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Getting divorced in Illinois will result in all marital assets and debts being divided equitably between the spouses. Since Illinois is an equitable distribution state, the court will look to a variety of applicable factors to determine what a fair or equitable division of the property looks like based on the specific circumstances of the parties involved in the divorce. Yet in order to consider how to get to the stage of an equitable division of assets in divorce, the court must first classify ...   Read more ...  

When parents get divorced in Illinois, the court will calculate child support payments as part of the divorce case. As you may know, Illinois recently shifted to using the “income shares” model for child support. The model took effect on January 1, 2019, and it requires both parents to contribute to the financial support of their children.   According to the Illinois Marriage and Dissolution of Marriage Act (750 ILCS 5/505), under the income shares model, the court will determine each p...   Read more ...  

Whether you are the parent who pays or receives child support, you should be aware of your rights and obligations under Illinois’ statute on child support obligations. In some cases, the duty to pay child support arises out of a divorce. In other cases, it follows a parentage case. Regardless of the specific circumstances, child support orders are legally binding. There are severe consequences and penalties for violating a child support order. Here, our Chicago child support lawyer about endin...   Read more ...  

In an Illinois divorce case, it is common for a judge to award spousal support to a lower-earning spouse or party that faces challenges in becoming self-sustaining. The details of alimony vary and are very case-specific, so the duration could be several years after the divorce was finalized. As such, it is probable that adjustments may be necessary due to lifestyle changes of either the payer or recipient. Regardless of whether your arrangement was determined through a settlement agreement or a ...   Read more ...  

Regardless of whether you are the payor or recipient of child support in Illinois, there are certain expenses that you expect to incur. Food, lodging, education, utilities, and extracurricular activities just scratch the surface when it comes to raising a child, so it is obvious that a large portion of support payments will be dedicated to these and related costs. However, medical expenses are sometimes overlooked when addressing child support in a divorce case or after establishing paternity. R...   Read more ...  

Even if they do not get along themselves, there is no question that divorcing parents want what is best for their children. Disputes enter the picture when they cannot agree on the details. For the most part, disagreements center on the key components of a parenting plan – i.e., custody and visitation, which are referred to as allocation of parental responsibilities and parenting time under Illinois law. As part of the legal divorce process, Illinois’ divorce statute requires parties to subm...   Read more ...