Posted on July 13, 2018 in Divorce

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), approximately 827,261 American couples divorced throughout 2016. During a divorce, former spouses are forced to focus on the logistical side of their separation. From resource allocation, to issues of child custody, divorces can be complicated and aggravating. In the midst of the divorce, many Americans forget to focus on their own personal self care.

While a divorce can be trying for the whole family, neglecting to take care of one’s self can be a detrimental mistake. Finding a compassionate and experienced legal team can help you turn your focus from the legal side of the divorce to the emotional side of a separation from a spouse.

Getting the Self-Care You Need

Focusing on your own emotional needs during a divorce can be one of the hardest things to allow yourself to do, and this holds especially true when children are involved. Still, allowing yourself the time and space you need to grieve and heal after your divorce can help you become a better parent and person. With that, here are a few tips that could help you recover from the emotions of a divorce.

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 Posted on July 12, 2018 in Divorce

Throughout the divorce process, some couples allows their emotions get the best of them. From making rash financial decisions to refusing to make compromises that benefit the whole family, going through a divorce is never emotionally straightforward. If you and your spouse are considering a permanent separation, the most important step you can take for you, your resources, and your family, is hiring a knowledgeable divorce attorney.

Hiring a divorce can save you countless time, money, and emotional strife as you and your family go through the process of divorce. A competent team of legal representatives can help you answer questions of child custody, asset allocation, and complex tax issues. Consider the following mistakes a team of divorce attorneys can help you avoid.

Allowing Emotions to Boil

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 Posted on July 06, 2018 in Divorce

Going through the process of divorce can be an incredibly difficult time for families. Parents may face the prospects of a new life away from their partner, while children struggle with the separation of their parents. In many cases, divorce can be especially painful for children. For both young and adolescent children, divorce represents a massive change in life. Children are forced to accept the separation of their parents, an alteration of their standard living situation, and the potential for new spousal figures in the future.

Long-term mental health ramifications for children going through a divorce can include depression, paranoia, and anxiety. In severe cases, these symptoms can manifest into substance abuse, eating disorders, and even self-harm, later in life. For these reasons, and many more, it is crucial that parents understand how to help their children come to terms with the divorce. Consider the following tactics geared to help you help your children through the divorce process.

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 Posted on July 05, 2018 in Child Custody

Despite widely held misconceptions that fathers cannot be awarded custody during a divorce settlement, fathers do end up with custody of their children in many cases. While the vast majority of courts will lean towards joint custody as the optimal parenting strategy after a divorce, it is unlawful for courts to show bias against fathers looking to gain sole or substantial joint custody.

Inherent biases, however, can still find their way into courtrooms, and fathers still seem to struggle to gain custody at the same rate as mothers. According to the United States Department of Commerce, roughly 17 percent (or one in every six) of custodial parents are fathers.

If you are in the midst of a divorce settlement, it is important to know how to prepare yourself for the courtroom. Preparation is especially critical for fathers fighting for substantial custodial privileges. With that in mind, listed below are simple tactics that can help you prepare you for a custodial court hearing.

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 Posted on June 22, 2018 in Divorce

The time has come to move forward with the divorce process. You and your spouse are on the same page, but you have one last thing to do: Discuss the future with your children.

It's only natural to be nervous, as you don't want to say anything that will upset your children or make them believe they did something wrong.

Telling your children about your divorce can be a challenge, but there are tips you can follow to remove some of the stress:

• Have a plan for what you are going to say. You shouldn't go into the conversation with no idea of what you want to talk about, as this could lead you down a bad path.
• Keep your child's age in mind. The way you discuss divorce with a 5-year-old won't be the same as a 12-year-old. You need to remember this as you plan for your discussion.
• Choose a good time to talk. You need to leave enough time in your schedule to discuss anything and everything that comes to light, so make sure you choose the right time.

