Posted on May 16, 2018 in Divorce

When you think of the word divorce, you probably think of scenes in movies and television with couples screaming at each other over their issues and sitting in the courtroom while a judge decides their fate. However, the reality is that many couples seek a calm and refined dissolution of their marriage--this is where collaborative divorce comes in.

What Is Collaborative Divorce?

Collaborative divorce is a way that a couple can get divorced without the stress or intervention of the court system. The point of collaborative law is to avoid litigation and keep control over the outcomes of certain divorce issues, such as the division of assets and property, child custody and support agreements, and spousal maintenance. Each spouse will work with their own attorney who is trained in collaborative law, in addition to a team of professionals from different fields to come to an agreement. The process begins when the couple and their attorneys sign a legally binding contract--called a participation agreement--to agree to resolve their marital disputes outside of the courtroom.

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 Posted on May 11, 2018 in Child Custody

If you are a parent and are unmarried, separated, or divorced, you probably already know that sharing parenting responsibilities is not always easy. When parents disagree about how their child should be raised, conflict can arise which is not in the best interest of the child. Incompatible parenting styles can create unnecessary tension and complication in your family. One of the best ways to avoid conflict when in a shared parenting scenario is to sit down with the other parent and create a parenting plan or parenting agreement. A parenting plan can clearly designate each parent’s role in making important decisions about the child’s life.

Significant Decision-Making

The term “significant decision-making” refers to “deciding issues of long-term importance in the life of a child.” The Illinois Marriage and Dissolution of Marriage Act outlines some decisions that are considered significant, including:

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 Posted on May 09, 2018 in Estate Planning

The term “probate” refers to the legal proceedings which deal with a deceased person’s assets and debts. The probate courts are tasked with determining the validly of the decedent’s will, if he or she has one. If he or she did not have a will, the court will need to have much more involvement in the estate administration. There is a bit of confusion about probate, and many people are not sure what exactly it is. Read on to learn the answer to the most frequently asked questions regarding the probate process.

What Happens During Probate?

There are several things which typically happen during probate. If the decedent had created a will before he or she died, the judge will verify that it is a valid will. A will can be invalidated or thrown out if it is not signed by the testator (deceased person) and at least two witnesses, was forged, or if the testator created the will under undue influence. A will can also be invalidated if a newer will is discovered. Next, the judge will appoint an executor responsible for managing the estate. If the decedent had a will, the judge will appoint the individual named in the will. If there is no valid will, the judge will often appoint the next of kin as the executor. The executor is responsible for paying the deceased person’s final bills, notifying creditors of the decedent’s death, filing income taxes on behalf of the decedent, distributing assets to heirs according to the will, and more.

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 Posted on May 08, 2018 in Prenuptial & Postnuptial Agreements

When you are engaged, there are so many things to talk about--the honeymoon, the dress, the reception--but one of the not-so-fun things that you should discuss is getting a prenuptial agreement, or prenup. Doing so may save you in the event your marriage does not work out.

What Is a Prenup?

A prenuptial agreement is a contract that a couple signs prior to getting married that lays out terms for how certain matters will be handled in the event of a divorce. The agreement may state how couples will split their finances, what each person owns coming into the marriage, and how property acquired during the marriage would be divided. A prenup can cover everything from debt to retirement funds and how those are allocated.

Reasons to Get a Prenup

There are many different reasons that couples decide to get prenups. Some people may think that it dooms a marriage from the beginning, but many have found that it protects their assets in the event that things do not work out. Some common reasons why couples get prenups are:

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 Posted on May 03, 2018 in Child Custody

Since 2016, child custody has been formally known as the allocation of parental responsibilities in the state of Illinois. If you and your child’s other parent are involved in a dispute over how such responsibilities should be divided, you may have had several discussions with your child about the situation. In fact, your child may even very strong feelings about where he or she wants to live and how much time should be spent with each parent.

When you and the other parent cannot reach an agreement on your own, the court will be required to step in a make custody decisions for you. In doing so, the court will hear from both you and your former partner, but what about your child? Does he or she get the chance to be heard? The answer, in most cases, is yes, but the court is by no means obligated to give the child what he or she wants.

A Combination of Variables

Judges in Illinois must consider a large number of factors when deciding how to divide parental responsibilities, including each party’s health, the wishes of each parent, and each parent’s participation in past decision-making for the child. The child’s wishes are also among these factors.

