Posted on December 21, 2017 in Divorce

The holidays can be a stressful time for anyone, but this season is often especially difficult for people who have recently ended a long term relationship. Divorce will require major changes in a person’s life, upending their living situation, their finances, and their relationships with family and friends.

The emotional fallout of these changes and the loneliness that can come with being newly single can make it hard to cope during what is supposed to be a happy time of the year.

If you have recently divorced or are in the process of ending your marriage, these tips can help you get through the holiday season and begin the new year on the right foot:

1. Take some time for yourself - You may not feel up to taking part in holiday parties or gatherings, and it is okay to spend time on your own doing things you enjoy. Spending some quiet time at home while you read a book or watch a favorite movie or TV show is a great way to recharge and prepare for your life after your divorce.

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 Posted on December 13, 2017 in Child Custody

When parents decide to divorce, the ensuing changes to their lives can be highly disruptive and stressful for the entire family. As children adjust to living in two separate households, it is important for both parents to be involved in their lives and provide them with the emotional support they need. Unfortunately, this can be difficult when one parent retains sole or primary custody of children.

Studies Show the Benefits of Equal Parenting Time

For many years, it was assumed that it was in children’s best interests to live primarily with one parent, and that dividing time between two households would cause them stress. However, a number of recent studies have found the opposite to be true. Researchers in Sweden found that children in shared parenting arrangements had less stress, fewer psychological problems, and better physical health than children who lived primarily with one parent.

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 Posted on December 07, 2017 in Divorce

The holiday season can be a magical time, offering chances for families to come together, give gifts, celebrate traditions, and be thankful for everything they have. Unfortunately, this can make the season difficult for parents who have recently experienced divorce, since they will likely be coping with loneliness, struggling with change, and remembering the good times they had with their families in the past.

While the season can be emotionally challenging, divorced parents can make the most of the holidays by following these tips:

1. Understand your parenting plan - Your final divorce decree will include a schedule for parenting time, not just describing which parent children will spend time with on an everyday basis, but specifying how holidays and school vacations will be divided between parents. Knowing what your parenting plan says will help you avoid any conflicts with your ex-spouse with regard to whom children will be spending holiday time.

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 Posted on November 30, 2017 in Divorce

For many couples, maintaining a good relationship throughout their marriage requires a great deal of hard work. A variety of factors can affect whether a couple is likely to divorce, including the stress of raising children. A recent study looked at the data surrounding marriages, children’s births, and divorces and found some interesting results.

Daughters Increase the Risk of Divorce

Various studies have shown that parents in the United States whose oldest children are female are slightly more likely to divorce. A recent study found that this is true in other countries as well by examining data from more than two million marriages in the Netherlands over 10 years. According to researchers, divorce is equally likely for parents of boys and girls until children are 12 years old. However, when children are between the ages of 13 and 18, parents are more likely to divorce if their first-born child is a girl.

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 Posted on November 23, 2017 in Divorce

When parents decide to end their marriage in divorce, the split can be difficult for everyone involved. During divorce, children often struggle to come to terms with the end of their parents’ relationship and adjust to living in two different households.

While divorcing parents are often focused on resolving legal issues and determining what their life will look like post-divorce, they should also be sure they understand how their children will be affected.

Divorce’s Effects and Children’s Age

Children’s age when their parents break up is one of the key factors that determine how they deal with the divorce. Parents should be aware of how children are affected by divorce at the following ages:

• Babies and toddlers - When children are under the age of three, their cognitive abilities are still developing. Divorce when children are this age will mostly have the effect of disrupting their lives and routines, and they will struggle to understand why a parent is not present. These children may experience developmental delay or regression, increased irritability, and difficulty sleeping.

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 Posted on November 17, 2017 in Divorce

The process of divorce can be difficult and contentious, especially when spouses disagree about how to divide assets and debts and/or allocate parental responsibility. While a lot of attention is paid to issues like the best interests of the children of divorcing parents and what is considered marital property, one issue that sometimes gets overlooked during divorce is what to do with family pets.

While cats, dogs, and other animals are not human, many people consider them to be part of the family, and treating them like another piece of property to divide often does not seem right.

Illinois law was recently updated to reflect these attitudes, and some additional considerations are now given to pets when determining their ownership during divorce.

Updated Illinois Divorce Laws

In August of 2017, Governor Bruce Rauner signed a new law which updates the Illinois Marriage and Dissolution of Marriage Act (IMDMA) to add language about allocating ownership and responsibility of “companion animals,” which are otherwise known as pets. While pets are still considered marital assets, the law states that when courts make decisions about the sole or joint ownership of pets, they should consider the pets’ well-being.

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 Posted on November 10, 2017 in Divorce

While some people see the end of their marriage approaching, others find that divorce is unexpected. But whether they are ready to divorce or not, people will often be blindsided by the legal complexities and financial costs of dissolving their marriage.

Divorce can be expensive and difficult, but one way to make the process easier is through mediation. If couples are able to work together with a trained mediator to resolve the issues in their divorce, they can complete the process much more quickly and efficiently. 

Consider the following four benefits of divorce mediation:

1. Cost - A traditionally litigated divorce can be very expensive, with each spouse paying their lawyer to prepare documents, send communications, discuss issues, and attend court. During mediation, spouses will usually split the mediator’s fees, and even if they spend multiple sessions working out an agreement, the total cost can be 40-60 percent less than a traditional divorce.

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 Posted on November 06, 2017 in Divorce

When parents end their marriage, they must continue work together to co-parent their children after divorce. However, their parental roles and responsibilities can be complicated if domestic violence occurred during the marriage.

While it is essential to protect the safety of spouses and children who have suffered violence or abuse, it is also important for children to have a relationship with both parents. But how well are parents able to work together following violent situations?

A recent study from researchers at the University of Illinois looked at mothers who had experienced domestic violence during the first year after their divorce to see whether they had any issues or conflicts while acting as co-parents with their ex-spouse. 

Two Types of Intimate Partner Violence

The study identified two different types of violence that were experienced during marriage:

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 Posted on October 31, 2017 in Child Support

Whether parents are married, divorced, legally separated, or were never married, they both have an obligation to support their children financially. Failure to pay court ordered child support can result in serious consequences, and parents should be aware of the steps that courts can take to enforce a child support order and punish a parent for non-payment.

Illinois Child Support Enforcement Law

A person is guilty of the offense of “failure to support” when he or she willfully fails to meet his or her support obligations while he or she has the ability to pay them. Illinois law provides several remedies for parents who do not meet their child support obligations, including:

• Contempt of court - A child support order is a court order, and a parent who fails to pay his or her court-ordered child support may be held in contempt of court. This can result in punishments that include being placed on probation or sentenced to jail time of up to six months. During imprisonment, a parent may be permitted to be released in order to work, and the court may order some or all of the earnings from this employment to be paid toward child support.

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 Posted on October 25, 2017 in Child Support

When parents complete the divorce process, their final divorce decree will specify how parental responsibilities will be allocated, the parents’ schedule for parenting time with their children, and the amount of child support that one parent will pay to the other. But while this is meant to be a permanent agreement (or, if parents were unable to reach an agreement, a judgment by the court), the law recognizes that people’s circumstances change, and a divorce decree may need to be modified at some point in the future.

Following the implementation of Illinois’ updated child support law, which went into effect in July 2017, parents may wonder if their divorce decree should be updated to reflect the new methods for calculating the amount of child support payments. However, before petitioning the court, they should understand when these types of modifications are allowed.

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