Lawyers like everyone marketing on the Internet likes a "catch phrase." Here is one of the more interesting lawyer catch phrases I found in an ad: "Prepared To Die?"

Sounds like the beginning of a sword fight doesn't! But it's From a Will, Trust and Deed Lawyer.

It may be blunt but it gets the point across. Most people, including most lawyers by the way, don't have a Will, powers of attorney or an Estate plan.

Family law matters are often seen as emotional battles waged between spouses or parents. Child custody disputes are often seen as the some of most contentious cases because a child is involved. It can be very difficult for parents to come to terms with the way relationships will change after the custody dispute is resolved. Your relationship with your child and your child’s other parent will be affected, likely in many ways. However, in many cases it is essential for both parents to be able to move forward as co-parents for the child’s sake. Establishing a parenting plan or hiring a parenting coordinator can help with this.

Parenting Plans

The specific custody arrangements in your case will be unique to your circumstances. As with all child-related legal issues, Illinois requires that custody matters be decided in the best interests of the child. This means that a court order or any private agreement between parents must focus on what is best for the child, not necessarily what is easiest for the parents. As a parent, it may be hard to allow a judge to make this decision. After all, you know what is best for your child. Regardless of the final custody determination, you will most likely be interacting with your child’s other parent in the future. For your child’s sake, as well as your own, maintaining a civil relationship with that person is important. A parenting plan can help you plan the custody arrangement while also allowing you to effectively co-parent.

There is no such thing as a completely hassle-free divorce. However, there are ways to complete the divorce process without blowing your top or losing the shirt off your back. It is useful to examine ways you and your divorcing spouse can remain on as good of terms as possible during the end of your marriage.

From time to time, books, movies, and news stories shed light on divorces in America and the tendency for such proceedings to be adversarial, expensive, and overly time consuming. Many people who go through this process ask themselves, “Can’t there be a better way?”

For the most part, parents are responsible for supporting a child until the point of emancipation. In general, emancipation happens at age 18 when people are considered legal adults, although cases involving disabled children will often extend support requirements beyond this age. Sometimes, support requirements for a child’s college education can be included in a divorce settlement.

Depending on the needs in your divorce case, you should consider discussing whether an educational obligation should be included in your settlement. Many parents who opt to do this sign an agreement that they will split the costs and these agreements often have stipulations, like certain grade point averages, that a child must meet in order to continue receiving the support.

Parents should be aware of the importance of wording in such contracts, as is indicated by a recent decision out of New Jersey. In that case, a father and mother had signed an agreement to split the cost of graduate education for their children. When their daughter was accepted to an expensive program at Cornell, her father denied responsibility and said he would only pay for a less expensive law school. A judge disagreed and ordered that the father was required to pay for half of her Cornell education costs.

"What should I expect when a Guardian Ad Litem has been appointed by the Judge in my child custody case?"

A Guardian Ad Litem or "GAL" is a lawyer who is selected by an Illinois Court and appointed in your custody or visitation case to make an investigation as to what custody or visitation arrangements are in the best interests of your child.

While the Judge in your custody case will ultimately make the decision as to who should have custody of your child, that Judge has no independent knowledge of the facts of your case. A Judge will frequently appoint a lawyer to find out the basic facts and report back to the Court. The lawyer is appointed as a Guardian Ad Litem.