Posted on September 23, 2019 in Divorce

Often, when parents divorce, one of the biggest sources of contention is how they will share the allocation of parental responsibility, or child custody. Parents who get divorced in Illinois are required to submit a parenting agreement or parenting plan to the court which details how they plan to share custody of their children. Parents have the opportunity to formulate a unique parenting plan which works for them, but in some cases, parents cannot agree to a custody or parenting time schedule. When parents disagree about child custody issues, they have several options under Illinois law.

Mediation Can Help Parents Come to an Agreement About Child Custody

Illinois courts may order parents to undergo mediation in order to help them create a parenting plan to address custody issues, or parents may elect to undergo mediation on their own accord. Mediation involves the parents meeting with a neutral third party mediator to discuss how parental responsibility will be shared. The mediator does not tell the parents what to do, but instead helps facilitate productive conversation between the parents so that they can reach a compromise regarding child custody. It is important to note that mediation may not be an appropriate choice for parents with a history of domestic violence or abuse. Furthermore, if parents cannot negotiate or discuss child custody issues without devolving into arguments or hostility, mediation may prove fruitless.

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 Posted on September 16, 2019 in Divorce

Divorce can be a difficult, stressful process. Addressing the complex issues involved in separating from your spouse and beginning your newly-single life can be overwhelming. As you work to resolve the various legal concerns and practical matters that arise during the divorce process, you may not realize that certain other aspects of your life will also be affected. One concern that can sometimes fall by the wayside is your use of technology, online services, and social media. During the divorce process, it is a good idea to comb through your online presence and consider the devices and systems you use and how these will be affected. Here are some issues to consider:

Reset Your Passwords

Whether your divorce is contentious or amicable, it is a good idea to change your passwords immediately to ensure that nobody else can access your accounts. A password generator can be used to create strong, completely random passwords that will provide the best level of security. This will prevent your ex-spouse from guessing any passwords that may be based on personal information (birthdays, anniversaries, etc.). If you need help remembering passwords, you can write them down in a notebook or save them on your phone where only you will be able to see them.

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 Posted on September 11, 2019 in Divorce

Going through a divorce can be rough. Not only does it affect your relationship and your children, but it can also have an impact on other aspects of your life. When dealing with legal issues, paperwork, court dates, and financial concerns, it is likely that your divorce will spill over into other areas, and it could become an issue at your workplace. While the end of your marriage is likely to be stressful, the last thing you need is for it to affect your career, and you will want to avoid any threats to your income and financial stability. However, with proper preparation, you can maintain a proper balance between your work and your personal life. By following these tips, you can ensure that your work will not be negatively affected:

Inform the Proper People About Your Situation

Discussions about your divorce are not good “watercooler talk.” You do not want to inflict the struggles you are facing in your personal life on everyone in your office with a listening ear. However, it can be hard to keep all your concerns bottled up inside, especially if you are concerned that the stress you are facing may have an impact on your work performance. Telling your HR manager and/or your supervisor about your divorce will help them understand what is going on, and they may offer compassion and give you more leeway if you need to leave the office early or take the afternoon off in order to go to court. If you are close to one or more of your coworkers, you may wish to confide in them, but it is best to do so in a private setting, either on breaks or outside of the workplace.

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 Posted on September 10, 2019 in Divorce

The choice to get a divorce can be a difficult decision to make, but it can ultimately be a positive step that allows you to leave a relationship that is not working and begin a fresh start to your life. As you begin taking the steps to file for divorce, it is important to be prepared for the changes that you will experience in your life. Divorce can cause a variety of difficulties for your personal finances if you are not careful. However, if you go into your divorce with a clear head and a qualified divorce lawyer, you will have a much better chance of coming out of your marriage in a stable position. As you proceed with the divorce process, here are some tips to help keep your finances in order:

Make a Budget

Your life will change in many ways after your divorce has been finalized. You will likely be in a different living situation, and you may need to make adjustments in order to be able to support yourself on a single income. You can ensure that you will be able to maintain financial stability by making a projected budget of your living expenses after the divorce. This should include rent or mortgage payments, utility bills, health insurance, auto or renter’s insurance, groceries, gasoline, and any other regular expenditures. If the income you earn will not fully cover all of your expenses, you may need to find new living arrangements or determine other ways you can cut costs.

