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Parental visitation is often discussed at length. But one topic that can be overlooked is sibling visitation.   There are many situations in which siblings can be separated from each other. Some examples include:   Siblings over the age of 18 wanting to visit a younger sibling Siblings separated because of a fall out between parents Siblings who are adopted by a different family/or in foster care Siblings with different parents (ex: those who have the same mother but different father)...   Read more ...  

During a divorce – for those couples who have children – it is a priority to minimize the impact of the separation on their kid’s daily lives. Making arrangements for children can be taxing and emotional, but it is very important.   In Illinois, courts utilize parenting plans to determine the division of parenting time and responsibility between the two divorcing parties.   A parenting plan is a document that determines who will have custody of their children, and also who will m...   Read more ...  

During a divorce, there are many questions that need answering. One of the most pressing frequently regards the family home. Not only is the home an important financial asset, but it also taps into deep emotions.   Disagreement over who is allowed to stay in the house and who moves out can be a major point of contention in many cases.   The first question that needs to be considered is what constitutes “marital property”? For the purposes of the court, all property that was acquire...   Read more ...  

Maintenance, also referred to as alimony or spousal support, is a legally binding arrangement that involves an ex-spouse continuing to provide financial support to his/her former partner for a period of time after a divorce. So, how long can a person expect to receive spousal support after a divorce in Illinois?   This question doesn’t have a cut-and-dry answer. The amount and timeframe is agreed upon by the parties when finalizing the divorce, or it can be ordered by the judge overseeing...   Read more ...  

Shared parenting arrangements can be complicated in the friendliest of divorces, but they can be especially challenging when one spouse or ex-spouse has an order of protection against the other that calls for “no contact” between the former spouses. In those cases, special exceptions may need to be included in the order of protection to accommodate for parenting time for the spouse who has the order of protection against him or her. In addition, the order of protection may need to include a ...   Read more ...  

After a divorce agreement is finalized, it is common for a spouse who changed his or her name for the marriage to change it back to his or her given name or a former name. The process for changing a name after a divorce is fairly straightforward. What can be more complicated is if a minor child wants to change his or her name.   For people over the age of 18, name changes take time, patience and plenty of pens and paper, but it is a routine procedure. In Illinois, to change a name after a d...   Read more ...