As part of the property division settlement of a divorce, the spouses may agree to share the proceeds of one person's retirement account. As explained by Forbes, when that account is a 401K and subject to the Employee Retirement Income Security Act, the use of a...
Elgin Illinois Family Law Blog
What Illinois considers when awarding parental responsibilities
If you have a child with someone and your romantic relationship ends, you must figure out who is going to be responsible for your child moving forward, and when. If you and your ex are unable to work out a suitable arrangement and parenting plan on your own, you may...
What resources are available for grandparents raising children in Illinois?
If you are a grandparent in Illinois raising children, things might be more difficult than they were the first time around. As stressful as it may be to go through parenting again, the state offers many resources that can help. Regardless of your income, if you are...
What happens if you can’t pay child support due to incarceration?
When you fall behind on child support, it can lead to many financial and legal issues, which is the motivation to stay current on your payments. However, if you are in jail or prison, you may not have the ability to make enough money to pay your ordered support...
Divorce, health and resilience
When it comes to the end of marriage, people process their emotions differently. Some are able to tolerate the major changes in their lives, while others struggle with various difficulties, including mental health issues. Sometimes, people even have health...
Dividing marital from separate property
When a married couple decides to divorce, they must divide their assets and debts between them. For this division of property, Illinois law follows a model known as "equitable distribution," which, put simply, requires the division to meet guidelines of fairness. In...
The importance of determining a child’s father in Illinois
Determining the identity of a child’s father in Illinois can be vitally important to the child’s and both parents’ financial and mental health. Illinois law makes both parents responsible for the child’s welfare, and thus, a reliable identification of the father is...
Don’t overlook marital debt in divorce proceedings
We’ve talked about a lot of divorce legal issues on this blog, including property division and child custody. Each of these issues is important and can dictate what your life will look like after your marriage is dissolved. But there’s often another matter that is...
Beginning an Illinois divorce
Even the word, “divorce” can cause cold sweats, but sometimes, couples need it. To lessen this apprehension, understanding the basics can help. Before filing, it is important to know whether one qualifies to divorce here. First, one does not need to file for a divorce...
Understanding the ins and outs of child custody in Illinois
In Illinois, many married and unmarried parents have to address custody issues regarding their children. While this is likely a challenging issue to work through, it is also one that requires attention to details as the delicately work through any issues arising in...
