BLOG

If your spouse has filed a petition for divorce in Chicago or surrounding areas and you do not want to get divorced, do you have any options? For instance, can you refuse to accept the divorce papers when they are delivered to you, thereby preventing the divorce from moving forward? Or, if you do not believe the marriage should end and you want to continue working on the relationship with your spouse, is there a legal way to contest your spouse’s petition for divorce? Generally speaking, as lo...   Read more ...  

Let’s assume you grew up outside of Illinois, resided in Chicago for your married life, had children while married and living in Illinois, and then get divorced in Illinois. If you wanted to move back to your home state to take advantage of: your family’s support network, job opportunities, or for other reasons, it could be difficult to move return to your home state if the other parent objects.   In short, you will need to learn more about “relocation” and how Illinois courts make ...   Read more ...  

Published in the December 18, 2017 edition of the Chicago Daily Law Bulletin   When dividing martial assets during a divorce, certain assets require special attention such as 401(k)s and other retirement accounts, employer-provided deferred compensation, life insurance policies and college savings accounts.   In this edition of “Discourse on Divorce,” I take a closer look at what laws govern different benefit plans and other unique assets and how they should be handled in a divorc...   Read more ...  

For any parents living in the Chicago area who recently got divorced and have a parenting plan or an allocation judgment in place, it can be stressful to think about moving out of state—especially during holidays. In Illinois, parenting schedules typically are developed in one of two ways: either through an agreement by both parents, or by a judge who decides how to allocate parenting time. Most parenting time schedules include different schedules for parenting time during normal weeks and mon...   Read more ...  

In the last couple of years, there have been significant changes to the Illinois Marriage and Dissolution of Marriage Act (750 ILCS 5/501 et. seq.). Some of these changes have impacted the ways in which Chicago and other Illinois residents can file for divorce, while others deal with family law matters pertaining to child custody, visitation, and child support. If you are thinking about filing for divorce in Illinois, or if you need to know more about how the state now views child custody and vi...   Read more ...  

When you are filing for divorce in Chicago or anywhere in Illinois, what do you need to know about how the law deals with companion animals? In other words, if you and your spouse shared a companion animal during the marriage, are there specific laws in place to determine how the court will allocate ownership and/or responsibility for the animal in the event of divorce? In brief, the Illinois Marriage and Dissolution of Marriage Act (750 ILCS 5/) was recently amended through SB 1261, or Public A...   Read more ...