Illinois has been celebrating Child Support Awareness this month by highlighting some new initiatives that are improving the state’s child support system. With so many parents and children affected by child support, it seemed prudent to give the topic some special attention and increase awareness of various improvements being carried out. By focusing on improved support, access, education, and enforcement, the state hopes to help as many Illinoisans as possible navigate the child support process smoothly. If you have questions, speak with a skilled Wheaton, IL family law attorney to hear how these new initiatives might help you.
What New…
Continue Reading August is Child Support Awareness Month in Illinois

It is never easy to get a divorce. You are juggling logistics, legal arrangements, and the feelings that come along with a breakup all at the same time. If you are a stay-at-home mom, you might feel particularly worried about the future. You might even think that you should stay in your marriage instead of facing all the unknowns that come with divorce. However, staying in an unhappy marriage might not be the best choice for you or your family. If you are a stay-at-home mom in a broken marriage but are worried about how divorce will affect your…
Continue Reading Why Stay-At-Home Moms Should Not Fear Divorce

The world we live in today seems quite different from how it was only 20 years ago. There are many things people say now that would not have meant anything back then: “I can Venmo it to you.” “Did you see what she tweeted?” “Let me call you an Uber.”
There are also new industries based on social media platforms. For example, being an influencer can be very lucrative. As new professions develop, new laws and regulations are needed to protect consumers and internet personalities alike. What happens when the person whose content earns millions in profits is a child?
Continue Reading New Law Regulating Profits From Child Influencers

Ending a marriage is rarely an easy decision. Even when both spouses agree that separation is the best path forward, the divorce process can be emotionally taxing. In an ideal world, couples would always part ways amicably, working together to create fair arrangements for property division, finances, and, if applicable, child custody. However, real life is often more complicated, and sometimes, divorces become contested.
A contested divorce occurs when spouses cannot agree on one or more issues. This situation can arise even between couples who still maintain mutual respect. It is not about being difficult or uncooperative; it often stems…
Continue Reading Why Would a Divorce Be Contested?

Domestic violence accusations are taken very seriously in Illinois. To ensure that all victims are protected, there is a streamlined process in place that does not always require corroborating accusations before taking action. If your wife has falsely accused you of domestic abuse, the court might grant her an Order of Protection, and you can be legally obligated to maintain a distance from your home and even your children until it is resolved. She might even get an Emergency Order of Protection, which is issued almost immediately without hardly any bureaucracy or processing delays. Fortunately, if you can demonstrate…
Continue Reading Dealing with False Accusations of Domestic Violence

One reason parents get nervous about going through a divorce is finances. Even if only one spouse works and earns a salary, the household and child-raising expenses are shared and jointly managed by the couple. If you have been a stay-at-home mom depending on your husband’s income, the idea of managing financially on your own can be overwhelming.
Child support is meant to help. If one parent ends up taking on more of the child-raising responsibilities after a divorce, the other parent needs to send them regular payments to compensate for it. Often, this is a logical arrangement that suits…
Continue Reading Collecting Child Support When Your Ex Stops Paying

Breakups are generally difficult to go through emotionally. Even if the people breaking up with each other have a great deal of respect and appreciation for one another, they are still acknowledging that they are unable to overcome differences or obstacles and are better off apart than together. It can be a harsh conclusion to come to, even more so if the couple is married with children. People tend to prefer staying together and raising their children as a couple, but sometimes that simply is not possible.
Parents going through a divorce need to figure out how they will be…
Continue Reading How Does Birdnesting Work in Illinois?

When a couple gets divorced in Illinois, one of the parties often must pay spousal support, or alimony, to the other. The amount of alimony payments and their duration are based on several factors, such as:

• The length of the marriage
• The income of each spouse
• Which spouse has child custody

Sometimes a spouse is ordered to pay alimony indefinitely, and sometimes he or she must pay spousal support for a fixed amount of time. In either case, spousal support can be terminated in certain circumstances, such as remarriage. 
This article will discuss when remarriage affects alimony, though any…
Continue Reading Do Alimony Payments Stop if a Spouse Remarries in Illinois?

Getting a divorce in Illinois requires planning. This is especially true when it comes to finances that will be affected by the divorce. People who dissolve their marriages often lose considerable amounts of money in the form of:

• Child support
• Spousal support, also known as alimony
• Division of assets

If you get divorced, it is best to first make sure you are gainfully employed if possible. This will allow you to plan a budget for after the divorce and not sink too far into debt.
But sometimes, divorce is not up to you. If your spouse files for divorce and…
Continue Reading What Happens If I Get Divorced While Unemployed in Illinois?

In the state of Illinois, child support payments are calculated based on several factors, with special emphasis placed on the payer’s income. This brings up a logical question. What if your income does not always remain as it was at the time that you got divorced? If you lose your job, can you stop making those payments? If you get a raise, do you need to pay more? Just like with all other aspects of your divorce settlement, the answer to these questions is that it all depends on your specific circumstances. If you were given a raise at work…
Continue Reading Does a Raise Mean an Automatic Increase in Illinois Child Support Payments?

There are many reasons why a couple might wish to end their marriage. While the state of Illinois takes marriage seriously, and there is a process that needs to be carried out for a couple to end theirs, ending it is a legally recognized possibility, and no one needs to feel stuck. Whether you or your spouse have changed in some way, or you realize you never should have gotten married in the first place, you certainly have legal options for putting an end to your marriage. This article will describe some of those, and an experienced DuPage County, IL…
Continue Reading The Three Main Ways to End a Marriage in Illinois

Domestic violence is, unfortunately, a very common occurrence. In fact, the Centers for Disease Control have stated that millions of Americans are affected by domestic violence every year. When someone is a victim of domestic violence, it can be extremely difficult for them to leave the situation, considering all the ways they will need to start over, but no one should have to suffer through the awful experience of being abused in their home or by a relative. If this describes you, please know that you have options, and a Wheaton, IL family law attorney can help.
Order of Protection…
Continue Reading How Should I Deal with Domestic Violence?

While we have all seen the familiar scenes on screen of a bitter divorce being settled in a tense courtroom with a judge banging their gavel and calling everyone to order, reality can often be quite different. Some couples dissolve their marriage amicably. Even though they no longer feel it makes sense for them to stay married, they might still have positive feelings towards each other. Even if they no longer feel the love, if the two spouses are good parents, they might manage to put aside their personal feelings for the sake of their child, even wanting their future…
Continue Reading Steps in an Uncontested Divorce