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 Posted on June 22, 2018 in Child Custody

After you do the hard work of putting together a parenting plan with your child's other parent, you may face a number of complications when it comes to putting the plan into practice. Some of these may be logistical hurdles, while others are complications brought on by the other parent refusing to properly abide by the guidelines of the parenting plan. 

Should the other parent choose to disobey the parenting plan, you may have legal grounds to enforce the terms and protect your rights and privileges as a parent. Depending on the specifics of the circumstances, the other parent may be engaging in parenting time interference, which the courts tend to take very seriously. 

What is direct interference?

Direct parenting time interference occurs when one parent's actions -- or lack of action -- deprives the other parent of the time he or she is entitled to per the parenting plan. This can happen in a number of ways, including not meeting up to drop off the child with the other parent.

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 Posted on June 22, 2018 in Divorce

Halloween is just around the corner. If you are divorced and share custody of your children, Halloween can be the beginning of a busy and challenging season for your family. How can parents create a better environment for their kids during the holiday season?

Stories of fighting with your ex over holiday schedules and managing school activities are common. However, don’t believe everything you hear from your friends. Every divorce is different, and every parent’s relationship with their ex is different.

Tips for parenting with your ex

Parents can make the holidays more enjoyable for the whole family by actively communicating with each other. This can take time and practice, but it can result in better co-parenting in the long run. Here are a few tips to make ring Halloween and the holidays:

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 Posted on June 21, 2018 in Property Division

Ending a marriage has the potential to make things a little tighter financially, at least for a little while. Trying to maintain the same lifestyle after a divorce can be more challenging, since the individual has only one income to draw from instead of two. Recent changes in tax law can also affect strategy for individuals during property division in divorce. Individuals in Illinois who are contemplating ending a marriage may also want to consider how their long-term retirement needs will be affected.

Households that have been through a divorce face a higher risk of being unable to maintain their current standard of living in retirement. The reason is simple: sharing household expenses makes life more affordable. However, careful planning and management of assets can aid individual households after divorce.

Divorces that are finalized after the new alimony rules take effect next year may see changes. Since the lower earning spouse may find him or herself in a much lower tax bracket due to not having to claim alimony as income, it may be to his or her advantage to receive investment assets rather than the marital home during the settlement of the divorce. These assets, if they come as traditional retirement assets, may be more easily converted into a Roth IRA that can offer additional tax benefits.

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 Posted on June 14, 2018 in Divorce

Some people may reflect on the end of a marriage as a personal failure. However, experts challenge people to reframe the concept of marriage and divorce. A marriage that ends in divorce may be considered successful if it has helped both parties grow as individuals. When an individual in Illinois contemplates divorce, he or she can feel that the move is a success and may then be able to focus on the strategies of effectively closing out a marriage.

Some couples therapists share the opinion that marriage is designed to help people grow, and that the result of that growth for some individuals is that they grow out of the marriage. There are a myriad of reasons why a person would choose to move on rather than spend time working on repairing the relationship. He or she just may not have the time, energy or mental bandwidth to go on with the same person, and another approach may be a better fit.

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 Posted on June 07, 2018 in Child Custody

One of the biggest questions parents struggle with during a divorce is, "Will I lose time with my kids?" Shared custody may feel like an appropriate choice to address this concern, and indeed it is a valid choice for many families in Illinois. Still not sure if it's the best option for your family? Here's a few things to consider for your child custody agreement.

Shared physical custody allows both parents to spend approximately equal time with their children. This can be a good option for families that have both parents actively involved in child rearing. However, in situations where one parent took on the primary role of care giver while the other remained less involved, shifting to a situation where the less-involved parent is expected to increase the level of involvement might be difficult.

Even if both parents played active roles in their children's lives, they each should also consider their relationship with their ex. If their divorce was excessively difficult and a significant amount of animosity toward one another remains, sharing custody can be stressful for their children. Significant differences in parenting philosophies may also cause issues with this type of arrangement.

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