Posted on October 25, 2021 in Family Law

Child support payments are legally binding obligations. Once a divorce order has been finalized, parents cannot simply choose not to pay child support because they feel it is unfair or they cannot afford it, nor can former spouses renegotiate child support payments themselves without the assistance of the court.

If a parent fails to make child support payments, in addition to jeopardizing their children’s well-being, they face serious legal consequences. For the parent who should be receiving child support, the lack of resources coupled with the frustration of recovering payments can present a very difficult challenge. Having the help of a qualified attorney can make the process easier and take some of the burden off of your shoulders.

Consequences of Failing to Pay Child Support

Illinois has many strategies to bring non-compliant parents current on their child support payments. If a parent does not pay child support, the other parent can notify the Illinois Division of Child Support Services (DCSS), which then begins monitoring the parent who is responsible for paying child support. Additionally, the Illinois Non-Support Punishment Act provides criminal charges for parents who fail to pay, especially if they do so repeatedly.

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 Posted on October 19, 2021 in Divorce

Although getting divorced is never easy, the divorce process can quickly become a nightmare if your attorney has become non-responsive or shows up to meetings unprepared. Besides the expense of hiring an unhelpful attorney, you may now be faced with the additional burden of finding and hiring someone else.

But before you decide to change your divorce attorney, it is important to set clear expectations so you know what could change and what will likely stay the same. There are certain things you can expect of your attorney, but some frustrations with the divorce process are natural and will happen no matter how great your lawyer is.

When is Hiring a New Attorney a Good Idea?

Although anyone can generally fire their attorney for any reason or no reason at all, you will be more likely to experience a smooth transition if you take certain steps first. Firing your attorney without having a new attorney already may lead to delays in your case and difficulty getting information transferred to your new lawyer.

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 Posted on October 15, 2021 in Family Law

Child support is a notoriously difficult area of family law, both because of its emotional impact on the parents who give and receive it, and because of the complexity of the rules involved in determining and modifying the amount.

Parents who are ordered to pay child support may feel angry or panicked if they worry they will not be able to make payments and maintain their own quality of life, but once a child support order has been handed down, it is difficult to modify - even if the paying parent feels the order is deeply unfair. If you have been ordered to pay child support and you fear you cannot meet your obligations long-term, do not stop making your payments and consult a qualified Illinois child support attorney.

When is it Possible to Modify an Illinois Child Support Order?

During a couple’s divorce proceedings, judges will often order temporary child support. This can be modified at any time before the divorce decree is finalized. Once a divorce decree is finalized, the child support order can be modified at any time before the child support obligation terminates. There is no mandatory waiting period. That being said, Illinois law requires a “substantial change in circumstances” to have occurred before judges will approve an increase or decrease in child support.

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 Posted on October 08, 2021 in Family Law

Parents going through a divorce in Illinois may experience some understandable anxiety when faced with the prospect of making or receiving child support payments. The paying parent may worry whether they will be able to afford their payments and sustain their current standard of living. The receiving parent may worry that payments will not get made and that their children will suffer as a result.

Illinois courts and judges take many factors into account when establishing a parent’s child support obligations. Understanding how these decisions are made is an important part of planning for your financial future. In this blog, we will explain the methods generally used to determine child support payments. It is important to remember that the exact calculation can be a lengthy and complex process, and the best person to answer your questions is an experienced Illinois family law attorney.

What Factors Does a Court Consider Regarding Child Support?

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 Posted on October 06, 2021 in Estate Planning

If you have already created estate planning documents, but it has been years since you looked at or thought about them, it might be time to speak to an estate planning attorney about updating them. You may find that your circumstances or wishes have changed substantially since the last time you looked at your will, trust, or healthcare planning documents. Even if you are confident that your estate planning documents still accurately reflect your wishes, laws change over time that may affect your estate. It is always a good idea to periodically review your estate plan with an attorney’s help to ensure everything is in order.

When is it Time to Review my Estate Plan With a Lawyer?

