Posted on September 30,2016 in Child Custody

Illinois law requires that all parents who are divorcing and never-married parents who are establishing a parenting plan complete a parent education course. Your divorce attorney in DuPage County can help make sure you fulfill these requirements as instructed by the court.

Because failure to complete the parent education course adequately can affect your parenting plan proceedings, it is important that you work with your experienced family law attorney in the Wheaton area to ensure that you have completed the proper steps.

What Is the Parent Education Program?

Illinois mandates that all parents seeking to co-parent following divorce or dissolution of the relationship complete a parent education program. Each county establishes its own parenting education course requirements though, and the courses available in one county may not satisfy the requirements in DuPage County.

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 Posted on September 27,2016 in Divorce

It is not unusual for people's credit ratings to take a hit during and after divorce proceedings. The divorce itself cannot directly damage your credit, as some people mistakenly believe.

However, because divorce represents a time of emotional and financial tension, as well as disputes over who is responsible for paying which debts, it is not uncommon for money to be tight, payments to fall behind, and bills to fall through the cracks.

The good news is that your experienced divorce attorney in DuPage County can help you protect your credit throughout your divorce proceedings, and after, and can even help you repair damaged credit, if necessary.

How Can Your Divorce Attorney Help You Manage Your Credit?

There are a number of steps your family law attorney in Illinois can take to help you protect your credit during your divorce, including but not limited to:

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 Posted on September 22,2016 in Child Support

If you are going through divorce proceedings or have a child support agreement in place, you may be wondering about how you and your child's other parent will make decisions about paying for college expenses or post-high school training when your child reaches college age.

Even if your children are young, it is wise to plan ahead for the payment of college tuition and expenses so that both parents can begin saving towards their children's education, and to prevent disagreements about paying for college from adding to the stress of an already emotional and tumultuous time for families of students entering college.

Your DuPage County family law attorney can help you plan for your children's future by explaining the factors the courts will consider when assigning responsibility for paying college or post-high school expenses, and asking the court to consider relevant factors.

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 Posted on September 20,2016 in Divorce

If you are going through a divorce, or are considering initiating divorce proceedings in Illinois, you may have questions about separation and moving out, and how these choices can affect your rights during and after the divorce. One of our experienced divorce and family law attorneys in DuPage County can speak with you regarding your particular situation and help you make a plan with which you feel comfortable.

The Abandonment Myth

Many people mistakenly believe that moving out of the shared residence during divorce proceedings can cause one spouse to forfeit their rights regarding the home. Fortunately, this is not the case.

The court is concerned about dividing assets fairly, and requiring one spouse to give up their rights simply because they did not wish to remain in the shared home during the divorce would not serve justice. You do not give up your rights to fair division of marital assets simply because you wish to set up residence separate from your soon-to-be former spouse.

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 Posted on September 15,2016 in Divorce

Family law matters can be complicated, especially when one or both spouses are military service members, whether active duty, reserve, or retired. If you or your spouse is a current or former military member, it is important to work with an experienced family law attorney in Illinois who handles military divorces and is familiar with all the ways a service member's career can impact the divorce process.

Factors That May Affect a Military Divorce Proceeding

Due to the extremely stressful situations military families must face, many military marriages deteriorate over time. Our compassionate family law attorneys in DuPage County understand that along with the sacrifices your family has made in service to our country often comes marital strain as the result of prolonged deployment, post-traumatic stress disorder, feelings of depression and isolation, and difficulty readjusting to home life following deployment. These issues can even lead to substance abuse, domestic violence. and infidelity.

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 Posted on September 13,2016 in Child Custody

Interfaith marriages are increasingly common in the U.S. and in Illinois. As more people enter into interfaith relationships and marriages, the number of interfaith divorces and custody disputes also increases.

Religious disputes are also common between former spouses who belong to different denominations of the same religion, or between divorcing parents who have different levels of involvement with their faiths, whether they practice the same religion or not. In some cases, religious differences may even have been a factor for couples deciding whether to move forward with divorce proceedings.

If you are involved in a divorce or custody dispute and anticipate that religion may become a hot-button issue in your divorce, one of our experienced family law attorneys can help you prepare to address these difficult matters in court, mediation, or negotiation with your child's other parent.

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 Posted on September 08,2016 in Alimony/Spousal Support

If you are considering a divorce or are already going through divorce proceedings, you may be curious as to how spousal support, sometimes called maintenance or alimony, is determined by the court. There are several factors that are considered when spousal support is established, but no single factor is determinative. Rather, the court looks at the whole picture when deciding whether spousal support is appropriate, and if so, to what degree.

Your divorce attorney in Wheaton who handles spousal support requests and modifications can help you as you consider what type of support, if any, you believe your spouse should provide, given the specific circumstances.

What Factors Do the Courts Consider When Deciding Spousal Support in Illinois?

The relevant factors the court will consider when deciding matters related to spousal support or alimony include:

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 Posted on September 06,2016 in Divorce

High net-worth divorces are much more complex proceedings than those involving couples of more modest means. If you have substantial individual or marital assets and are considering or entering into divorce proceedings, it is imperative that you select an Illinois divorce attorney who has experience handling high-asset and complex divorces, as opposed to solely standard family law practice. Not all family law attorneys are well-versed in the financial complexities and nuances relevant to high-value asset divorces. Our high-net worth divorce attorneys have both the financial and legal know-how to navigate the intricacies of equitable asset division for couples with sizeable wealth.

What Makes High-Asset Divorces Unique?

The obvious reason that high-asset divorces are unique is that they involve more property division decisions. Some of the issues that often come into play in complex divorce cases include:

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 Posted on August 30,2016 in Order Modification

When a divorce is finalized, the parties are typically relieved to know that the disputes have been resolved, at least legally, and that they have a final order on which to rely when making decisions about issues such as parenting time, spousal and child support. The parties generally feel some measure of closure as divorce proceedings wrap up, even when they did not get everything they sought or had to make some compromises along the way. However, it is possible to modify a decree in Illinois. As such, if you are seeking to modify the terms of your divorce decree, an experienced family law attorney can help you navigate the process.

Disparate Circumstances Can Lead to Conflict Over Divorce Terms

A divorce is meant to be final. The truth is, however, that people's circumstances do sometimes change, and the terms of a divorce decree may no longer be fair and just, given the change in one party's financial standing, for instance. Unfortunately, conflict typically stems from the parties' disparate positions. While one party has experienced a life change of one sort or another and feels the divorce terms are no longer suitable, the other party often resists any changes to the divorce decree and clings to the feeling of finality and closure it brought at that time.

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 Posted on August 25,2016 in Divorce Mediation

Many Illinois couples choose to utilize the mediation process to come to an agreement during divorce proceedings. In some cases, the court may actually mandate that a couple spends time with a neutral mediator before asking the court to ultimately decide the terms of a divorce. No matter the reason for choosing mediation, there are many benefits, though mediation is not appropriate under all circumstances.

Your divorce attorney in the Wheaton area can help you weigh your options when deciding how best to proceed with your divorce dispute resolution.

Mediation Advantages

There are numerous advantages to selecting mediation as a form of alternative dispute resolution, including:

• Time and cost-effectiveness - Mediation is typically faster and less expensive than the drawn-out court proceedings;

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