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Couples – especially those who have been married for many years – rarely have a relationship that is all good or bad. Because of the inherent complexity of marriage, it can be very difficult to weigh the pros against the cons and make the decision to cut ties with your spouse. While the decision to get divorced is ultimately up to the spouse or spouses in question, and while many relationships are full of nuance and uncertainty, there are certain behaviors that experts say nearly always indicate divorce is in the future. If you read this list and believe any
Continue Reading Should I Save Our Marriage? Five Signs It Is Time for Divorce

People are rarely on their best behavior during divorce, but for some spouses, the misbehavior escalates in extreme ways. This can involve trying to hide assets, making false accusations of spousal abuse, or even making false accusations of child abuse. If you are getting divorced and anticipate that your spouse will engage in hostile, high-conflict behaviors, start preparing now by working with an Illinois divorce attorney who has experience with difficult divorces.
Can My Spouse Make False Accusations of Abuse?
Technically, anyone can make accusations of abuse – but your spouse will have to back up their claims
Continue Reading What Happens if You Lie During Divorce Proceedings?

Divorce is notoriously expensive and the financial repercussions of divorce often extend long into the future. Understandably, then, one of the most common questions people have for divorce attorneys is “How much will my divorce cost?” While statistics can provide averages ($15,000 – $20,000) and medians ($7,000), the exact cost of divorce is impossible to predict ahead of time, even if a divorcing spouse could know in advance every obstacle they will encounter. Instead, what can be more helpful is to have a basic understanding of what you will likely need to pay for during divorce. Read on for an
Continue Reading How Much Does Divorce Cost?

When a couple gets engaged, an expensive ring is often the gift that seals the deal. For some couples, an engagement ring may be their most valuable asset for many years and questions about ownership in a divorce could become heated, especially if the marriage did not last long. For others, questions about ownership of a potential engagement ring come up before a ring is even purchased; after all, if the partner buying the ring plans to spend a significant amount of money, he or she may want some assurance that the value of the ring will be protected if
Continue Reading What Happens to the Engagement Ring in a Divorce or Breakup?

Few things are as difficult in divorce as deciding your living arrangements once the divorce is finalized, and maybe even before then. Some spouses are eager to get out of the home they shared with each other, while others have built many years of sentimental memories and want to keep the family home if possible. While there is no right answer to the question of whether you should keep your family home in your divorce, there are some things you should consider carefully before coming to a decision. With the help of an experienced Illinois divorce attorney, you can examine
Continue Reading Do You Want to Keep the Family Home in Your Divorce?

By the time a couple files for divorce in Illinois, for all intents and purposes, their relationship has usually been over for a long time. Understandably, in the midst of all the difficulties of divorce, one thing that people often find hope in is the possibility of seeking a meaningful connection with a new partner. However, dating after divorce is not without its own challenges. Here are five things dating and relationship experts want you to know about pursuing love after divorce.
Wait Until the Divorce is Finalized
You may be ready to leave your marriage behind and seek the
Continue Reading Five Things to Know About Dating After Divorce

One of the things that potential divorcees worry about most is their financial future. Learning to live on one income, especially after many years of being married, can be very difficult. For parents of young children who gave up career opportunities to nurture a family, the prospect of managing personal finances after divorce can be all the more challenging.
Along those lines, one of the most common questions that Illinois family law attorneys answer is whether child support and alimony are taxed. After all, the impact of state and federal taxes on income can have a major impact on how
Continue Reading Are Child Support and Alimony Taxed in Illinois?

When legitimate instances of domestic abuse or child abuse occur, they are serious matters that need to be investigated and handled appropriately. Unfortunately, however, allegations of violence and abuse are easy to make, especially during high-conflict situations such as divorce. Spouses often make false allegations in an effort to get revenge or to seek full custody of children, and while these false allegations may ultimately be disproven, the target of the allegations often suffers anyway. If you are getting divorced and you are worried false allegations may become part of the process, get help from an assertive Illinois
Continue Reading What Can I Do if My Spouse Makes False Accusations of Abuse During Divorce?