A variety of life changes may trigger you to want to update your will or trust, or other documents like your Healthcare Power of Attorney and Advance Directives. It may be time to see an attorney about your estate plan when any of the following changes occur:

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 Posted on September 24, 2021 in Family Law

Although most spouses could comfortably walk away from their partner after a divorce and never speak to them again, reality does not work that way. Even after a couple gets divorced, several things can keep them connected long into the future. This is especially true if children are involved. Child support, spousal maintenance, and arranging shared parenting schedules often compel former spouses to work together for many years after the marriage has ended.

This means that the decisions of each partner often affect the other, and few decisions have as much of an impact as the remarriage of a former spouse. Former spouses who wish to get remarried often wonder how their finances will change, and whether they will need to support two families and two spouses. This article will discuss the two most common issues a remarriage can impact - child support and spousal maintenance.

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 Posted on September 22, 2021 in Mediation

If you are getting divorced but the thought of spending hours in court negotiating with your spouse makes you queasy, there are other options. In fact, only a small percentage of Illinois divorces are actually litigated in court because the alternatives to litigation have so many advantages.

This article looks at the two primary alternatives to divorce litigation: mediation and collaborative divorce. Although they are similar, mediation and collaborative divorce are not the same, and it is important to understand their differences, so you know whether one of these options is right for you.

What is Mediation?

In an Illinois divorce, mediation is a negotiation process involving two spouses and an impartial third-party mediator. Mediators are trained professionals who can guide spouses through negotiations about important issues such as the division of marital property, parenting time, and spousal support. Mediators are skilled in conflict resolution and can help spouses keep hostility to a minimum. Although each spouse usually still has an attorney, the attorneys are not a part of the mediation process.

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 Posted on September 20, 2021 in Family Law

In the rush and excitement of planning for a wedding, many couples overlook the importance of a prenuptial agreement. But after the wedding is over and they settle into real life as a married couple, they may want to create a shared arrangement regarding their finances.

In many ways, postnuptial agreements are similar to prenuptial agreements. They can address how a couple will deal with day-to-day finances, work together towards retirement, and how they will allocate separate and marital property in the event of a divorce. Although prenuptial and postnuptial agreements may not seem romantic, they are actually a great way loving spouses can protect each other - whether they stay together or separate.

Who Can Benefit From a Postnuptial Agreement?

One common misconception about marital agreements is that they are only beneficial to older spouses, those who already have substantial financial resources, or those who share children from previous marriages. Although it is true that a prenup or postnup can be valuable to people in those circumstances, a postnuptial agreement can be equally valuable to a young couple just beginning their journey together in life.

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 Posted on September 14, 2021 in Divorce

Modern technology has made it very easy to record every moment of our lives. Photo, video, and voice recordings of people acting poorly are all over the internet. Although people getting divorced in Illinois may believe that recording their spouses doing something threatening or illegal would be justified and therefore no big deal, Illinois and federal law are quite strict regarding legal and illegal recordings.

Many people have legitimate reasons to fear their spouse during an ongoing divorce process and may want to surreptitiously document threats or abusive behavior. Although there are times when secret recording can be done legally, it is easy to violate these laws and a recording could be inadmissible as evidence - or worse, get the person doing the recording in serious legal trouble.

When Can Conversations Be Legally Recorded in Illinois?

Illinois is an all-party consent state when it comes to recordings. This means that everyone involved in a conversation must be aware that recording is taking place. They do not have to consent to the recording; they must only be aware of it.

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 Posted on September 10, 2021 in Estate Planning

While estate planning is important for everyone, it is especially so for high-net-worth individuals. If you own high-value or complex assets, a number of estate planning tools are available to ensure that your wealth is distributed according to your wishes while minimizing your Illinois Estate and Generation-Skipping Transfer Tax liability. The greater the value of your estate, the greater the potential liabilities. An experienced attorney can craft an estate plan designed to preserve your wealth.

Minimizing Taxes During Estate Distribution

Generally, trusts are favored over wills. Trusts serve one very important purpose-- avoiding probate. Probate can be costly and complicated, and it significantly diminishes your estate’s value. There are two types of trusts: revocable and irrevocable. Often, both are used to hold different assets and to serve different purposes.

A revocable trust allows you to continue making modifications to it throughout your life. You can move assets in and out of a revocable trust. Any wealth contained in a revocable trust will not be subject to probate.

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