Posts By: MICHAEL C CRAVEN

  Around 50% of marriages in the U.S. end in divorce. 41% of first marriages end in divorce. 60% of second marriages end in divorce. 73% of third marriages end in divorce. In America, there is one divorce approximately every 36 seconds. The average length of a marriage that ends in divorce is 8 years. ‘3 years’ is the average times for people, before they decide to remarry after they are divorced. ’30 years old’ is the average age when people get their first div...   Read more ...  

Understanding how divorce impacts your life can, in general, be difficult and complex. Many people worry about how divorce will impact their assets. Specifically, parties often wonder what will happen to their bank accounts, pensions, and stocks, or they wonder who will get to keep the car or the house. However, depending on the parties’ finances and spending behavior, a bigger question is often: what happens to the debt? Marital Property and Debt Illinois law requires that property in a divor...   Read more ...  

  Due to the diverse issues covered in a divorce case, divorce lawyers must have intimate knowledge of the statutes and cases governing not only family law, but also many other areas of the law. As a result, family law extends well beyond just family law.   One area that requires more advanced knowledge is estate planning; and as a Chicago family law attorney, I recommend that my clients review their estate plan preceding and following a divorce.   Power of Attorney for Health Car...   Read more ...  

Dissolving a marriage takes time; it is a process that may be equal to the time and effort it took to build the relationship once upon a time. Couples often find themselves in drawn out battles in the courtroom, costing each party a hefty total. Emotionally, the courtroom can become a source of distress and heartache for the divorcing parties. Rather than see the case through in a courtroom, many divorcing couples and their divorce lawyers in Chicago find success with mediation.   Mediation...   Read more ...