settlement agreement or…
Every new year brings new laws and amendments to old laws. One law that has gone through many changes over the years is the Illinois Marriage and Dissolution of Marriage Act (IMDMA). Beginning January 1, 2014, the State Legislature has forged a new tool that is now available to protect the best interests of children and to encourage…
Q&A forums on legal issues, and especially divorce and family law questions, are popular on the Internet. One question seems to be asked more than most: what are grounds for a divorce. The issue of grounds is fundamental, but many people have the wrong idea of the significance of grounds in the divorce process. Many…
Marriage is the joining of two people together into one family unit, and that includes their property. Many married people consider their property in the following terms: what is yours is ours, what is mine is ours and what is ours is ours. No distinction between “marital property” and “non-marital property” is made: they view…
Going through a divorce is one of the most difficult things you will ever face in your life. You well-being and your children’s well-being will depend, in large measure, on your ability to gain some larger perspective, to take a long term view of things and to see the big picture. As intense as the…