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When facing a contested documents case, it is crucial to seek the assistance of a lawyer who can provide valuable guidance and support throughout the legal process. Any time contested documents are an issue in estate planning, the situation can be very stressful. By hiring an attorney to assist you, you provide yourself with the legal protection to feel more confident and protected as you look to sort through your contested documents case. 
Here is What You Need to Know
First and foremost, a lawyer can offer their knowledge of the law. They will assess the details of your
Continue Reading How Can a Lawyer Help Me in a Contested Documents Case?

Every divorce is unique and comes with its own issues that need to be resolved in a settlement. But generally speaking, when parents are getting divorced, child custody issues can be the most difficult to resolve. When people want to get divorced, it can be very hard for them to put arguments aside and form a plan to raise their children together. With parents worrying about what they want out of their divorce settlement, they can often lose sight of their children’s best interests.
When parents cannot agree on how to divide their parental responsibilities in divorce, the court can
Continue Reading What Is a Guardian ad Litem in an Illinois Divorce?

Caring for a loved one with special needs requires careful financial and estate planning. Special needs trust is one powerful tool that can provide peace of mind for families. This legal arrangement helps protect the financial security of individuals with disabilities, ensuring they receive the necessary support while preserving eligibility for government assistance programs. If you have a family member with special needs and are looking to protect their financial future, contact an estate planning attorney to begin the process of setting up a special needs trust. 
Here Are Three Reasons Why Special Needs Trusts Are Important 

  • Preserving eligibility

  • Continue Reading Three Ways a Special Needs Trust May Benefit Your Family

     
    Divorce is not something most people think about every day. When a baby is born, the parents generally do not think about how they would continue to care for her if they were to get divorced. In a prenuptial agreement, a couple can make a plan for how they might divide their assets if they end up divorcing later on. But there is no parallel document to plan future custody in the event of a future divorce. 
    That is why the words describing this topic are not necessarily familiar to everyone. If you are a parent considering a divorce
    Continue Reading Making Sense of Child Custody Terminology

    Sometimes, we face illnesses or disabilities that limit us from making important decisions. But before that happens, you can appoint an individual to handle your crucial choices. As the subject of this arrangement, you are the principal, while the person you select is the agent with power of attorney. There are several types of POA and each includes an in-depth process to ensure the principal’s assets and interests are upheld. An attorney can help you understand all these details to reduce risks and ensure that the document remains in your best interest while following the state laws of Illinois.
    Continue Reading What Are the Key Aspects of a Power of Attorney in Illinois?

    When you are gone, you want to ensure that your assets are distributed based on your wishes. Wills and trusts work as crucial estate planning documents for this. While both have the same goal, they differ in many ways. Illinois residents should be aware of these distinctions while making estate planning decisions.
    How Are Wills and Trusts Used in Illinois?
    A will details the distribution of your property based on your wishes after you pass away. These legal documents also can appoint an executor. An executor controls how your assets are distributed and ensures your intentions are carried out. Some
    Continue Reading Should I Use a Will and a Trust?

    Divorce is one of the most challenging life events an individual and family can experience. Each spouse must determine how to best handle the dissolution of their marriage. Two primary routes for resolving divorce are mediation and litigation. Knowing the difference between both approaches can empower both parties to protect themselves emotionally and financially.
    Why Is Mediation Preferred Over Litigation?
    Mediation offers a less combative and more cooperative approach to divorce. A neutral third party, known as a mediator, facilitates discussions between the spouses. The focus is on open communication, cooperation, and finding acceptable solutions. Mediation is beneficial when both
    Continue Reading Mediation vs. Litigation, Which is the Right Choice for Your Divorce?

