When a couple no longer wants to be married and live together, they may get a divorce or they may become legally separated. Unlike many states, Illinois does still recognize legal separations and there are many reasons a couple may decide to get one. However, when a couple does obtain a legal separation, it sometimes leads to many questions. One of these is whether they are still eligible to get a divorce once they have legally separated. In short, being legally separated does not prevent a couple from officially ending their marriage in divorce in the future.

Historically speaking, the decisions made in a divorce case largely favored the woman. When spousal maintenance, or alimony, was awarded, the woman was usually the recipient. Family courts were also more likely to award the woman in a divorce case child custody, believing it was in the best interests of the child to stay with their mother. These patterns in history have led many men to believe they are already at a disadvantage before their divorce case even starts, but that is not the case.

In 2019, Governor Pritzker signed the Illinois Cannabis Regulation and Tax Act, making Illinois the eleventh state in the country to legalize marijuana for adult use. The legislation includes many laws, and one of them is the fact that people that use marijuana cannot be discriminated against for their consumption in family court. Unfortunately, many courts have still not recognized this part of the law and continue to discriminate against parents that use marijuana during child custody hearings. If you use marijuana, it is important to know how it may affect your child custody case, and how …

One of the most contentious aspects of the divorce process is the division of property. Many people first think of the assets they will lose during the divorce, but the fact is that debts are also divided during the process. Like the assets that are divided, only marital debt is divided during a divorce. It is not uncommon for married couples to hold joint credit cards, or have a personal loan that is in both of their names. Both spouses are also often co-signers on bigger ticket items too, such as the marital home and vehicles.

One of the hardest parts of divorce is not being able to spend as much time with your child. The situation becomes even more difficult when your former spouse tells you they plan to move out of state and they want to take your child with them. After you receive this notice, you may think there is nothing you can do. Fortunately, that is not true. There are steps you can take that can help keep your children with you.

When going through a divorce that involves children, you will have to create a parenting plan with your spouse that outlines important details of child custody arrangements. Parenting plans are legally binding and each parent must abide by the terms outlined within them. However, it is well understood that the only constant in life is change and changes in your life circumstances can affect your parenting plan. Below are five common situations that could result in changes to your plan.

People make mistakes and sometimes, that mistake is marrying the wrong person. When one or both people think getting married was a mistake, they often wonder if they can obtain an annulment instead of going through the complicated process of divorce. Couples are more inclined to think this when they have been married for a very short period of time.

The divorce of Kim Kardashian and Kanye West made headlines around the world recently. There have been varying opinions about the divorce since it was announced, but one thing is certain. The divorce case is likely to be quite complex, even though the couple had a premarital agreement in place. Kim and Kanye, however, are not the first couple to go through a complex divorce, and they will not be the last, either. Below are some of the factors that can make a divorce case complex.