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 Posted on September 04, 2019 in Divorce

When you are going through a divorce, the process of legally ending your marriage can be difficult, and that is especially true if you have children. In addition to addressing the allocation of parental responsibilities (formerly called child custody) and the amount of time children will spend with each parent, you will need to determine how to make sure your children’s financial needs are met. Each parent will have child support obligations that are based on the income earned by both parents and, in some cases, by each parent’s amount of parenting time. Typically, the parent with less parenting time will make child support payments to the other parent, although this is not always true, and the amount of payments will vary depending on the circumstances of each individual case. If you will be paying or receiving child support, you may have questions about when and how these payments will be made. 

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 Posted on August 30, 2019 in Divorce

Not all divorces are the same. Some partners break up amicably and are able to remain friends, while for other couples, this is simply not possible. Even if you are not a fan of your ex, it is helpful to try to remain civil, not only for your own sanity but for your friends and family as well. By working to maintain a good relationship with your ex-spouse, you can help avoid difficult emotions, especially when your former spouse moves on and begins a relationship with a new partner. A positive relationship can be crucial for the well-being of your children. 

Working Together for the Sake of Your Children

It is natural to feel anger or jealousy about your ex’s new relationship. It can be hard to see your ex with a new partner, even if you have a new love interest of your own. However, there are ways to maintain peace between you and your ex to keep your children’s best interests in mind. Here are some tips to help alleviate tension so you can get along better with your ex and also your ex’s new partner:

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 Posted on August 28, 2019 in Divorce

When going through a divorce, many people wish it was as simple as dividing everything in half and ending the marriage. However, divorce is often much more complicated, and in addition to settling issues like the division of property, couples must also consider how taxes will affect their case. Here are a few ways that taxes can complicate the decisions made during your divorce:

Taxes on Alimony Payments

Recently, the way spousal maintenance (alimony) is taxed changed significantly, although this change only applies to those who finalized their divorce on or after January 1, 2019. For these couples, the person paying alimony cannot deduct the cost of these payments from their taxable income, while the person receiving alimony will not report it as income. This may have a detrimental effect on the amount of maintenance that a person will pay. In some high net worth divorce cases, the spouse paying maintenance may be able to reduce their tax burden by creating a trust that will be used to make payments to their ex-spouse.

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 Posted on August 26, 2019 in Divorce

There is no right or wrong time to get a divorce. Even if you have been married for a long time, people can change, and circumstances may arise in which “irreconcilable differences” lead to the end of your relationship. There is a growing trend in which people over the age of 50 who have been married a long amount of time are now splitting up. This is called a “grey divorce,” and spouses who choose to end their marriage at a later age are sometimes known as “silver splitters.” 

There are many reasons older people choose to divorce. For one, their finances may be in a more secure place, and they may be more likely to afford legal counsel and have a comfortable life post-divorce. In addition, with growing life expectancies, after a significant time together, two people may have simply grown apart. No matter the reason, each divorce brings its own set of challenges. If you are going through a grey divorce, some of the issues you may face include:

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 Posted on August 21, 2019 in Divorce

When a couple chooses to get a divorce, one of the key issues they must resolve is how to split up their property and assets. In an equitable distribution state like Illinois, property is divided in a fair and equitable manner rather than split equally between the spouses. A judge will look at a number of factors to determine how to divide assets fairly. But what if one of the parties did not earn an income because he or she stayed home to raise the children? According to a new study, many people are still conflicted about what homemakers should be entitled to after the divorce.

Who Is More Likely to Be a Homemaker?

According to research, about one in five parents are stay-at-home parents. 27% of all U.S. mothers are stay-at-home parents, while around 7% of fathers stay home to raise the children. While around 10% of mothers who hold a master’s degree or higher choose to opt out of the workplace in order to raise their children, these moms make up about 4% of all stay-at-home mothers. Surveys have also found that the majority of Americans believe that mothers do a better job than fathers of caring for children. 

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 Posted on August 20, 2019 in Family Law

Deciding to adopt a child can be one of the most rewarding choices of your life. Adoption can change the future of the adopted child as well as yours. According to recent statistics, there are over 100,000 kids waiting to be adopted in the United States, and more than 400,000 children are in foster care. However, it is important to note that adoption requires more than just welcoming a child into your home and lots of paperwork. Below are some practical tips to help you prepare mentally for expanding your family through adoption. 

Consider the Responsibility

Make sure you are on the same page as your partner. Adopting a child can be a long and taxing process that will require much work from both of you. If one of you is having doubts, or if your heart is not in the process, then things between the two of you may become difficult and lead to arguments. Make sure adoption is something you both want before taking this monumental step.

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