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Civil Unions in Illinois As I’m sure you have heard, last week Illinois voted to allow civil unions for same-sex couples.  This allows same-sex couples to partake in many of the rights that married couples currently enjoy while leaving them just shy of actually being able to be married.  These rights include making end-of-life decisions, handling probate matters, sharing nursing home rooms, and more.   Some of the ways the civil union differs from marriage is the couple does not receiv...   Read more ...  

The Future of Marriage Prince William is getting married, and as was bound to happen, marriage as an institution is getting a lot more press.   Time Magazine had a cover story on the state of marriage in the 21st century.  They reported a lot of interesting statistics that I would like to share with you in case you missed the article. As a Chicago divorce lawyer, the statistics intrigued me.   In 1960, nearly 70% of American adults were married.  Now, only half are.   In 1960, ...   Read more ...  

Family Owned Businesses and Divorce Today Christopher P. Casey and James M. Godbout from the Chicago office of Stout Risius Ross, Inc. share their personal thoughts on what happens to family businesses when getting divorced:   Family owned businesses always present unique challenges to the client and the divorce lawyers when going through a divorce.  The spouse who owns the company may feel overly attached and entitled to the business, especially if he/she founded or inherited the compan...   Read more ...  

Divorce Without Conflict There is a way to practice Divorce Law that is gaining in popularity. I wanted to share with you the idea of Collaborative Law because I think it can be a way to handle a divorce without needing to turn to the courts. I began my first Collaborative Law divorce case in Chicago several months ago and recently completed the Basic Interdisciplinary Collaborative Training held in Chicago.   The idea behind Collaborative Law is both parties in the divorce agree to work o...   Read more ...  

Tips for Divorce 1. Take Care of Yourself Divorce brings a lot of hurt feelings, anger, resentment, stress, and depression.  It is important to remember that you need to take care of yourself while you are going through all these feelings.  Find a support group, talk to your divorce lawyer, work out, stay in contact with positive people, and eat right.  All these actions may seem little in comparison to what you are going through, but they will help you cope with the divorce proc...   Read more ...  

Tips for Divorce 1. Talk to a Divorce Attorney It is incredibly important you know your legal rights. Every situation is different, and you will need an experienced divorce lawyer to advise you how the law affects your particular circumstances. The law varies from state to state and is even applied differently throughout a state. If your case is in the Chicago land area it is preferable to seek out a Chicago divorce lawyer versus one from downstate and vice versa. There are many decisions to be...   Read more ...