Recent Blog Posts
Oscar-Winning Men May Be More Prone to Divorce
This past weekend, the attention of the entertainment world focused on the Dolby Theater in Hollywood, California, for the annual Academy Awards ceremony. Officially called The Oscars since 2013, the awards recognize accomplishments within the film industry, including performances, music, and of course, the movies themselves. For many actors and actresses, winning an Oscar for a performance in a motion picture represents the pinnacle of their career. While such recognition may carry significant professional benefit, a recent study suggests that men who win an Academy Award have an increased likelihood of divorce.
It is very easy to be dismissive of celebrity divorce statistics, because to many it seems that celebrities marry or divorce more often than "normal people" anyway. However, the research conducted by Michael Jensen, associate professor at the University of Michigan, and Heeyon Kim, assistant professor at the National University of Singapore, sought to examine the effects of that recognition or the lack thereof can have on both professional and personal lives. Their work, entitled "The Real Oscar Curse: The Negative Consequences of Positive Status Shifts" sampled more than 1000 lead roles played by over 800 male and female actors in top films between 1930 and 2005.
Expert Suggests Equal Shared Custody May Not Be Ideal
From the time children are very young, they begin to learn about the concept of fairness. They are taught to wait their turn, share their toys, and to be generally respectful of other people’s property and time. Consequently, children grow into adults who equate fairness with equality, a concept which may hold true for many aspects of life. When establishing a shared custody arrangement after divorce, however, at least one parenting expert suggests that equal time may not actually prove fair to the child.
Noted author and family psychologist John Rosemond addresses the issue of shared custody in his nationally syndicated newspaper column this week. "Domestic court judges," he writes, "often regard two divorcing parent who are equally responsible as deserving of equal time with their kids." A ruling based on that idea would seem equitable and fair to both parents. While Rosemond does not dispute such an order would appear fair to the parents, he raises the concern that fairness to the parents should not necessarily be the goal. He contends that the needs and best interests of the child should take precedence over whether or not a custody order seems fair to both parents.
Group Works to Educate about Safe Haven Law
It is easy to understand how an expectant mother may feel overwhelmed by her circumstances. Social, family, and financial pressures as well as internal insecurities can all certainly contribute to her feeling that she may be unprepared and unable to properly care for a child. Since 2001, more than 70 infants have been illegally abandoned in Illinois, many presumably by mothers struggling to deal with the challenges of raising a baby. However, in the same time period more than 100 infants have been legally relinquished at designated Illinois locations, allowing them the opportunity to be placed with foster families or couples seeking adoption.
The Abandoned Newborn Infant Protection Act was enacted in 2001 to provide a safe and legal alternative for parents who may feel they have no other options. Commonly known as a Safe Haven Law, the legislation identifies hospitals, emergency facilities, police stations, and staffed fire stations as "safe havens" at which an infant under 30 days old may be relinquished without the threat of abandonment charges. The relinquishing parents are encouraged but not required to provide medical and family information, or they may choose to do so at a later time or by mail in order to maintain a level of anonymity. The baby is then taken to an appropriate medical facility for an exam and any needed care, and, in most cases, placed with or adopted by a loving family almost immediately.
Hiding Assets: Warning Signs He Might Be Keeping Secrets
In any divorce situation, division of property is an extremely important consideration. Whether accomplished by means of an agreement between spouses or by litigation and the decision of the court, the marital assets must be addressed, in most cases, before the divorce decree can be finalized. As with any compromise, a property division negotiation may leave one or both partners feeling a bit cheated or that the other partner ended up with more than was deserved.
In some cases, it can seem very clear that a marriage is deteriorating and headed for divorce. Such a situation may drive one partner, often the one with more control of the family’s finances, to manipulate the situation to unfairly benefit in the event of divorce. While either partner may be tempted to take advantage of the circumstances, it is often the husband who may attempt to hide cash, disguise income, or undervalue property. Hiding assets is not only detrimental to an equitable divorce settlement, it is also illegal.
Weight Gain after Divorce More Likely for Men
There are countless factors that can contribute to an individual’s health, fitness, and overall well-being. Stress levels, sleep patterns, and daily routines have all been shown to have an impact on a person’s ability to stay healthy and achieve or maintain any weight-related goals he or she may have. Significant life events, such as the death of a loved one, a move across the country, or a career change may also have an effect as the person learns to adapt to a new situation. In the last few years, several teams of researchers have examined the impact of marriage and divorce, specifically as it relates to a weight gain or loss experienced by either partner.
