Divorce
You can find the Illinois Marriage and Dissolution of Marriage Act at 750 ILCS 5/. This is a basic overview of divorce in Illinois. You should consult an attorney to discuss how the law applies to the facts in your case. Jurisdiction A person may file for divorce in Illinois if he or she has […]
Child Support – Modification of Previous Orders
Background Our futures are filled with uncertainty, especially when it comes to our financial situations. Whenever a child support obligation is involved, many support-paying parents worry about his or her ability to continue making payments. Fortunately, the Courts understand that money and finances cannot be predicted or guaranteed. So, child support obligations can be modified […]
Pet Custody
As of January 1, 2018, the court can consider the well-being of pets and award joint or sole ownership and responsibility to the parties in a divorce. Pets are considered property in a divorce. They fall under 750 ILCS 5/503(n). The court can determine ownership and responsibility on a temporary basis pursuant to 750 ILCS […]
Child Support – a comparison of the old vs. the new
Background Before July 1, 2017, there was a common complaint that the existing statutory child support guidelines were random and unfair. This was because a non-custodial parent’s child support obligation was calculated almost entirely from a percentage of that parent’s net income. The percentage of net income paid for support increased depending on the number […]
Allocation of Parental Responsibilities formerly known as Custody and Visitation
In 2016, Illinois overhauled the laws pertaining to child custody. Parental Responsibilities include both parenting time and significant decision-making. I will focus on significant decision-making in this post. 750 ILCS 5/602.5 is the relevant law. Four Main Decisions There are four main decisions that need to be allocated to one or both parents. These are […]