Of the many parts of your financial picture that will likely change after divorce, health insurance is one of the most important. This is especially true for spouses who have been homemakers or out of the workforce for any other reason. Becoming financially self-sufficient can take some time and knowing whether you can remain on your former spouse’s insurance is an important part of preparing financially for your divorce. Fortunately, Illinois’ Spousal Continuation Law allows former spouses to continue coverage after the divorce is finalized. 
Getting Continued Insurance Coverage After Divorce 
If you want to remain on your spouse’s…
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According to the Illinois Department of Public Health, divorce rates have been on the decline since 2012. Even so, divorce is still a common practice amongst adults who have tried to make their marriage work yet no longer believe the partnership is worth continuing. 
The decision to pursue a divorce is not one that anybody takes lightly. Whether you have made the decision to divorce your current spouse or your partner presented you with divorce papers, the process can seem daunting. 
Thankfully, an attorney can support and guide you through the process of getting a divorce in the state of…
Continue Reading 3 Questions to Ask Before You Hire a Divorce Attorney in Illinois

Divorce is a very complex matter. It signifies the finality of a marriage, but divorce proceedings do not end there. They also entail a lot of technicalities, such as child custody, the separation of assets, and alimony. 
Otherwise known as spousal maintenance or spousal support, alimony is a main player in many divorce cases. Alimony is financial support paid by one former spouse to the other.
Who Determines the Value and Dispersal of Alimony? 
During divorce proceedings, whether or not alimony will be paid by one former spouse to the other party will depend on the specific details pertaining to the divorce…
Continue Reading What To Know About Alimony When Getting a Divorce in Illinois

Child support can be a difficult part of divorce to navigate. The parent paying child support often feels upset because he or she may be paying more money but getting less parenting time, and the parent receiving child support often feels as though the amount is inadequate to meet the children’s true needs. Whichever side you are on – paying or receiving – you have a legal obligation to provide financial support to your children, and it is important to know how child support is calculated in Illinois. Here are three factors to consider as support payments are determined: …
Continue Reading Three Factors to Consider When Calculating Child Support in Illinois

Parents getting divorced in Illinois with underage children face the daunting challenge of understanding Illinois’ child support laws. Although the laws are not unnecessarily complex, it still requires some effort to set clear expectations and ensure parents always meet their obligations. If you are getting divorced and have questions about child support, these five facts may be helpful. 
Child Support is Calculated Using Both Parents’ Incomes 
Some people may be surprised to learn that the income of both parents is considered when calculating child support payments. Both parents’ net incomes are combined and then divided according to how much…
Continue Reading Five Fast Facts About Child Support in Illinois 

Couples enter marriage with high hopes – nobody wants or expects to get divorced in Illinois. But divorce rates are notoriously high, and many relationships ultimately come to an end. When a couple decides to get divorced, certain issues must be resolved and codified in a formal divorce decree. Asset division, parenting agreements, and child support payments are either agreed upon by both spouses or ordered by a judge and then written in the divorce order. 
It is one of those unfortunate facts of life that both spouses may not be completely satisfied with the divorce arrangements. Under…
Continue Reading Is it Possible to Appeal a Divorce Decree in Cook County? 

 Divorce can get hostile, and spouses often resort to unusual measures to try to catch each other in the act of wrongdoing. Sometimes spouses will track each other, follow each other’s communications, and even install secret listening devices to find out information they could not get otherwise. Sometimes these actions are simply strange or unethical, but other times they are downright illegal. 
Spying on a spouse is never a good idea. In addition to the fact that illegally-obtained evidence cannot be used in court, spying often backfires because it opens up the perpetrator to the possibility of criminal charges…
Continue Reading What Can I Do if My Spouse is Spying On Me During My Divorce? 

Getting divorced in Illinois is often a contentious process, but for spouses dealing with abuse, it can be especially challenging. Research shows an alarming number of Illinois residents deal with domestic violence, and – perhaps most alarming – that victims of domestic violence may be at greatest risk when they try to leave their abuser. 
For those who are afraid that filing for divorce could trigger escalated abusive behavior from their spouse, an Order of Protection may be helpful. There are several types of Orders of Protection, and although each can help protect a victim and their children, a…
Continue Reading Can You Get an Order of Protection During Your Illinois Divorce? 

Divorce is never easy for anyone, but for some divorcing couples, it can turn into a high-conflict nightmare. When one or both spouses are narcissistic or have other toxic personality traits, they may deliberately try to upset or destabilize their partner and make the divorce process very difficult.
Often, spouses seeking divorce will delay discussing it with their partner or filing for divorce because they are worried that it may trigger an escalation in an already difficult relationship. However, staying in a high-conflict or abusive relationship forever is simply not a solution for most people, and at some point, it…
Continue Reading How Can I Deal with My Toxic Spouse in our Illinois Divorce? 

 The prospect of getting divorced is never easy, but for high-profile or public-facing individuals in Illinois, divorce comes with the additional difficulty of potentially drawing the attention of the public. Public servants, media figures, and high-net-worth individuals often have journalists, photographers, and nosy neighbors who seek personal information, following them and searching for details to sell or discuss online.  
In addition to the frustration and embarrassment this may cause, having personal information go public can make the overall divorce process much more stressful. Fortunately, there are things you can do to keep your divorce private. An attorney with experience in…
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Creating a parenting plan during divorce is particularly challenging for parents who are so hostile towards each other that even the most minimal communication elicits an argument. Of course, this has a negative impact on the emotional and psychological well-being of parents, but the primary victims of this hostility are children who get exposed to conflict. 
In cases like this, Illinois parents may pursue a strategy called “parallel parenting.” Parallel parenting is an explicit acknowledgment that the children will be better off if the parents communicate as little as possible. 
Prevent Conflict with a Parallel Parenting Plan
Many couples can…
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American tabloids love to cover the sultry details of high-profile divorce trials. Consumers may love to read about other people’s divorces, but for those going through a divorce trial, it can be a nightmare. Long wait times between court dates, hostile disputes with former partners, and the expense of a protracted trial — to say nothing of the public exposure — are all strong incentives to avoid the trial process altogether. 
Fortunately, Illinois courts encourage divorcing couples to do exactly that. Using mediation, collaborative divorce, or a similar alternative dispute resolution process, even the most high conflict spouses can…
Continue Reading How Can I Keep My Illinois Divorce From Going to Trial?