Posted on April 20, 2021 in Family Law

Choosing to expand your family through adoption is a choice that greatly impacts the lives of everyone who is involved. For the child, they are given a loving home and family that they would not have otherwise. For the adoptive parents, they are able to help another person for the rest of their lives and build a unique, loving relationship with this child. Your biological children will have a new sibling to bond with, and all of your other family and friends will get to create a relationship with your new child.  

Many do not realize the large number of children who are living without a family. In Illinois alone, 17,920 children are in foster care; 3,347 of which are waiting for adoptive families. Multiply this number by 50 for an estimate of the number of kids without families across the U.S., and this does not include the children across the world living in a similar situation. Adopting a child is truly a gift from one person to another, and understanding the legal process that adoption entails is an important first step in helping another child.

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 Posted on March 26, 2021 in Divorce

When it comes to divorce, a parent’s biggest concern is often with how their decision to end their marriage will impact their children. You have likely heard that divorce is a traumatizing experience that can ruin someone’s childhood, or maybe you are concerned that the divorce will sever you and your children’s relationship altogether. It is true that your divorce will be difficult to handle; after all, your kids have grown up in a two-parent household up to this point, but rarely is divorce as devastating to your children as you imagine that it will be. 

As a firm that has helped numerous families through their divorce, we have heard your concerns time and time again. All parents want the best for their kids, and sometimes they will sacrifice their own happiness in the process. If you have come to the realization that divorce is your next step, our attorneys are here to stand by your side. We have created a guide that outlines all you need to know about how you can help your child through your divorce, allowing you to do what is right for you while continuing to be an advocate for your children along the way. 

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 Posted on March 12, 2021 in Divorce

When you imagine a divorce, you likely picture two spouses screaming at each other in the center of a courtroom. The spouses cannot come to an agreement and neither spouse is willing to compromise, so the judge intervenes on their behalf and makes a decision that neither party is truly happy with. While these contentious types of divorces do occur, most divorce proceedings are much less dramatic than how they are depicted on TV. Before you begin the legal portion of your divorce, it is important to know your options and determine which type of divorce proceedings are best for you and your spouse. 

Analyzing Your Relationship

As much as you may not want to reminisce about your marriage or think about ending your union with your spouse, you will need to take time to consider the current state of your relationship before selecting which type of divorce you should pursue. The state of Illinois has a variety of options so that you can choose the one that works best for you. Can you and your spouse come to an agreement or do you struggle to find common ground? Are you each willing to compromise or are you both strong-headed? Is it necessary that you maintain an amicable relationship moving forward or will you be parting ways forever? By considering questions like these, you can better determine how well you can work together--or your inability to do so--which can greatly impact the types of divorce proceedings that you should consider.

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 Posted on February 26, 2021 in Divorce

Going through a divorce is never an easy task regardless of how you look at it or approach it. You may be second-guessing your decision and grieving the loss of your spouse, or you may find yourself in the middle of a legal battle. Even in an amicable divorce, the process can be emotionally devastating, and a contentious marriage can lead to months or even years spent arguing over legal decisions. The process becomes even more complex for spouses who are victims of an abusive relationship. The codependence that abusive relationships can create, along with the understanding that the marriage is unhealthy, can make the divorce even more confusing. The concerns can quickly escalate from “Am I doing the right thing?” to “Am I safe to file for divorce?”. For those in an abusive marriage, there are additional considerations that must be made in order to ensure that each spouse is safe and that the divorce agreement is fair to both spouses.

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 Posted on February 15, 2021 in Parentage

All parents have certain rights when it comes to their children, including unmarried fathers. In the past, courts typically favored mothers when it came to divorce and child custody battles, but as parental roles have modernized, the Illinois court system now makes decisions in the best interests of the child. The court typically leans toward keeping both parents in the child’s life and maintaining their parent-child relationships, unless one proves to be a danger to the child in some way. 

As a parent, your ability to spend time with your child may seem like a given, rather than a legal right. While all parents are granted these rights at the child’s birth, they are only enforceable to those who are legally recognized as the child’s father. For unmarried fathers, the need to have your role as a father legally established may not seem urgent, though the failure to do so can actually lead to legal, financial, and emotional issues as time goes on. That is why it is important to understand what paternity means from a legal standpoint for both the child and his or her father. 