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 Posted on April 27, 2018 in Estate Planning

Being the executor of a will is a serious responsibility. An executor is tasked with managing the estate of a deceased individual and must do so until the estate is legally closed. When choosing the executor of your estate, it is important to select someone who has integrity and is capable of fulfilling the required duties. An estate executor is responsible for paying creditors and taxes and must oversee any legal processes such as a will contest or an estate tax audit. Depending on the circumstances, the job of being an executor can last months or even years. Experts have some advice for those who are ready to choose their executor.

The Importance of Having a Will – Regardless of Age

Recent surveys have shown that a staggering 64 percent of Americans do not have a last will and testament. This is quite surprising because it is one of the most fundamental estate planning tools a person can utilize. A will provides directions for how a deceased person’s property should be managed after death and can also include instructions regarding any minor children the person has. Those who pass away without a will put decisions regarding property, inheritance, guardianship of minor children, and more in the hands of the court.

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 Posted on April 26, 2018 in Child Custody

In today’s families, parents often function as equal partners when raising their children, and both mothers and fathers are highly involved in decision-making and day-to-day care. Close relationships with their parents are beneficial for children, and these relationships should continue even if parents decide to end their marriage through divorce.

In recent years, the divorce laws in Illinois have been updated to reflect the nature of modern parenting. The presumption that one parent will have custody of children has been replaced with the allocation of parental responsibility between parents, and rather than granting temporary visitation for a non-custodial parent, each parent will have parenting time with their children.

Some advocates are pushing for additional changes to the law that they believe would protect parents’ rights. Currently, the Illinois House of Representatives is considering a bill which would change divorce laws to presume that it is in children’s best interests to have equal amounts of parenting time with both parents.

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 Posted on April 24, 2018 in Spousal Support

In September of last year, Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner signed a measure that amended several laws related to divorce in the state. The two biggest changes pertained to the calculation of spousal support, or maintenance, as it is formally known in Illinois. The law went into effect on January 1, 2018, so if you have recently filed for divorce, it is important for you to know how your case may be affected.

New Income Guidelines

For several years, the Illinois Marriage and Dissolution of Marriage Act has provided a formula by which a divorce court is expected to calculate how much maintenance should be paid in a particular case. The formula is a weighted function of each spouse’s annual gross income designed to offer extra support in situations where one spouse makes substantially less than the other. Specifically, the law states that the amount of maintenance to be paid is found by taking 30 percent of the payor’s income and subtracting 20 percent of the recipient’s income, as long as the maintenance plus the recipient’s income did not exceed 40 percent of the couple’s combined income.

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 Posted on April 20, 2018 in Guardianships

If you wish to be the primary caregiver of a friend or family member who is unable to care for themselves, one option which you have available in Illinois is guardianship. Guardianship can be granted by a judge to help an adult who cannot make general life decisions on his or her own. Guardian responsibilities are categorized into two groups: financial/estate responsibilities and personal responsibilities. In Illinois, there can be separate guardians for a person and their estate or the same person can look after the disabled individual’s personal needs and make estate decisions.

Guardian Qualifications

In order to become a person’s legal guardian, you must be at least 18 years old, not legally disabled, a United States resident, cognitively capable of caring for another, and free from certain prior felony convictions. If the disabled person in question wishes for you to become his or her guardian, such wishes will be considered by the court, but the court is not obligated to approve you as a guardian.

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 Posted on April 19, 2018 in Divorce

The process of divorce can be lengthy and complicated, and issues related to the property that a couple owns can often be very difficult to resolve. When determining how to divide property during divorce, couples should be sure to consider the following:

• Marital property - Any property that a couple acquires during their marriage is considered marital property, and Illinois law states that these assets should be fairly and equitably divided between divorcing spouses. However, “fair and equitable” does not necessarily mean “equal;” rather; each spouse should receive a “just proportion” of the marital assets.
• Non-marital property - Property which a spouse owned prior to the marriage or which they received by gift or inheritance is not subject to equitable division during divorce. A prenuptial or postnuptial agreement may also state that certain property is non-marital property. However, marital and non-marital property can become commingled, making it difficult to determine ownership. In some cases, non-marital property may be converted to marital property, or one spouse may be obligated to repay the other spouse for improvements they contributed to non-marital property.

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