Divorce makes virtually everything more complicated, especially when children are involved. More time and added communication are required of parents who are divorced or separated; everything from creating a time-sharing plan during summer vacation and agreeing on what expenses each parent is responsible for paying when it comes to college costs, to figuring out who takes the children to their bi-annual dental cleaning appointment involves complexities that single household families do not have to deal with. One more added complexity is that of taxes. Only one parent can claim their child as …

Man couples and individuals get confused about the differences between domestic partnership and marriage; the two are definitely not one and the same. While domestic partnership certainly offers legal benefits to a couple, it does not provide the same financial and legal benefits that marriage provides. If you are thinking about entering a domestic partnership or marriage and have questions, or you are planning to divorce or terminate your domestic partnership, call a Hinsdale divorce attorney for help.

It is no secret that financial troubles are a leading contributor to matrimonial anxiety and divorce. One recent study found that student loan debt is the cause of one out of eight divorces. Another survey found that money is the leading cause of stress in relationships. Whether debt, disagreements about how money should be spent, general incompatibility, or something else was the cause of your divorce, bankruptcy can quickly put your plans to a screeching halt.

If you moved out of Illinois after a parenting plan was already in place, or your divorce is ongoing and you plan to move as soon as it is finalized, figuring out how to go about visitation can be difficult due to the physical distance between you and your child. If the original parenting plan is no longer applicable because it was created when you were still in Illinois, you may need to take your case back to court to have a new parenting plan created by a judge if the other parent is not in agreement with your wishes. It is not uncommon for custodial parents to deny you time with your …

The most cherished “property” in many family households is not really thought of them as property at all, yet pets are, in fact, property. However, there is good news for pet owners in Illinois. While dogs, cats, and other pets were once considered nothing more than either non-marital property or marital property and custody was never an option, this is no longer the case. In 2018, the law was changed, giving judges the ability to grant custody of pets to their owners during a divorce. As such, a judge may grant sole or joint custody of a dog, cat, guinea pig, or other animal in contested…

Alimony, also referred to as spousal support or maintenance, is often a point of contention amongst spouses who are going through a divorce. The paying spouse may feel like they are being asked to give more than they can afford or more than what their husband or wife deserves or needs, and the receiving spouse probably feels the opposite. As the lower-earning spouse, they might have given up their own goals to support the career of their spouse or to be a homemaker or primary caregiver for their children. Now that divorce is imminent, they have financial needs that they cannot meet on their …

Adhering to a parenting plan is crucial for the wellbeing of your child. When the other parent decides to violate that plan by dropping off your child late or refusing to return your child to you, it becomes necessary to take legal action. Children need structure for proper development and growth, and violating a parenting plan is not only unfair to you, but denying your child this crucial structure is downright harmful.

Divorce often brings out the worst in people. Even spouses who used to get along somewhat amicably before the divorce, but decided it was still best to split ways, tend to grow colder to one another and communicate less. Things can really get nasty during custody battles or when one spouse feels that the asset division or spousal support proposed by the other is unfair at best and a slap in the face at worst. During contested divorces, it is best to keep a calm, thoughtful, and rational approach so as to increase your chances of a successful outcome. An experienced DuPage County divorce …