Posted on February 29, 2024 in Child Support

During your divorce, the process of figuring out child support can be complex. There are many different factors that may be considered when calculating child support, and you will no doubt want to come to an agreement that is fair for you, your ex, and your child. An experienced Illinois child support lawyer can help you understand Illinois child support laws and advocate for a fair child support agreement.

How Does Illinois Calculate Child Support?

Illinois child support laws are fairly standardized. The law creates guidelines for calculating child support amounts. In general, you can expect child support to be calculated in the following ways:

• Reviewing each parent’s monthly income and combining them to create a total. The total is then divided according to what percentage of the total each parent makes and how much time each parent spends with the child

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 Posted on February 23, 2024 in Family Law

Divorces are stressful for everyone, and it is not uncommon for a divorce to become highly contested due to each spouse having different opinions about what they think is a fair settlement. It can be easy to get wrapped up in the emotions of divorce, though this is not the best option if you are trying to keep your divorce calm and civil. An experienced Illinois divorce attorney can help guide you during divorce to help the process be as fair and stress-free as possible.

Avoiding Divorce Conflicts and Arguments

One of the hardest parts of divorce is agreeing on how to divide your assets and marital property. It may seem difficult to avoid conflicts and arguments with your spouse, especially if your divorce is due to highly emotional situations such as adultery or domestic violence.

You can follow these tips to avoid conflicts and arguments during your divorce as much as possible:

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 Posted on February 19, 2024 in Illinois Divorce

When it comes to divorce, many things need to be divided and agreed upon before your separation is finalized. In addition to determining child custody and dividing marital assets, figuring out which spouse gets to keep the marital home in an Illinois divorce can be complicated. A skilled Illinois divorce attorney can help review the specifics of your divorce and work with you to create an agreement about your marital home.

Your Home as an Asset

Possession of the home in a divorce can be one of the most complicated things to figure out, as a home is typically a couple’s biggest asset and one of the biggest factors of debt. A home counts as marital property, as defined in the Illinois Marriage and Dissolution of Marriage Act, if the home was purchased jointly after a couple became married. This means that the home is subject to division during the divorce.

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 Posted on February 12, 2024 in Child Custody

Child custody is often one of the most contested items in a divorce, and coming to an agreement about parental responsibilities and parenting time can often take significant effort from both parties. Once this agreement has been made, however, there may be situations that warrant a change. It is important to meet with an Illinois child custody attorney to understand how to make changes to your child custody agreement.

Is It Possible to Make Changes to a Child Custody Agreement?

In Illinois, it is possible to make changes to your child custody agreement in certain situations. The Illinois Marriage and Dissolution of Marriage Act outlines details about child custody and parental agreements in addition to stating that changes cannot be made to an agreement within the first two years of it being issued.

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 Posted on January 30, 2024 in Family Law

Prenuptial agreements are becoming increasingly popular among couples who are about to get married. These documents can include plenty of important information about how to handle assets should divorce, or the death of a spouse occur. An Illinois family law attorney can help you understand what exactly to include in a prenup and if your child custody arrangements are permitted in these documents.

What Should My Illinois Prenuptial Agreement Include?

When crafting an Illinois prenuptial agreement, it is always important to understand what this document can and cannot include. In general, your prenuptial agreement can consist of items such as financial decisions for circumstances like the death of a spouse, agreements about the division of assets or property each spouse owns in a divorce, and agreements about the division of any debt or property acquired during the marriage.

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 Posted on January 24, 2024 in Child Custody

There are many factors to consider as you start to pursue a divorce from your spouse. Suppose you share a child with your partner. In that case, you will need to discuss the topic of child custody and parental responsibilities. Child custody can be a complex issue and highly contested, which is why creating a parenting plan with your spouse outside of court can help make this process easier. An experienced Illinois child custody lawyer can help you with this.

What Is a Parenting Plan?

A parenting plan is a plan that both spouses come up with during the divorce process that outlines essential issues such as primary or shared custody, how time is divided between parents, and which parent makes important decisions for the shared child.

A parent needs to make important decisions, including medical or healthcare decisions, education decisions, religious choices, and extracurricular activities. Parents can decide if they wish to share these decisions or divide these responsibilities.

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 Posted on January 16, 2024 in Family Law

Prenuptial agreements are becoming increasingly common between couples who want to ensure their assets and finances are protected. Prenuptial agreements can become even more important during the divorce process, as these agreements often help spouses divide their assets, property, debt, and finances.

If you have a prenuptial agreement and are considering divorce, you may want to speak to an Illinois divorce lawyer about how your document can protect you during this process.

What Is a Prenuptial Agreement?

A prenuptial agreement is an agreement signed by both partners before marriage. It details how assets will be divided in the event of a divorce, how debt and property are handled, and how assets or estate planning is to be handled in the case of a spouse’s death. A prenuptial agreement is a way to protect wealth and assets and to ensure you and your partner are on the same page about the division of property and assets should a divorce occur in the future.

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 Posted on January 09, 2024 in Illinois Divorce

Dealing with infidelity during a divorce can make things more contested, and issues with adultery might affect important factors of your divorce, such as settlements and spousal support agreements. If you are starting the process of divorce and adultery is involved in some way, you need an experienced Illinois divorce attorney to help guide you through this process.

Do I Need to Prove Adultery to Get a Divorce in Illinois?

Adultery is another word for infidelity or cheating, where one partner in a relationship has emotional or physical relations with someone else without their partner knowing. Adultery is often grounds for divorce in a marriage, and some states make adultery a criminal offense or require that adultery be proved before a divorce can be pursued.

In Illinois, the Marriage and Dissolution of Marriage Act maintains that the state is a ‘no-fault’ divorce state. This means that a spouse does not need to prove that their partner is cheating, abusive, or in any way contributing to their need for a divorce. Instead, a divorce can be requested due to ‘irreconcilable differences’ without the need for any proof.

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 Posted on December 28, 2023 in Illinois Divorce

Divorces can be complex, and if you share a business with your partner or own a business before marriage, you have important assets to consider. A prenuptial agreement can protect your business’s assets during a divorce. Still, it is important to know how to draft your agreement to receive the best benefits and protection for your business. An experienced Illinois divorce attorney can help you with this.

What Is a Prenuptial Agreement?

A prenuptial agreement is an agreement that both spouses draft and agree to before a marriage is finalized. A prenuptial agreement helps protect both spouses’ interests in the case of a divorce and helps allocate which property and assets belong to which spouse.

You may want to strongly consider signing a prenuptial agreement if you have rental properties or other high-value assets in your name, you want to be protected from debts your spouse may have in a divorce, or you want to divorce if it occurs.

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 Posted on December 21, 2023 in Child Custody

Determining if a parent is unfit in Illinois occurs often in divorce cases, especially divorces that are complex or contested. As you work to create a child custody agreement, you may want to present evidence that your soon-to-be ex-spouse is an unfit parent. An Illinois child custody lawyer can help you explore your options if you wish to pursue full custody of your child due to an unfit parent.

Factors That Make a Parent Unfit

During a divorce, emotions are high, and many parents may want to try their best to win a child custody case. All accusations must be investigated, and there are several factors that courts and attorneys look for to determine if a parent is truly unfit and unable to care for their child correctly.

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