Posts By: MICHAEL C CRAVEN

Paying for College when Parents are Divorced

Paying-For-Children’s-College-Expenses-When-Parents-Are-Divorced As the father of two children who have recently graduated college, I know first-hand how difficult the entire college admissions process is on the family. It is stressful for both parents and children.   However, speaking as a divorce attorney, I also know that when parents no longer live together, it compounds the stress levels. When discussing higher education with my clients, I frequently am asked, “How much should do ...   Read more ...  

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Calculating Net Income for Child Support in Illinois

When you are a parent who has to pay child support, you probably have a lot of questions about how your obligation is calculated. How much do you have to pay and why?   I realize that this can be one of the most stressful parts of a divorce. Not only are you grappling with the end of a very important relationship, but now you need to understand the financial impact on your family.   While understanding net income can be very complicated, I have been through this exercise thousands of t...   Read more ...  

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Pretrial Hearings in Illinois Divorce Cases

Is a Pretrial Hearing Right for Your Case? Divorce outcomes are often determined by a judge, however throughout my years as a divorce attorney, there have been many times that pretrial hearings have been used as a less formal way to resolve cases before a final divorce trial. Pretrial hearings are a valuable step within many divorce cases. They help familiarize the court with the pertinent issues of a case. They can assist in settling a divorce case before the case goes to trial.   What Is...   Read more ...  

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What is a Prove-Up Hearing?

Prove-up Hearing in Chicago Divorce How a Prove-Up Affects Your Divorce  Divorces can go many different directions. Obviously, some divorces are going to be very contentious, akin to how the media likes to portray them. However, in my many years as a divorce attorney I have witnessed far more divorces ending amicably with a settlement than acrimonious ones.   What is a Prove-Up Hearing? A prove-up is a specific type of hearing during which the parties to a divorce proceeding “prove-up,...   Read more ...  

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Changing law changes lives

Changing law changes lives Discourse on Divorce As featured in the November 14, 2018 edition of the Chicago Daily Law Bulletin By Michael C. Craven   In this column, I want to reflect on how the law has changed the world, and in particular, family law in Illinois.   There aren’t many occupations in the world that have the ability to change so many peoples’ lives, but one that does is law. As someone who has spent more than 30 years practicing law, I am constantly amazed and astound...   Read more ...  

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Asset Division in a Divorce

Divorce lawyers often focus a lot of attention on how divorce affects parental responsibilities. Parenting plans are one of the most important and contentious parts of divorce. However, splitting up assets is a close second. Equitable Distribution States handle divorces differently. Some states divide the assets 50/50 no matter what. This means that it does not matter what the cause for divorce was, the assets are equally divided. Illinois is an “equitable distribution” state, meaning the Co...   Read more ...  

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