Affluent spouses often harbor a belief that due to the complexity of their divorce, litigation is inevitable. It is not, however, necessary to litigate a divorce involving significant, diverse, or complex assets. Rather, effectively engaging in collaborative divorce strategies in a high-asset divorce may be a powerful option for prioritizing asset preservation and privacy.
While courtroom hearings are made a matter of public record, conversations and deals behind the closed doors of a mediation room can be kept confidential. Litigation may also result in a financially damaging division of assets and debts due to the limited judicial solutions available
Continue Reading The Benefits of Mediating a High-Asset Divorce

Divorce litigation is a strategy of last resort for many. For others, courtroom litigation is a patently necessary affair from the outset. Spouses in high net-worth marriages may have a significant share of assets at stake in complex divorce proceedings, with potential winnings far outweighing the expense associated with divorce litigation. Further, certain complex assets may be difficult to divide in an equitable fashion, rendering compromise at mediation or attorney-facilitated negotiation unlikely. In such cases, judicial decision-making may be preferable for both spouses. 
However, even when it is beneficial, divorce litigation brings a separate set of challenges. Detailed evidence must
Continue Reading How to Prepare for Divorce Litigation

Many spouses elect to enter into a prenuptial or postnuptial agreement. Such agreements may define which assets are one spouse’s separate property, how marital property is to be divided in the event of divorce, whether spousal maintenance payments are to be ordered, and other clauses impacting a divorce action. Illinois state law places limitations on the nature of clauses that may be permissibly included in a prenuptial or postnuptial agreement. In addition to legal limitations regarding the contents of a prenuptial agreement, there are limits as to the enforceability of such contracts. Impermissible clauses may include agreements regarding parenting
Continue Reading What Can I Do if My Prenuptial Agreement is Heavily in My Spouse’s Favor?

Most people are able to get divorced fairly quietly, with little fanfare save for concern from close friends and family members. But when you are a high-profile resident of DuPage County, you likely have a few extra concerns. There may be press attention on the breakdown of your marriage. There may be people you do not even know who are interested in the details of your high-profile divorce. Having a large amount of attention from the community can add an entirely new layer of stress and difficulty to an already unpleasant situation. In some cases, your attorney may even
Continue Reading Tips for Managing Your High-Profile Divorce

Divorce can be tough on children. They are used to having both parents around and accessible all the time. Transitioning to a new parenting time schedule can be jarring, as it disrupts their routine. It is important for parents to work together during divorce in order to help the children adjust and feel safe.
Children tend to do much better with their parents’ divorce when it is clear to them that both parents are putting them first throughout the process. If your divorce is amicable, this may be easier to do. If there is a high level of conflict, it
Continue Reading Tips for Prioritizing the Children During Divorce

While it used to be the case that a far higher number of divorce cases were resolved in court, times have changed. Now, most divorces are resolved out of court, through alternative dispute resolution methods like negotiation or mediation.
Divorce is far more common today than it was fifty years ago, and if every divorce went to trial, it would likely take years to resolve them all due to the immense backlog of cases. Alternative dispute resolution methods, such as mediation and collaborative divorce, require both you and your spouse to cooperate, compromise, and behave like reasonable adults. You
Continue Reading Choosing Between Mediation and Litigation in Divorce

If you are at the beginning of the divorce process, you may have a lot of conflicting emotions. Some people cannot wait for a final divorce decree. Others are hoping for reconciliation and do not want a divorce at all. Whatever position you are in, you may be wondering exactly how long it might take to finalize your divorce in Illinois. There is no one-size-fits-all answer here. Some spouses can reach a divorce settlement very quickly and be done with the process in a matter of weeks. Others share complex assets that must be painstakingly untangled by a court, which
Continue Reading How Long Does It Take to Get Divorced in DuPage County?

During a divorce, the spouses’ marital property will need to be divided in a fair manner. Most of what a married couple owns belongs to both of them equally. If it was acquired during the marriage, it is probably marital property, regardless of whose income was used to purchase it. However, there are some types of property that belong to one spouse rather than the marriage.

The things that each spouse owns individually is their separate property, and it is not subject to equitable division during the divorce. One of the first steps in division of property is determining what
Continue Reading What is Separate Property in a Divorce?