Before 2016, divorces in Illinois could be either “no-fault” or “fault-based”. Each type of divorce had its own set of implications, and there were a great variety of reasons that couples cited for each. Let’s take a look at the difference. Fault-Based Divorce In a fault-based divorce, individuals were able to levy the reason for the failure of their marriage against a specific person or situation. One spouse could blame the failure on the other, for example, and this would affect the length of the divorce process asContinue reading
Blog
Circuit Court Judge, Bonita Coleman, Has Found in Favor of a Mother Whose Child Support Was Not Paid in a Timely Fashion
In Markham, Illinois a Cook County, Circuit Court Judge, Bonita Coleman, has found in favor of a mother whose child support was not paid in a timely fashion pursuant to a statutory notice of withholding. The payor of income, Country Chevrolet, Inc. of Herscher, Illinois was found to have violated the applicable law by not timely paying said child support to Lisa Watson. Judge Coleman held that Country Chevrolet, Inc. knowingly failed to deduct and pay support payments pursuant to the withholding notice timely served upon it byContinue reading
5 Legal Lessons to Learn From Famous Hollywood Divorces
A Hollywood marriage is a phenomenon by itself. It is not easy to survive through a private institution like marriage when there is constant scrutiny and limelight on your relationship. We have seen some rock-solid unions crumble down. Whether you empathize and grieve for your icon’s personal loss,or are simply hooked to celebrity lives to escape the monotony of your own, there are valuable lessons of life and divorce to be learned from the divorces of the rich and famous. In this post we do a flashback ofContinue reading
5 Ways to Make Divorce Beneficial for the Kids
There is nothing pleasant about divorce. There is a falling apart of love, relationships, and families. Yet there is a growing consensus among estranged couples and families that divorces can be handled amicably. Many couples do split amicably, and remain friends. They do not have arguments for everyone to see, or ugly custody and alimony battles. The kids in such divorces actually benefit from the separation. This is precisely our point of focus today. Can divorce actually be beneficial for kids? Apparently, the answer is yes. Whether itContinue reading
The Child Custody Battle – Why You Need to Fight It Sensitively
It’s ironic how the most sensitive part of a divorce or separation is fought most aggressively. We are indeed talking about child custody and visitation rights. Parents often file for joint or sole custody. But, in either cases, the battle or in polite terms the discussion that ensues is bitter, rid with accusations and can impact your child, extremely negatively. It’s not a blanket judgment, that all separating couples fight bitterly for custody and in the process end up hurting the child and damaging his ideas and perceptionsContinue reading
Your Guide to Co-Parenting Post Divorce
No child likes to see their parents get divorced. It can be both confusing and painful. Whether the divorce has been amicable or acrimonious, the children are always going to be in love and in awe of both their parents. Their life patterns and habits will be determined by the characteristics of both the parents, and what they see and observe in the family. Divorce can be a result of many things- one of the partners falling out of love, one of the partners cheating on the other,Continue reading
Is America on the Brink of a Divorce Epidemic?
How many of your friends and family are divorced? Think about it. It is not like divorces never happened earlier, they did. But, there’s something more to this, than what meets the eye. An individual gets married, gets divorced and then remarries only to divorce again. The divorce rates are showing no signs of slowing down. Almost 50% of marriages in US result in divorce. The figure is staggering. Ironically the rate of second marriage and third marriage divorces are even higher. It is a repetitive and almostContinue reading
When a Spouse Commits Adultery, It’s Much More Than Cheating
The pain and bruises given by a cheating spouse is never really healed. Sure time can blunt the edges of the constantly pricking weapon, but it still pierces. Adultery can ruin a marriage,and in most cases does. It leaves the other partner completely destroyed. ‘A feeling of nothingness’, ‘ a life in utter darkness’, ‘constant and unbearable pain’ , are just some of the ways that victims of adultery will describe their feelings, and emotions. Adultery is often ground for divorce and separation. Besides, there is noContinue reading
Dealing With Wealth Division: A Tricky Part of Divorce
Divorce is mentally, emotionally, and physically draining. There are huge financial implications involved in a divorce as well. As a result, assets such as the house, rental property, pension plans, a jointly owned business, and much more are created. When a divorce happens, these need to be equally split up. In the state of Illinois, we follow the Equitable Distribution Law which states that, the wealth settlement between the contesting individuals needs to be fair and justified. It should be done keeping in mind the financial standing ofContinue reading
Is Divorce the Solution to Your Marital Woes?
“Divorce isn’t such a tragedy. A tragedy’s staying in an unhappy marriage, teaching your children the wrong things about love.” -Jennifer Weiner Couples may go through a lot of challenges in their married life. A heated argument, a betrayal or a rocky patch may land their marriage in hot water. However, some couples outgrow these problems, whereas others emotionally drift away from each other. Emotional detachment acts as the death knell for a marriage. This is when divorce seems like an inevitable conclusion to end marital woes. DoContinue reading