Posted on July 06, 2021 in Parenting Time (Visitation)

If your ex has not been following the child custody order or parenting plan that is in place, you may feel angry and frustrated. You want the child custody arrangement to go as smoothly as possible, but your ex refuses to cooperate. Although this is indeed a difficult situation, you can take steps to rectify it.

Common Examples of Child Custody Violations

Sometimes parents refuse to abide by a child custody order. This can make a difficult situation even more trying. Here are a few common examples of child custody violations:

• Refusing visitation time to the other parent

• Taking children out of the state without permission

• Failing to attend required counseling sessions

• Not telling the other parent about the children’s whereabouts

• Keeping your children for a longer visit than what the child custody order allows

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 Posted on June 30, 2021 in Divorce

Disagreements about financial issues are one common issue that can cause a marriage to break down, and these types of disputes are likely to continue into the divorce process. Matters related to money can be difficult to resolve, but under the law, spouses are entitled to a fair and equitable division of marital property, which includes all assets and debts acquired during a couple’s marriage. Unfortunately, some spouses do not agree with this idea, and they may believe that they are entitled to certain assets or that the other spouse should receive less. In many cases, a person will attempt to hide assets to avoid having to divide them with their spouse. If you are concerned that your spouse is attempting to conceal marital assets, you will want to understand how to uncover these activities and bring them to the court’s attention to ensure that your marital property can be divided fairly.

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 Posted on June 23, 2021 in Divorce

When parents who have minor children decide to end their marriage through divorce, they will need to address multiple issues related to child custody. As parents work to negotiate a parenting plan, they will decide how parenting time (formerly known as visitation) will be divided. While this will entail creating a schedule that states when children will live in each parent’s home or spend time in the care of a parent, parents will also want to make sure other issues related to parenting time are addressed properly.

Additional Parenting Time Concerns

In addition to providing a complete understanding of when children will stay with each parent, a parenting plan can also address rules and issues that affect parenting time, including:

• Communication - Both parents will want to maintain communication with their children, and one parent may want to check in on them while they are with the other parent. However, a parent may be concerned that too much communication with the other parent would interfere with their parenting time, or they may not necessarily want to give the other parent a window into their home. Parents can set rules for the appropriate times for calls between parents and children and the methods of communication they may use (such as phone calls, video calls, text messages, or email).

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 Posted on June 16, 2021 in Prenuptial Agreements

In many cases, couples who are planning to get married may be considering whether they will need the protection of a prenuptial agreement. A prenup can be beneficial in many situations, including cases where one or both spouses own significant assets or have children from a previous relationship. By entering into an agreement that decides how certain issues will be handled if their marriage ends in divorce, a couple can avoid uncertainty, minimize potential disputes, and provide themselves with financial protection. When creating a prenup, it is important to understand how matters related to spousal maintenance (also known as alimony or spousal support) may be addressed.

Modifying or Waiving the Right to Spousal Support in a Prenup

Under Illinois law, a person may have the right to receive financial support from their former spouse if there is a significant disparity between the parties’ incomes. During a divorce, a spouse may ask that spousal maintenance be awarded, and the judge in their case may consider multiple factors to determine whether this type of support would be appropriate. If maintenance is granted, statutory formulas will be used to calculate the amount that will be paid and the duration that these payments will last.

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 Posted on June 09, 2021 in Paternity

In many cases, when a child is born, the identity of the parents is known. If a child’s mother is married, her spouse will be presumed to be the child’s legal parent. If a mother is unmarried, paternity may be established by submitting a Voluntary Acknowledgement of Paternity (VAP) form. However, there may be some cases in which the identity of the child’s biological father is in doubt, or a person who is presumed to be a child’s father or who has signed a VAP may later find out that they are not the child’s biological father. In these cases, parents will need to understand the procedures that must be followed to dispute paternity.

Denial of Presumed Parentage

A man is presumed to be a child’s parent if he was married to the child’s mother at the time of the child’s birth or if the couple was divorced or legally separated within 300 days before the child was born. If a presumed father believes that he is not the child’s biological father, he can sign a denial of parentage document. However, a denial of paternity will only be valid if the child’s biological father has signed a VAP and the presumed father has not previously signed a VAP or been adjudicated as the child’s father in family court.

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 Posted on May 27, 2021 in Child Custody / Allocation of Parental Responsibilities

Families commonly move to new homes for a variety of reasons, including when a parent is pursuing employment opportunities or because a person wants to live closer to their extended family members. Moving is a decision that married couples or unmarried partners make together. However, it can become more complicated for divorced parents or unmarried parents who do not live together. One parent’s choice to move could affect the other parent’s ability to spend time with the couple’s children, especially if they plan to move a significant distance away from where they currently live. In these situations, a parent may need to request a parental relocation officially. The case may need to be heard in family court, where a judge will decide whether to allow the move and determine how to modify the couple’s parenting plan.

