Tag Archives: Illinois law
Durable Power of Attorney in Illinois
Do you have a plan in place for the management of your affairs if you should become incapacitated or unable to make such decisions for yourself? Unfortunately, a great many people have never even considered that possibility, and have no such plan in the event of an unforeseen accident or illness. Making a plan, however, does not need to be long, involved process; it canContinue reading
Contesting a Stepparent Adoption
With remarriage rates at an all-time high, more and more couples are entering into new marital relationships with children from their previous marriages or other relationships. While blended families can certainly be a challenge for many, others quickly adjust to the new reality, establishing healthy, loving bonds between stepparents and stepchildren. Depending on the circumstances of the situation, some stepparents may even look to formallyContinue reading
Spousal Maintenance: The Case of the Stay-at-Home Parent
Whether by necessity or by choice, two-income families are certainly becoming the norm in today’s American society. In some situations, both spouses work hard to balance full-time careers with family responsibilities. In others, one spouse may work full-time while the other picks up part-time jobs to make ends meet, while still tending to the needs of the family and, possibly, children. There is, however, stillContinue reading
Drafting Your Own Divorce Settlement
For many couples, divorce is not the acrimonious war so often depicted in television and movies. That is not to say, of course, that contentious divorces do not exist; there are just many more amicable situations than most people would probably expect. In a large number of situations, especially with the proliferation of no-fault divorce, in which both spouses fully agree that divorce is the right optionContinue reading
Cohabitation Can End a Spousal Maintenance Requirement
After a divorce, one party may be required to make spousal maintenance payments to the other for a designated period of time. Sometimes called alimony, spousal maintenance is intended to help offset the financial impact of divorce to a spouse who, in many cases, seeking to regain independence and self-sufficiency. Most court-ordered support awards include a provision regarding the duration of payments, either for a limited numberContinue reading
Changing Your Child Support Order
Divorced and separated parents, for the most part, understand that they have an obligation to provide financial support for their children. Of course, for many, it is a moral responsibility that exists regardless of the law. Regardless of a parent’s moral compass, Illinois law recognizes the right of a child to expect support from both parents, and, in the vast majority of cases, will require aContinue reading
Understanding Your Child Support Responsibilities
If you are in in the process of getting divorced or separating from your child’s other parent, you probably realize that an order for child support is probably forthcoming. It is especially likely if the other parent has been granted primary residential custody. While, under Illinois law, both parents can potentially ordered to pay support, the vast majority of cases see the non-custodial parent paying support toContinue reading
Living Wills and Death Delaying Procedures
The state of Illinois expressly recognizes the rights of its citizens to make their own decisions regarding the medical care they wish to receive, even following the diagnosis or acquisition of a terminal condition. According to the law, a person may choose to have death delaying procedures withheld or withdrawn in accordance with his or own personal desires, regardless of his or her ability toContinue reading
U.S. Continues to Work Through Issues Regarding Same-Sex Marriage
In the state of Illinois, same-sex marriage was officially legalized last year. Legislative efforts and the resulting Religious Freedom and Marriage Fairness Act have allowed same-sex partners to marry since June 2014 in Illinois, but the rest of the nation has not been so quick to follow suit. Even following the landmark U.S Supreme Court decision this past summer which struck down same-sex marriage bans, some partsContinue reading
Support of a Disabled Adult Child
For most parents who make child support payments, their obligations often end when their children graduate from high school and turn 18 years old. These situations are well within the “normal” provisions of Illinois law governing child support. In certain cases, however, the law provides that either or both parents can be required to continue supporting a child after the child has reached the ageContinue reading