There are millions of Americans living with a mental illness. In fact, the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) say that nearly 44 million people experience a mental illness in any given year and about 10 million adults live with a chronic mental illness. Mental illness can include conditions such as bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, eating disorders, and post-traumatic stress disorder, but by far the most common mental illnesses in the United States are depression and anxiety disorders. Though the public perception of mental illness has changed to become more open and understanding, mental illness can still impact people in serious ways, especially those who are going through a divorce. Mental illness can also impact decisions made about parenting time and responsibilities in divorce cases.

How Divorce Decisions Involving Children Are Made

When making decisions about a parent’s allotted parenting time and responsibilities in Illinois, the judge must consider what is in the child’s best interests. The judge will look at many factors before making his or her decision, including:

By Maxine Weiss Kunz

There is a lot of information online. Now, there are even legal forms on the Internet. Some of these forms are free, and some of these forms are pay per click types. Regardless of cost, is it safe or wise for legal consumers to use these forms?

Most DIY (do it yourself) forms are highly generic. They often hold the least amount of required legalese to pass as a qualified form. Depending on the need you are trying to fit, that may be okay for you. However, any lawyer will tell you that the final document should still be reviewed by a professional in the field specific to your legal matter.

By Maxine Weiss Kunz

Many people going through a divorce wonder how they will obtain health insurance if they have been covered by their spouse during the marriage. One option is to “COBRA” off the health insurance of your soon to be former spouse.

COBRA stands for Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act which requires group health plans to provide a temporary continuation of group health coverage in certain situations, including divorce or legal separation. Divorce or legal separation are considered a “qualified event” which would trigger your right to COBRA. COBRA coverage can also cover dependents (your children).

By Amanda Oliver

One of the most common questions in any divorce or paternity action is “will he/she have to pay my fees?”  The answer is, “maybe.”  The court has wide discretion to order one party to contribute toward the litigation expenses of the other party.

A particularly frustrating situation arises when a party is forced to bring the opposing party back to court to enforce an Order.  By way of example, one party may have failed to pay child support or maintenance in accordance with the Order or Judgment previously entered.  The party that has done nothing to violate the Court’s Order is often times, and rightly so, upset by the inherent injustice of having to pay to enforce the Order.

Lincolnwood divorce lawyer Maxine Weiss Kunz of Weiss-Kunz & Oliver, LLC has been named a “Top 10 Under 40 Family Law Attorney” by the National Academy of Family Law Attorneys (NAFLA).

The Lincolnwood law firm of Weiss-Kunz & Oliver, LLC is pleased to announce that Founding Partner Maxine Weiss Kunz has been named a 2015 “Top 10 Under 40 Family Law Attorney” for the state of Illinois by the National Academy of Family Law Attorneys (NAFLA).

NAFLA employs a comprehensive selection process to determine the top family law attorneys in each state. Selected attorneys must be nominated by a licensed practicing attorney and meet the minimum requirements for membership. The NAFLA processing committee then selects a portion of the nominated attorneys to advance to the final selection stage, in which the NAFLA Board of Governors formally determines the top family law attorneys in each state.