Posts By: MICHAEL C CRAVEN

What to Do When Politics Affect Divorce

  Published in the September 10, 2018 edition of the Chicago Daily Law Bulletin   Welcome to my regular column, Discourse on Divorce. In this edition, I look at divorces that are affected by opposing political views and how attorneys can handle divorces under these circumstances. In the past few years, with our country’s changing and heightened political environment, it seems that politics have become much more prevalent in everyday life. Consequently, political conversations have b...   Read more ...  

How Life Insurance Changes During a Divorce

Going through a divorce can sometimes feel like a puzzle; there are a million pieces and they have to fit together just so. One of those pieces that can often be overlooked is life insurance. Between custody, maintenance (alimony), and the emotional landmines of divorce, life insurance is often the last thing divorcing couples want to think about. However, if you are getting a divorce, then life insurance may be necessary to protect your and your children’s financial interests. Another way to ...   Read more ...  

Who Pays for Extracurricular Activities After a Divorce in Illinois?

Illinois law dictates that the right to make certain significant parenting decisions, including decisions over which extracurricular activities children may participate in, is to be allocated to one or both parents. With these activities comes the question of who will pay for them. As children grow, their interests and activities expand and suddenly many parents are wondering who is going to have to pay for music lessons, sports teams, dance lessons, art classes, and more. In Illinois, expenses ...   Read more ...  

How Often Can My Parenting Plan Be Revised?

In Illinois, during a divorce, couples with children enter into a parenting plan. Before 2016, this document would be referred to as a custody agreement; however, an Illinois law was passed in 2016 that swapped out the word “custody” for “parenting plan“. A parenting plan is a document that includes all the information on who will make decisions for the child. The plan includes the following information: Where the child lives Time the child spends with each parent Which ...   Read more ...  

Get social, get online, get out there

  Published in the July 24, 2018 edition of the Chicago Daily Law Bulletin   Most lawyers didn’t go to law school because they were interested in marketing. In general, lawyers would rather devote 100 percent of their time to client work than spend time trying to bring in new clients, but the nature of the legal services business requires almost all lawyers to be part-time marketers, as well.   Marketing your legal services can take many forms. It can involve hosting clients or...   Read more ...  

Does My Child’s School Have to Enforce My Custody Agreement?

If you live in Illinois, have children, and are in the middle of a divorce, you probably have a parenting plan or agreement. This can cover many areas, but one of the most important is the allocation of time children are supposed to spend with each parent.   If your soon-to-be ex-spouse is not following your plan, it will be important to learn how to enforce the agreement. This can only be done through the courts.   Hopefully most custody agreements are easily agreed upon and take into...   Read more ...  

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