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Property Division in Divorce
Of the many concerns that present themselves throughout a divorce case, one is that many parties may have could be about dividing their marital property and other assets. While it may not be a top priority of some couples who plan to divorce, it may be of paramount concern to others, depending on the couple’s circumstances and financial situation. A judge hearing a divorce case has discretion in this area, but the law of the state of Illinois does provide important guidance for consideration on the issue.
While many may believe that property is equally divided among the parties in the event of divorce, this is simply not always the case. According to Illinois law, the state follows the doctrine of equitable distribution, which means that marital property is divided in a fair way, but that does not necessarily equate to half to one spouse and half to the other. The specific term is “just proportions,” which refers to a number of factors that a court must consider in making its determination about property division among divorcing spouses. Factors the court may consider include, but are not limited to, the following:
Tips to Increase Family Time
Every parent is probably aware of the constant struggle between home life and career. Each aspect of a parent’s life demands time, effort, and attention. With so much energy required, many parents may feel they are not spending an adequate amount of time on a specific area of their life. This situation likely affects many married parents, but may be felt even more acutely by those single or divorced parents who are attempting to maintain a home and a relationship with their children without support from a partner.
Work-Life Balance
A recent article offered several suggestions for ways to increase the amount of time mothers can spend with their children, but surely parents of both genders can heed the advice.
Sharing the Housework Could Make Marriage Last
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The Problem of Domestic Violence
Domestic violence includes acts of violence that occur between current and former romantic partners. Many different types of acts may be considered domestic violence, as a wide range of actions may cause physical or psychological harm to the victim. Domestic violence is the leading cause of injury to women in the United States, with the statistic that a woman is beaten every 15 seconds. While its direct effects on the victim are often far too obvious, it affects all family members, especially where children are involved.
The Extent of the Problem
Many incidents of domestic violence are never reported, which makes particularly accurate information hard to come by. Still, many aspects of the problem are known. Domestic violence is something that can affect anyone, from any social, economic, ethnic, cultural, or age group. It does not discriminate based on type or nature of the relationship.
Remarriage and Child Support in Illinois
After a divorce, it is common for the former spouse to pay child support, alimony or sometimes both. What happens when one spouse remarries? Remarriage can have an affect on the duration and amount of child support payments the custodial parent (the parent who has primary custody of the child) receives. Therefore, it is worth considering all of the legal consequences before entering into a new marriage.
How is Child Support Calculated in Illinois?
Child support laws are governed by the Illinois Marriage and Dissolution of Marriage Act. The Act describes specific child support guidelines that the courts must follow to determine how much child support must be paid to the custodial parent. Typically, the amount of child support is calculated by the non-custodial parent’s (the parent who does not have legal custody of the child) net income and the number of children he/she is responsible for. The court is also allowed to consider other factors such as:
Two Adult Adoption Stories - An Introduction
In 1988, 75 year old billionaire tobacco heiress Doris Duke adopted a 35-year-old woman named Chandi Heffner. Duke believed that Heffner, a fellow Hare Krishna devotee, was the reincarnated soul of Duke’s only child. As is too common for billionaire tobacco heiresses, Duke and Heffner’s relationship became strained leading to Duke to decide that the adoption of Heffner was the “worst mistake of her life.” Duke negated the adoption, and in turn, Heffner sued Duke.
At 32 years old, Maurice Griffin was finally adopted by his one time foster family. After Maurice arrived in the Harris household, the Harris family and Maurice bonded. Unfortunately for young Maurice and the Harris family, California wrongfully removed him from the Harris family. During the ensuing years, Maurice searched for the Harris family, eventually finding them when he was in his late twenties.
In Sickness and in Health?
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Can Divorce Be Contagious?
The decision to end a marriage is usually not an easy one to make. Often, couples must face a number of difficult decisions when deciding to divorce, especially when children are involved. Outsiders may wonder what happened within a marriage to cause divorce. While any number of factors can and usually do play a part in a couple’s decision to call it quits, a new study is suggesting a surprising factor that may play a larger role in an impending divorce than one may realize. According to a news article recently published by CBS 2, the divorce of a friend or loved one may increase a couple’s chances of getting divorced as well.
Divorce is Contagious... Just like the flu, a new study from Brown University is suggesting that divorce may also be contagious, and could put anyone’s marriage in danger. According to the study, which was comprised of data from thousands of people over three decades, the divorce of a friend or loved one may increase that person’s odds of also getting divorced. The findings included that one was 75 percent more likely to get divorced if one of their friends were divorced. Further, an individual was 33 percent more likely to divorce if a friend of a friend obtained a divorce. The trend seemed to end when considering the divorce of a couple three degrees removed. Researchers involved in the study called the findings a social contagion, which indicated the spread of information, attitudes, and behaviors through friends, family, and other social circles. …Or is It? Some are saying that it is not divorce itself that is contagious in such situations, but rather it is the emotions that are tied to the divorce that can be contagious. In other words, those who are constantly around other people who are in unhappy relationships may tend to look at their own relationship more critically. Others were not so sure of the theory, saying the tendency to let other’s emotions have such a significant impact on one’s own shows a lack of maturity and that a friend or acquaintance’s unhappiness should not influence another individual’s marriage. There are ways to avoid letting the divorce bug infect another couple. It is advisable not to compare the situation and circumstances of a friend to one’s own, since usually, the connections are not found in reality but are rather imagined or created. Often, such comparisons and associations are simply not realistic. Divorce Attorney If you find yourself in a situation in which divorce seems like a likely option, it is best to discuss your case with an experienced divorce attorney. The attorneys at Davi Law Group, LLC can advise you after listening to the facts of your particular case. Please contact us today for a consultation. We have successful experience representing clients in Cook and DuPage Counties, as well as surrounding areas.
FAQs of Paternity in Illinois
There are certain circumstances that require the relationship between a father and his child to be established. This is especially true in circumstances where a child was born to parents who are not married. There is a legal process for establishing paternity in Illinois depending on the facts of a particular situation.
A father can establish paternity in three ways:
- Both mother and father complete, sign, date, and witness a Voluntary Acknowledgment of Paternity (VAP) form;
Divorce Overhaul or Minimum Parenting Time in Illinois
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