Posted on May 23,2022 in Paternity

Establishing paternity in Illinois is essential for many reasons. Not only do parents have legal rights to their children, but many parents wish to establish legal parentage as a way to feel bonded to their children. If the parents of a child were unmarried at the time of the birth, a father would have to obtain legal paternity. With paternity comes legal rights to the child, including custody and the ability to make crucial decisions throughout the child’s life.

What is Paternity?

Paternity is the legal term for the relationship between a father and child. When a mother gives birth, there is no question that the child belongs to her. However, there is no natural way to determine the father of a child without established paternity or a DNA test. Paternity does not always refer to the biological father, either. A parent can obtain legal rights through adoption.

Why Should I Establish Paternity?

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 Posted on May 15,2022 in Illinois Divorce

Lies during the divorce process can seriously impact an individual's future and the outcome of their divorce. Exaggerating or falsifying legal documents during your divorce is a crime, leading to severe repercussions. Divorce attorneys can hire forensic accountants and other skilled specialists to look into a bank account and determine if there are hidden assets or falsified financial information. Here are common ways divorce documents are falsified and how hidden information can affect the outcome of your divorce.

Common Ways Divorce Documents are Falsified

Perjury is commonly portrayed as lying during testimony on the witness stand, but there are other ways to perjure yourself in the court of law. Another common form of perjury occurs through falsifying court documents. Partners often lie in divorce cases to withhold shared assets or hide finances. In the case of divorce, perjury can be split into two main categories — direct and indirect acts. Direct acts of perjury include an individual explicitly lying. For example, a spouse claims they do not own any property besides the marital home, but there is a deed for another property with their name on it. Indirect perjury includes not sharing the entire truth. This form of perjury can look like undervaluing an asset to hide money. For example, a spouse values their business at $100,000, but an appraisal shows the company was worth $200,000.

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 Posted on May 07,2022 in Illinois Divorce

Many lifestyle changes occur following a divorce, from living arrangements to property division. If you recently completed a divorce, you may have questions regarding how this significant change affects different areas of your life, including how to file for taxes as a single individual. Tax considerations are often addressed directly in the divorce decree before entirely dissolving the marriage. However, individuals may still have questions regarding how to make tax filing changes or how a divorce will affect their tax refund at the end of the year.

Filing Taxes Separately

Whether or not a couple in the process of getting divorced can file their taxes jointly depends entirely on when the divorce is finalized. Suppose the spouses are still legally married before the last day of the year, December 31. In that case, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) still recognizes the individuals as a legally married couple, and they have the option to file taxes jointly. Once the divorce is finalized, the IRS will require that taxes be filed separately for that tax year.

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 Posted on April 30,2022 in Child Custody & Allocation of Parental Responsibility

When an individual becomes a parent, they are generally entitled to certain rights regarding their child. However, there are a variety of circumstances that can result in a parent losing their parental rights in Illinois. From undetermined paternity to a lack of parental fitness, an individual’s right to parent their child can be revoked. Suppose you have had your parenting rights taken away. In that case, a family attorney can help you uncover your options towards establishing custody, parenting responsibilities, or visitation time with your child.

Lack of Parental Fitness

In order to understand how the state can revoke parental rights, it is crucial to be familiar with parental fitness guidelines. Being a fit parent includes having the physical, emotional, and mental ability to care for your child. Ways that a parent can be deemed unfit include:

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 Posted on April 19,2022 in Child Custody & Allocation of Parental Responsibility

One of the toughest but most important parts of an Illinois divorce is creating a parenting agreement that suits both parents’ needs as well as the children’s best interests. Parents must often get creative and curious when creating a parenting plan because both spouses are sure to have strong opinions about what is likely to be the best arrangement.

An important part of every Illinois parenting time arrangement is the right of first refusal - or, in other words, the obligation either or both parents have to seek child care from each other rather than a third party under certain clearly delineated circumstances. If done well, the right of first refusal can benefit children as well as divorced parents. Here are three ways your kids might benefit from a great right of first refusal clause.