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 Posted on January 27, 2021 in Divorce

When you imagine getting divorced, you likely picture two spouses arguing in court under the watchful eye of a judge. Perhaps they cannot come to a decision about child custody, or maybe they are fighting over who will keep the family home. Movies and reality TV shows have sensationalized what divorce really looks like and what the legal process entails. While some divorces can lead to a screaming match in a courtroom, most divorce agreements are created by both spouses behind closed doors.

Most couples do not realize what the Illinois divorce process truly involves until they are thrown into the middle of it. Divorce is never easy, physically or emotionally, and the division of your family is bound to take a toll. While you may never be able to fully prepare yourself for the emotional challenges that will undoubtedly come with your ending marriage, having an understanding of what the legal process includes can make you feel more in control of a major life event that you likely never expected. 

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 Posted on January 12, 2021 in Divorce

Going through an Illinois divorce can be quite a lengthy process. First, you made the decision to part ways with your spouse, either mutually or on a more one-sided basis. You were then thrown into the legal process of creating your divorce agreement or having a judge make decisions for you. You likely discussed how your property will be divided, how much money one spouse will pay the other until you both get afloat, and which spouse will be the primary parent for your kids, if applicable. These are only three of the many areas that will be discussed throughout the legal process, and in many cases, it can take months, if not a year or more, to have all of the details nailed down.

Now that you and your spouse, or the court, have come to an agreement in all of the areas of your divorce, you may feel like you can finally breathe a sigh of relief. There will be no more attorney meetings, ongoing court dates, or uncomfortable conversations to have with your former spouse about the details of your impending divorce. While you may feel like you are finally over the large obstacle that is a divorce, there are still a number of considerations that must be made before your marriage is finally legally dissolved in the eyes of the law

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 Posted on December 23, 2020 in Divorce

If you and your spouse have decided to file for divorce, you have made it past the first hurdle in the process. Coming to the realization that divorce is best for you and your spouse is no easy task and it can often take months, or even years, of self-realization and difficult conversations with each other. Deciding to file for divorce creates a new relationship dynamic that you have likely never experienced. If you and your spouse have children, there are additional issues that need resolving, which can also further complicate matters. When looking ahead to the future, you may be on your own for the first time in years, including making crucial decisions regarding who will represent you throughout the legal process.

Rarely do spouses who are divorcing have previous experience working with a divorce attorney unless they were married before and this is a second or third marriage. The hunt to find a reputable, compassionate lawyer can be daunting as well as confusing. It is important to find the right attorney to represent you to ensure your rights are protected every step of the way. In addition, you will likely be having private conversations regarding the details of your marriage for months or years to come. But what exactly makes an attorney the “right” one for you? What works for one person may not be suitable for another individual even if the relationship has similarities. By keeping the following tips in mind, you can find a legal representative who meets your needs and even surpasses your expectations.

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 Posted on December 09, 2020 in Children and Divorce

Coming to the realization that divorce is in your near future is no easy task. Going into your marriage, you likely did not even consider that divorce would be a possibility. Whether you have been married for a few years or a few decades, the pain that comes along with an ending relationship can be like no other. The emotional turmoil can be even greater for divorcing parents. Not only does the decision to divorce involve you and your spouse, but you also have to consider the implications that ending your marriage will have on your kids.

Rarely does anyone come to the conclusion of divorce lightly. Perhaps you have had a challenging relationship for years on end, and you are finally realizing that being apart might actually be better for everyone involved—children included. While watching your parents get divorced is undoubtedly difficult for kids of any age, seeing your parents happier as the dust settles can be an even more important lesson for children: Your happiness in life matters. While the early stages and legal process of your divorce will be challenging as a parent, with the following information in hand, you can enter into the process fully prepared for what is to come.

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 Posted on November 30, 2020 in Divorce

Many people have looked at sweet, elderly couples and romanticized their decades-long marriages, lamenting a social era that is often said to no longer exist. If you were to ask someone if they thought the divorce rate was increasing or decreasing in the United States, what do you think they would say? Many people would likely say the divorce rate has been increasing for years when in reality, it is the opposite. Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shows that the national divorce rate has decreased from a rate of four out of every 1,000 couples in 2000 to only 2.9 out of every 1,000 couples in 2018. Interestingly enough, when you look at the divorce rates for the different age groups, the groups whose divorce rates are growing the quickest are adults over the age of 50. In fact, the Pew Research Center reported that the divorce rate doubled for adults over the age of 50 and roughly tripled for adults over the age of 65 between 1990 and 2015.*

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