All posts by kezylaw
The Presumption of Paternity
While most people understand the importance of establishing paternity for unmarried parents, little thought is often given to the paternity of children born to a married couple. In a large majority of family situations, paternity will never be an issued for married parents, but there are some cases in which the presumptions made by law can actually complicate matters. If you find yourself in such aContinue reading
Why Some Marriages Cannot Withstand Retirement
In recent years, a new trend known as “gray divorce” has swept through the United States. Gray divorce refers to the phenomenon of couples over the age of 50 opting to get divorced. In 2010, approximately 25 percent of people working through divorces were age 50 or older. In 1990, that demographic represented only 10 percent. Why are so many older couples divorcing? In part, itContinue reading
The Court Appointed a Child Representative to Our Case; What Does that Mean?
If the court appointed a child representative to your case, it means that the court feels it is in your child’s best interest for a neutral party to determine the most productive choices for his or her custody, support, and visitation following your divorce. A child representative’s duties are outlined in the Illinois Marriage and Dissolution of Marriage Act. The representative is an attorney appointed by the courtContinue reading
Addressing Insurance Policies During Your Divorce
When you are working through a divorce, there are many issues you need to consider. Your child custody arrangements, how child support will be handled, whether either you or your spouse will need spousal support following the divorce, and a fair division of your property are all among the issues that need to be worked out before a divorce settlement is issued. Another issue that couples must considerContinue reading
How Much Does Quality of Life Matter?
Despite tabloid claims that 50 is the new 30, and incredible advancements in personal care products which allow people to maintain a youthful appearance much longer than ever before, the fact remains that getting older is unavoidable. For many, advancement in age leads to some rather difficult considerations, particularly when it comes to deciding how to handle end-of-life concerns. One of the most controversial topics that elderlyContinue reading
Choosing the Right Executor for Your Estate
For many people, it can be very daunting to make decisions related to estate planning. Very few are completely discussing matters that involve acknowledging that they will not live forever. Death, however, is a reality and a person who is not financially prepared for his or death often creates additional difficulties for family members and loved ones. Among the most important decisions you must makeContinue reading
Why Collaborative Divorce May Be Beneficial
When you have reached in a point in your marriage where you know the relationship is beyond repair, it is time to start thinking about divorce options. Depending on you and your spouse’s ability to work together, you may have more choices than you realize when it comes to achieving a workable divorce agreement. Divorcing spouses who refuse to cooperate or agree on major issues areContinue reading
Property Division in Divorce: We Each Get Half, Right?
The honest answer to that question is “maybe.” You and your spouse may, in fact, each end up with half of your marital assets, but an exactly even division is not guaranteed, and, in all honesty, probably not very likely either. This is thanks to the property division approach set forth under Illinois law, which takes a large number of factors into account when allocating marital propertyContinue reading
Adopting a Stepchild in Illinois
As the number of remarried adults in the United States reaches all-time highs, blended families have quickly become a new social norm. More and more individuals are entering marriages with children from a previous relationship. For some, such children can add a level of complexity to the new marriage, as the family must contend with visitation schedules and support orders. For many, though, the children simply addContinue reading
What Is an Annulment?
Most people understand that a divorce legally ends and validly recognized marriage. Whatever a couple’s reasons may be for ending the marriage, relatively few do so in the belief that the marriage was never initially valid. Those relative few, however, may have an alternative to divorce if they have reason to believe that their marriage was invalid. A declaration of invalidity of marriage, formerly called annulment, mayContinue reading