One of the most prominent studies with such a focus was conducted by Dmitry Tumin, sociology doctoral student at Ohio State University, and Ohio State sociology professor Zhenchao Qian. Tumin and Qian studied data collected in the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1979, a nationally representative research effort spanning nearly 30 years. The Ohio State team looked at more than 10,000 adults surveyed between 1986 and 2008 to find a weight-related trend within two years after a marriage or divorce.
New Research Disputes Falling Divorce Rate
Much like any subject in the current American consciousness, there are countless articles, papers, and research projects related to marriage and divorce being published seemingly every day. Researchers with infinitely varying philosophies and perspectives are constantly conducting studies on various factors and facets of modern relationships and what may be affecting them. It should come as no surprise that occasionally the findings of a particular study will appear to directly contradict the findings of another, or in some cases, a more widely held principle regarding marriage and divorce.
A recently published paper entitled "Breaking Up is Hard to Count: The Rise of Divorce in the United States, 1980-2010" by researchers at the University of Minnesota suggests that, contrary to widely held belief, the divorce rate in America is actually not declining. Authors Sheela Kennedy and Steven Ruggles instead posit that cultural shifts have resulted in a rising divorce rate, which may be obfuscated by the poor collection and organization of marriage and divorce statistics across the country.
The Changing Landscape of Illinois Spousal Maintenance
Each year in Illinois, hundreds of measures are enacted into law at the state level, addressing issues from across the political spectrum. On January 1, 2015, more than 200 new laws or amendments went into effect across Illinois. Of these new statutes, Public Act 98-0961 is likely to impact those who may be considering divorce in the near future as it amended the existing law regarding spousal maintenance.
The amended law was passed in August of last year and was scheduled to take effect in 2015, just in time for the start of "divorce season." As the courts prepare for a renewed rush of divorce filings between January and March, couples and divorce attorneys should be aware of how the amendment may affect their individual situations. While the court retains discretion over determining the appropriateness of spousal maintenance, or alimony, the formula with which the amount and duration of the award is calculated has now been standardized.
Amendment to Illinois Adoption Act Broadens Adoptee Accessibility of Information
For over 50 years, the Illinois Department of Child and Family Services (DCFS) has been providing assistance to those choosing to adopt. Remarkably, this organization has placed over 17,000 children over the past decade, and with the recent amendment to the Illinois Adoption Act (750 ILCS 50), many adoptees and their family members are gaining wider access to personal and medical information through the Illinois Adoption Registry and Medical Information Exchange IARMIE.
Although many states are still considered "closed states" where all information regarding an adoption is sealed, Illinois has acted to broaden the rights of adoptees and immediate family members by making it easier to request and access information without petitioning the courts.
People Suffering from Mental Disorders Have Higher Divorce Rate
There are many reasons which cause people to make the decision to file for divorce. Sadly, one of those reasons is when the other spouse suffers from mental illness. Studies have shown that people who suffer from mental illness have a higher rate of divorce. One study that was conducted in 2011 actually put that divorce rate increase at between 20 to 80 percent.
The multi-national study was conducted by the National Center for Biotechnology Information. The researchers found 18 different mental disorders which not only had an effect on whether or not a person dealing with one or more of those disorders stayed married, but also affected whether or not they married in the first place.
The mental disorders which had the largest impact on divorce rates were alcohol abuse, major depression, and specific phobia, such as post-traumatic stress syndrome (PTSD).
Child Custody Modification In DuPage County
Life happens, and a child custody order which may have been perfectly workable for both parties can quickly become outdated, unfair, and harmful to the children. A job change, a new relationship, a midlife crisis and countless other items can significantly disrupt a divided family’s life.
As a rule of thumb, most family law orders need to be formally modified, or at least updated, every three or four years. Many parents are concerned about visitation and custody provisions which may no longer be in the children’s best interest. What does a party need to prove to modify custody in Illinois?
Time
Section 607(a-7)(1) states that a party must wait two years after the orders become final prior to asking for a modification, but there are some exceptions. Often, to reduce legal fees and avoid unnecessary emotional conflict, the parents may agree to change custody provisions. Courts typically honor these stipulations.
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