Elgin Illinois Family Law Blog

Child custody is often difficult because parents might have different ideas about what is best for the children. It can be hard to find a common ground that you can both agree upon in these cases. When this happens, you must ensure that you are doing what is best for the children. It is all too easy to get wrapped up in your own feelings that you forget they are the focus.

It is usually best if the parents can come to agreements together. Not only do you know exactly what is going on, you probably know how different options will affect your children. In order for this to work, both adults will have to make the decision that they are willing to compromise. Trying to remain hard-lined on your position will make it impossible to negotiate. Of course, you should stand firm if the issue is one regarding the safety or health of the children.

The start of a new year is a good time to ensure that you are doing everything you can in your parenting arrangement to help your children thrive. There are many things that you might be able to tweak that can make the situation better for your kids. It is imperative that you make efforts to make improvements that you can carry into 2019.

One of the best things that you can do in this situation is to renew your commitment to be a good co-parent. Even if you and your ex don't really get along, you can still use a professional approach to your parenting agreement. This enables you to communicate about the children in a respectful manner. Seeing you do this might encourage your ex to follow suit.

The modern family court system has evolved to approach divorce issues in ways that do not favor one parent over the other, or so it may seem on the surface. However, a recent study conducted by Custody X Change revealed that divorced fathers in Illinois often get an unfair settlement in terms of child custody.

The nationwide study looked at divorce cases in which both parents wanted custody and resided close enough to each other to share child custody. The results of the study were astounding and should be of particular interest to divorcing dads in the state. Illinois came in at 47th place in the nation for awarding divorced fathers a fair amount of child custody time with their kids. Specifically, children in Illinois only get to spend around 23 percent of their time on average with their dads.

Child custody, child support and maintenance (commonly known as alimony) are all highly critical elements of many Illinois divorces. It is beneficial for divorcing parties to consider these and other elements very carefully during the process. While your attorney can help you make important decisions about these and other matters, it is crucial that you understand what these decisions will mean in the short and the long term.

Spousal maintenance, which you probably know as alimony, is one of the most misunderstood aspects of ending a marriage. In past decades, it was pretty easy to understand. A couple entered into divorce proceedings under the guidance of their lawyers and the judge usually ordered one spouse to pay the other one a set amount each month.