Factors Considered in Parental Relocation Cases

When a parent plans to move, and they have the majority of the parenting time with their children or an equal amount of parenting time as the other parent, they must notify the other parent at least 60 days before the date they will be moving. For parents who live in DuPage County or other nearby counties, moving at least 25 miles away from their current home will be considered parental relocation. If the other parent objects to the move, the parent who is planning to move must file a petition in family court asking for permission to relocate.

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 Posted on May 20, 2021 in Child Custody / Allocation of Parental Responsibilities

Parents who decide to end their marriage and get a divorce will need to address multiple legal issues. Child custody is one of the most important aspects of a divorce case. However, the laws in Illinois use some terminology that may be unfamiliar to many parents, so it is important to understand exactly what will be addressed in these matters.

Understanding the Allocation of Parental Responsibilities

The Illinois Marriage and Dissolution of Marriage Act (IMDMA), the law that governs divorce cases, does not use the term “child custody.” Instead, it refers to the “allocation of parental responsibilities.” Parents will need to address two separate types of parental responsibilities: decision-making and parenting time.

Decision-making refers to what is commonly called “legal custody.” It addresses the parents’ rights and responsibilities in making major decisions about their children’s lives. The IMDMA specifies that there are four areas where parents will make decisions regarding their children: education (where children will go to school, whether they will receive tutoring, etc.), religion (whether children will attend church or other religious services and receive religious training), healthcare (what doctors children will see and what types of medical, dental, orthodontic, or mental health treatment they will receive), and extracurricular activities (the sports, music lessons, drama clubs, scouting organizations, or other activities children will participate in outside of school).

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 Posted on May 13, 2021 in Guardianship

Under the law, adults who are at least 18 years old are presumed to be able to care for themselves and meet their own needs. However, there are some cases where a person may need help from a family member or friend. Those who have physical or mental disabilities may not have the means to support themselves once they turn 18, or elderly people may lose the ability to care for themselves if their health deteriorates. In these cases, another person may be appointed as the disabled person’s legal guardian. Those who are in these types of situations will want to understand the different types of guardianship available in Illinois.

Options for Guardianship

Two main types of guardianship determine the responsibilities a legal guardian will have in certain areas of the ward’s life (the person being cared for). A person appointed as a guardian of the person will provide personal care for the ward, ensuring that they have a place to live and receive the proper nutrition and medical care while also attending to their everyday needs. A person or organization that is appointed as a guardian of the estate will have the responsibility to manage the ward’s property and financial affairs.

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 Posted on May 06, 2021 in Child Support

In most family law cases involving children, child support is one of the most important issues that will need to be addressed. Typically, a child’s custodial parent (the parent who has the majority of the parenting time with the child) will receive child support from the other parent. However, parents may wonder how child support will be handled if they will be dividing parenting time equally. In these cases, additional calculations will usually be necessary to ensure that a child will receive the financial support they need.

Child Support and Shared Physical Care

The state of Illinois uses an “income sharing” method to calculate parents’ child support obligations. Basic child support obligations are determined using a “schedule” that defines an appropriate amount that parents should pay each month based on their combined incomes and the number of children they share. Each parent will be responsible for a percentage of this amount based on the amount they contribute toward the combined income. For example, if one parent earns 55% of the couple’s combined income, they will be responsible for paying 55% of the basic child support obligation.

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 Posted on April 28, 2021 in Prenuptial Agreements

In many modern marriages, prenuptial agreements are used to provide spouses with protection and make decisions about how certain issues will be addressed if the couple chooses to get a divorce. A prenup can make sure spouses can continue to own certain types of property after their divorce, or it can decide whether a spouse will receive spousal maintenance. A properly executed prenuptial agreement can help spouses avoid uncertainty during their divorce and make sure their financial interests will be protected. However, if disputes arise about the terms of a prenup, spouses should be aware that there are certain issues that may cause an agreement to be invalid.

Enforceability of Prenuptial Agreements

When a couple signs a prenup before getting married, this indicates that they both understand the terms of the agreement and are satisfied with the decisions made. However, disputes can sometimes arise during a divorce in which a spouse may claim that the agreement should not be enforced. When these types of disputes are addressed through litigation, there are only a few reasons why a prenup may be found to be invalid. These include:

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