The Illinois Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) is responsible for investigating allegations of child abuse and neglect. Understanding the investigation process, potential outcomes, and relevant laws is crucial for families involved in these cases.
Read MoreFinancial tracing is a process that occurs in many divorce or parentage proceedings. The process typically stems from instances of needing to track a party’s sources of income, expenditures made for non-marital purposes (also known as dissipation in Illinois), or in the event a party is trying to prove the marital or non-marital nature of an asset.
Read MoreMaintenance, formerly known as “alimony”, is financial support provided by one party to another after a marriage. Not every party will be entitled to receive maintenance and certain factors must be considered to determine if maintenance is appropriate.
Read MoreIn domestic relations proceedings, imputing income is a term used to describe the process of assigning a certain amount of income to a parent or spouse for the purpose of calculating child support or maintenance.
Read MoreIllinois is a no-fault divorce state. No-fault divorce means that wrongdoing by one of the parties does not need to be shown. Rather, a couple can show that “irreconcilable differences” have led to the irretrievable breakdown of the marriage and a divorce is in the best interests of the family.
Read MoreOrders of protection are legal documents that safeguard individuals from “abuse, neglect, or exploitation” (750 ILCS 60/214 (a)). Abuse, neglect, or exploitation are defined as “harassment, interference with personal liberty intimidation of dependent, physical abuse, or willful deprivation, neglect or exploitation, or stalking” (750 ILCS 60/214 (b)(1)).
Read MoreIn Illinois family law courts, understanding the difference between venue and jurisdiction is crucial for ensuring your case is properly handled. Here's a concise explanation of these concepts and their importance.
Read MoreAn important consideration when negotiating a divorce settlement is whether there are any tax consequences for a spouse being awarded certain marital assets. Often the most equitable way to divide a marital estate is for each party to be awarded assets “in kind”, meaning similar amounts of similar types of assets. That way each party is in a similar financial position post-divorce.
Read MoreThe Illinois Marriage and Dissolution of Marriage Act, 750 ILCS 5/602.5(c)(1), mandates that in determining a child's best interests for allocating significant decision-making responsibilities, the court must consider all relevant factors, including the child's wishes
Read MoreSection 513 of the Illinois Marriage and Dissolution of Marriage Act (IMDMA) addresses the allocation of college expenses between parents and the child attending college. Specifically, this section outlines the factors that a court should consider when determining the allocation of college expenses, as well as the types of expenses that are eligible for reimbursement and allocation between the parties.
Read MoreOur Family Wizard (OFW) and Talking Parents are two of the most common communication services that help streamline communication between co-parents. Typically, these applications can be downloaded onto a phone or are accessible via computer.
Read MoreThere can be serious consequences for violating a court order. It is important that individuals keep themselves informed regarding court orders pertaining to their court proceedings, including deadlines and required actions, for both them and the opposing party. When a court order is violated an individual may be held in “contempt of court”.
Read MoreAs the hot days of summer start to come to an end, parents all over the country begin their preparation to get kids ready and prepped to begin a new school year. Here are some tips to help start the new school year with less stress and manageable expectations.
Read MoreIt is often discussed what happens when one parent is underpaying the amount of child support that they are ordered to. Although less common, there are occasions where one parent overpays the amount of child support that they are supposed to.
Read MoreIt is generally known that a parent will likely have to provide child support for minor children to their coparent. However, there is also the matter of determining expenses outside of the scope of child support that a parent will need to contribute to and the percentage of that contribution.
Read MoreChild support is a monetary amount owed by one parent to the other for the support of the parties’ shared minor child or children. Child support is set by looking at both parties’ incomes and the amount of overnights each party has with the minor child(ren).
Read More“Paternity” refers to the legal relationship between a father and his child. This relationship is crucial for various legal, social, and emotional reasons. In family law, the determination of paternity is essential for a father to begin a case for parenting time or allocation of decision-making responsibilities.
Read MoreOftentimes during divorce or parentage matters, the issue of which parent will receive the tax exemption for the minor child becomes a contested issue. In determining this issue, there are two relevant sections of law to examine.
Read MoreParenting time can be restricted if the court finds that a parent has engaged in conduct that seriously endangered a child’s mental, moral, or physical health, or behavior that significantly impaired the child’s development. Under 750 ILCS 5/603.10, if a court makes this determination, then the court can enter orders with certain restrictions on a parent to protect the child.
Read MoreA parenting plan is a written agreement that allocates both decision making responsibilities and parenting time to the parties in a divorce or parentage matter. When creating a parenting plan for older children, those who are in middle school and high school, there are different things to consider than when making a parenting plan for younger children.
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