    Not everyone has a regular weekly work schedule. People who work in the healthcare sector or who are first responders may see their work schedule shifting frequently. The same may be true for workers who are away from home for weeks or days at a time, like long distance truckers. While children tend to thrive on consistency, routine scheduled visits may be impossible when a parent works irregular hours. However, spending time with both parents is likely to be in the child’s best interests even if it means that there will be a shifting schedule. Parents who have frequently changing
    Continue Reading Parenting Plan Tips for Parents Who Work Irregular Hours

    Wills serve as legal documents that outline how an individual’s assets will be distributed upon their death. However, when a will is contested, one common argument made by challengers is that the testator lacked testamentary capacity at the time of creating the document. Today, we will examine the implications of a lack of testamentary capacity in contested wills and its impact on the validity of the document. If you have concerns over the validity of a will, contact an estate planning lawyer for legal representation as you work through your legal matter.
    Definition of Testamentary Capacity
    Testamentary capacity refers
    Continue Reading Understanding the Significance of Lack of Testamentary Capacity in Contested Wills

    Most people who have gone under anesthesia for a procedure have been asked to fill out a power of attorney form at the hospital. This is a precaution meant to protect the hospital as much as it protects you. The physician performing your procedure needs to know who should step in to make decisions on your behalf if something goes wrong during your procedure. While this form will likely suffice to allow your chosen person to make medical decisions in the event that something does go wrong during your procedure, it should not generally be used as a long-term solution.
    Continue Reading I Filled Out a Power of Attorney at the Hospital – is it Enough?

    There is a lot of information – and misinformation – about the realities of divorce to be found online. The fact is that divorce is very common. Over the last several decades, divorce has been rapidly destigmatized. In the past, people who wanted to divorce their spouse had to prove that they had a good reason for doing so. This is no longer the case. If you want a divorce, you will not likely need to show a judge evidence that your spouse has done something bad enough to warrant ending the marriage. In fact, most divorce cases in modern
    Continue Reading 2023 Divorce Statistics You Should Know

    Sometimes the best thing to do for yourselves and your child is to separate and begin the divorce process. It can be emotionally and legally challenging to get a divorce while a female spouse is pregnant. If your relationship with your child’s mother is ending in a difficult divorce, she may be motivated to keep you out of her life – and therefore, her child’s life. Fortunately, there are steps you can take to assert your rights as a parent. Even if your divorce finalizes before the child is born, you will likely still be considered a legal parent
    Continue Reading Divorce When One Spouse is Pregnant

    When a couple decides to divorce, there may be a significant amount of time between the filing of the petition and the final decree being issued, depending on the marital issues the couple needs to dissolve. However, there are often immediate issues that do need to be addressed. Temporary orders are court-issued directives that address these issues while the divorce is pending. These orders establish temporary arrangements and provide guidelines until the final decree is issued. The following is a brief overview. For more detailed information concerning your circumstances, contact a Lombard divorce attorney.

    Why You May Need Temporary Orders
    Continue Reading What Are Temporary Orders in an Illinois Divorce?

    Under Illinois law, when the parents of a child are no longer together, the court will issue an order that stipulates the allocation of parental responsibilities and what the parenting time schedule for the child will be. However, Illinois law also recognizes the importance of maintaining meaningful relationships between a child and non-parental figures who the child has a significant bond with. In these situations, that person can petition the court in order to seek visitation time with the child. The following are some of the relationships that may qualify.
    Grandparents
    Grandparents are one of the parties that have
    Continue Reading When Can Non-Parents File for Visitation Under Illinois Law?

    While most people would not want to be placed under a guardianship unless it were absolutely necessary, the fact is that in many cases, obtaining guardianship over an elderly loved one is truly necessary. When an older adult begins to lose the capacity to care for themselves or to manage their own healthcare and finances, initiating guardianship proceedings is often the best way to protect them. Having guardianship over your elderly family member can allow you to step in and begin making important decisions for them and managing their affairs. It is not an easy decision to make. Rather, making
    Continue Reading Signs it is Time to Consider a Guardianship for Your Elderly Relative

    In the eyes of the law, a child can only have two parents. Although stepparents and other family members often play essential roles in a child’s life, they do not have the same rights and responsibilities as parents unless they formally adopt the child.
    Whether you are interested in a relative adoption, private adoption, or another type of adoption, it is important to understand how the termination of parental rights may play a role in your case.
    Voluntary Termination of Parental Rights
    In some cases, a child’s parents willingly give up their parental rights. A parent may make the decision
    Continue Reading Termination of Parental Rights in Illinois Adoption Cases