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 Posted on April 11,2022 in Illinois Divorce

Couples have to make many difficult decisions throughout the divorce process, including division of shared property, determining child custody and parenting time, and choosing who will remain in the family home. These choices present a challenge for many spouses, and the process of reaching a mutual decision is often contested. However, once couples have made a joint decision on all of the necessary factors following a divorce, there is another process to follow before the marriage can be fully dissolved. Couples must develop a Marital Settlement Agreement and prepare for a conference with their spouse.

What is a Marital Settlement Agreement?

After all of the difficult decisions have been made and agreed upon, couples must solidify the information in what is known as a Marital Settlement Agreement, also called an MSA. This agreement outlines all pertinent information that will make up the divorce decree, a legally binding document that expresses all of the required actions following the divorce. The MSA will include:

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 Posted on April 05,2022 in Illinois Divorce

Going through a divorce can be both complicated and frightening for many couples. Choosing to dissolve a marriage is emotionally taxing, and the complex legal proceedings can leave some individuals feeling lost — especially stay-at-home spouses. It may seem to be common knowledge that the partner in a relationship who is the primary caretaker will be awarded more assets during the divorce. However, Illinois places a firm emphasis on an equal division of property between both partners. If you are a full-time parent or homemaker preparing for divorce, here are three financial factors to consider.

Requesting Spousal Support

Spousal support, maintenance payments, and alimony refer to the same concept — creating an income stream for the stay-at-home spouse following the divorce. When an individual does not have the means to be financially independent of their spouse, divorce can seem like a distant option. However, spousal support can provide monetary security for the home-based spouse. Spousal payments may be awarded if:

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 Posted on March 31,2022 in Illinois Divorce

Divorce judgments, also known as divorce decrees, are made during a marriage dissolution. These legal documents are intended to give ex-spouses a guideline for how their joint assets will be divided and allocate spousal and parental responsibilities. However, there are situations where an individual believes the court made a grave error in a decision made during a divorce proceeding. These errors can cause distress to a spouse or parent who feels the court ruled improperly. In Illinois, citizens have the right to appeal a final court ruling that has been implemented.

Valid Reasons to Submit an Appeal

It is essential to have a valid reason in the appealing process of making a change to important legal documents. Various circumstances could yield a good reason to appeal a decision. For example, if the court rules that one parent should not have visitation time with the children without understanding all of the evidence, that parent has the right to appeal that ruling. A spouse can not legally appeal a court decision simply because they are dissatisfied with the result of their case. There must be a legitimate legal flaw in the case, which could include:

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 Posted on March 27,2022 in Child Custody & Allocation of Parental Responsibility

Divorcing your spouse is tough and comes with many complex decisions, especially if you share children. If you and your spouse are both active parents in your children's lives, it can be hard to determine custody when splitting up the family. Often, this can lead to a contested divorce where partners can not agree on how to divide parenting time and custody. If you are currently dissolving your marriage with your partner and find yourself in a sticky situation disputing custody, these five tips may help you.

Think About Your Parenting Strengths and Weaknesses

Parents must try to remain neutral when thinking about custody by keeping the children's best interests in mind. Parents should think about their own strengths and weaknesses and determine what would be best for the children. For example, if your spouse is way more active with the kids, but you are more of an authoritarian parent, consider letting your spouse parent over the weekends while you manage school days. Being honest is the best road to follow during a custody dispute.

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 Posted on March 16,2022 in Family Law

When preparing for marriage or divorce, both spouses may decide to protect their assets through prenuptial or postnuptial agreements. By creating documents that outline the division of assets in the case of divorce, couples may be able to prevent highly contested divorces. These documents are in both parties' best interest because collaborative divorces are typically faster and less expensive than contested divorces. If you and your spouse are planning your marriage and how assets would be divided in the case of divorce, it would be in your best interest to discuss your plans with an experienced family law attorney.

Prenuptial vs. Postnuptial Agreements

As indicated by the prefix of each word, prenuptial agreements are drafted before marriage, whereas postnuptial agreements are drafted after a marriage. There are a few reasons that couples may decide to draft these agreements. Firstly, having a prenuptial or postnuptial agreement can help protect independent finances for each spouse. It can also declare which assets belong to a corresponding spouse. In the case of separation or divorce, this can prevent court litigation over contesting belongings, finances, and other assets. Prenuptial and postnuptial agreements typically include who will retain the home, how joint finances and businesses will be divided, and how other material assets will be divided.

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