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The school year is underway for children throughout the Chicago area, and many families continue to adjust to the new schedule to accommodate classes, sports, and other activities. For co-parents who share custody, the start of school might also mean addressing your Illinois parenting plan. The arrangement that was in place over the summer may not be workable now that children have a different structure. Plus, the holidays and vacations that are closely tied to school will impact your family ove...   Read more ...  

When their marital relationship breaks down and spouses are looking at options for ending the marriage, most will immediately turn their thoughts to divorce. What you may not realize is that legal separation could be a route to consider, depending on your situation and objectives.   The concept once referred to the period of time a couple lived apart before divorcing, which is why there is some confusion about separation. Additional misunderstandings arise because the relevant statutory sec...   Read more ...  

Regardless of whether parents are in an intact relationship and living under one roof, both will have child support obligations under Illinois law. It is typically the nonresidential parent who will have to pay, as the residential parent is presumed to be contributing financially with the child living in his or her home.   However, beyond this general arrangement, the legal details under Illinois child support laws are far more complex. The state recently enacted legislation that implements...   Read more ...  

Marriage has always been a legal relationship in addition to being a personal one. As a result, there are certain requirements involved with the Illinois divorce process just as there were leading up to your wedding day. At one time, you needed to prove that you had grounds for divorce in Illinois as a reason to end the marriage.   Parties had to include allegations regarding adultery, cruelty, abandonment, or other misconduct defined by law. However, changes to the Illinois statute on the ...   Read more ...  

The legal concepts that apply to many aspects of your life are constantly evolving to accommodate changing times. The same is true for Illinois’ statute on child support. The basic duty to support has not been altered significantly, so both parents are still obligated to provide for their children. The amount runs according to statutory child support guidelines, which consider:   Each parent’s income. The number of children to be supported. How many overnights the child spends with the...   Read more ...  

When going through a divorce, couples will have to make decisions on many legal issues, including who will get the marital home. The party that gets to keep the marital home in a divorce, if either at all, largely depends on the facts of the case. Marital homes are generally considered marital property and as such, are subject to division during divorce.   In many cases, the marital home is sold and the couple divides the proceeds fairly. However, when one person wants to keep the home in a...   Read more ...