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Dear Clients and Friends: By now everyone is aware of the many shutdowns and closures caused by the COVID-19 virus, which has resulted in interruptions in our lives and businesses. Navigating difficult times is a core skill I’ve developed during my decades of being a divorce lawyer. My partners and I have been working to protect the safety of our staff, while at the same time, meeting the needs of our current and new clients. Currently, it is our plan to keep our Chicago, Springfield and Napl...   Read more ...  

  Published in the Thursday March 5, 2020 edition of the Chicago Daily Law Bulletin   By Marla Levie Craven   Marla Levie Craven is the wife of family law attorney Michael Craven. She spent decades as the owner of a marketing consulting company. Many of her clients were law firms and attorneys. Recently, I was out with a group of women, some I had only just met. One began to share many details about her recent divorce. She told the group her case ended up going to trial and her ...   Read more ...  

There are a few tasks you’ll need to cross off your To-Do list when you’re contemplating divorce. You’ll make considerable headway by scheduling an initial consultation with a Chicago divorce attorney. This first meeting is crucial, so you want to make the most of your time. Your lawyer will be taking the lead on the essential legal requirements, but you’ll need to do your part as well by tackling a few items to prepare for your appointment. 1. Be aware of the issues you’ll address dur...   Read more ...  

As you may be aware, one of the most important issues that arises during the divorce process is how to distribute property spouses acquired during their marriage. The Illinois divorce statute on division of property requires marital assets be divided equitably, which means according to the interests of fairness – not an exact 50-50 split. With many types of property, such as bank accounts, retirement benefits, automobiles and similar assets, getting to an equitable division is relatively strai...   Read more ...  

While you might see divorce as an end to your marriage, you should also remember it’s also a new beginning. One of the most impactful changes you’ll realize after completion of your divorce is your financial situation. After a period where you were once managing economic decisions as a team – and possibly even enjoying the fruits of two incomes – you’re now solely in control over your own fiscal destiny.   With control comes responsibility. You owe it to yourself to make smart, in...   Read more ...  

Whether you’re embroiled in a difficult divorce or dealing with a paternity case, emotions run high as the proceedings pertain to custody and visitation for a minor child. Though the applicable Illinois statute now uses the terms “allocation of parental responsibilities” and “parenting time,” many of the same underlying concepts will be familiar. Unfortunately, that also means many of the same heated disputes can arise. These disagreements may lead one party to accuse the other of pare...   Read more ...