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As personal lives become increasingly intertwined with technology, it stands to reason parties will need to address the issue of digital assets when going through divorce in Illinois. Part of any dissolution proceeding is determining how to divvy up all property acquired during the marriage, so you must be prepared to consider items in electronic form, stored within the Cloud, or otherwise digital in nature. Ideally, you would want to attempt agreement on distribution of this uniqu...   Read more ...  

Asset division in an Illinois divorce can be a complex and hotly contested issue. Hostile disagreements often develop between couples who have been married a long time or have accumulated significant property. However, disputes are common even in short-term marriages and cases involving lower net worth. The nature of certain assets means trying to divvy them up is complicated, impractical, or even impossible.   Fortunately, you can sidestep many of the potential problems b...   Read more ...  

With the holidays right around the corner, many Illinois families will be making plans on how to celebrate the festivities. For parents who share custody and visitation, termed allocation of parental responsibilities and parenting time under Illinois’ statute, this time of year can bring some challenges. Many of these special events are deeply rooted in religious beliefs, leading to such questions as:   How do we handle parenting time if we share the same faith?What if we come fro...   Read more ...  

Published in the Monday November 2, 2020 edition of the Chicago Daily Law Bulletin Michael C. Craven, J.D., L.L.M. and C.P.A. is a partner at Harrison LLP. His practice focuses on complex divorce and family law litigation, mediation, and collaborative law cases. He can be reached at mcraven@harrisonheld.com. For my colleagues who do not practice family law, I would advise you to pay attention when your clients may need a prenuptial agreement and ...   Read more ...  

In the years after an Illinois court issues an order on child support, it is quite common for a change to take place. In fact, if your children were young at the time of its entry, you may request a higher amount at some point. Illinois’ statute on modification of child support provides reasons that justify an increase: A substantial change in circumstances, such as your child is spending more time with you than under a previous parenting schedule; or, A discrepancy between what you are recei...   Read more ...  

For an adoption to become legally effective, the legal parents must usually consent to giving up their rights and responsibilities regarding the child to be adopted. The issue is relatively straightforward when the mother agrees to the adoption, but legal issues become more complicated regarding the rights of a “putative” father as defined by Illinois’ adoption statute. In using this term, the law refers to a man who may be the child’s father, but:   Was not married to the mother o...   Read more ...