Posted on July 18, 2014 in Divorce

According to the late Ruth A. Peters, PhD, continual contributor to Today Family Time, it is not uncommon, nor selfish, to want to escape and rejuvenate in private. No spouse, no kids, no job, no worries.

Dr. Peters was a firm believer that as one half of a duo, separate vacations should be a welcome addition to each of our lives. She suggested that we should not think of it as an escape but as a new experience. However, there is one ground rule. Never should a quest for a separate vacation be viewed as an interference or a threat to the home-bound partner.

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 Posted on July 15, 2014 in Divorce

When going through a divorce, one of the most important things you need to be able to is to trust your divorce lawyer. It is essential for you to trust that he or she will represent your best interests during what is quite often a very complicated and emotional process. And in order for your attorney to best represent you, there are certain pieces of information you should share during your initial attorney consultation.

To begin, there may be embarrassing incidents from your past that you are uncomfortable sharing. However, it is better for your divorce lawyer to hear about these incidents from you, and to thus prepare the best case for you, instead of being taken by surprise within the courtroom.

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 Posted on July 10, 2014 in Child Custody and Support

In child custody situations where one parent has primary physical custody, the non-custodial parent is often ordered to pay child support. In Illinois, child support is usually based on the number of children and the net income of the parent who has to pay the support.

The amount of child support for one child is 20 percent of payor’s net income. For two children the rate bumps up to 28 percent. The rate for three children is 32 percent, and for four it is 40 percent. Finally, the rate for five children is 45 percent and six or more children is 50 percent of the payor’s net income.

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 Posted on July 08, 2014 in Divorce

Going through a divorce is never easy, even if you are the one who wants out of the marriage. There are steps you can take to help the legal divorce process go smoothly and with less acrimony between you and your soon-to-be former spouse. These steps will also help keep legal costs down.

• Provide the necessary documents and financial records that your attorney requests in a timely manner;

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 Posted on July 02, 2014 in Child Custody and Support

A new review, Lesbian and Gay Parents and Determination of Child Custody: The Changing Legal Landscape and Implications for Policy and Practice, conducted by researchers from Drexel University reveals that LGBT parents still encounter bias from the family court system when it comes to child custody disputes. The review appears in the premiere issue of Psychology of Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity, and was published by the American Psychological Association (APA).

Despite many states, like Illinois, passing laws allowing same-sex marriages, as well as last year’s Supreme Court decision which ruled the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) unconstitutional, parents in the LGBT community are still being denied the same legal rights as heterosexual parents.

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 Posted on June 28, 2014 in Divorce

If you and your spouse recently decided to call it quits, how you and your body chemistry deal with divorce remains to be seen. For some, there may be a shedding of a few pounds. But for others, the first line of defense is double packing on the pounds by stress eating. One way or another it happens to us all.

As you stress over continual maintenance payments, child support orders, and the division of marital property, it is in your best interest to retain an experienced and knowledgeable divorce attorney, assist your children with their concerns, and take care of your own physical well being.

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 Posted on June 26, 2014 in Annulments

One of the most effective marketing slogans to ever hit the jackpot recently celebrated more than a decade of enticing vacationers and love struck couples to Sin City. Illinois couples, however, do not need to travel to the desert to tie the knot nor petition for an annulment. Couples can opt to petition for an annulment as stipulated under the Illinois Marriage and Dissolution of Marriage Act (750 ILCS 5). However, under the terms of the Illinois Declaration of Invalidity of Marriage, certain criteria must first be met in order to qualify.

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 Posted on June 19, 2014 in Divorce

Many believe that police officers probably have one of the highest divorce rates of any occupation. However, in a study conducted by Radford University, law enforcement was not even in the top 15 of occupations with the highest rates. In fact, according to the study, police officers had a lower rate than the rest of the general population. Researchers used data from the U.S. Census Bureau. However, they only looked at people who were currently divorced and not those who may have remarried after previous divorce.

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 Posted on June 17, 2014 in Divorce

The battle of the sexes is at it again. According to an article published by ABC News, the gender of your children may determine the marital future of their parents.

Of course, as parents, we are primarily concerned with the health and happiness of all our children, but recent data from the U.S. Census shows that couples who raise girls may find it more hazardous to a marriage, as well as to the decision to remarry after the dissolution of a first marriage. Data further suggests that raising boys, on the other hand, tends to hold the family together. Often mothers of boys choose to remarry following divorce. The data further concludes this is not so common for mothers of daughters.

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 Posted on June 12, 2014 in Family Law

According to US News, calculations of men as high as 50 percent will cheat, while only a third of women will do the same. However, clinical data remains sketchy at best.

So what do you do if you suspect your spouse is having an affair? Do you ignore the situation and hope it runs its course? Do you confront your fears and confront your spouse? Or do you hire a private detective to provide the hard core evidence? How you handle your suspicions is entirely your choice. As you contemplate your next move, perhaps having an experienced Illinois divorce attorney on speed dial should also be part of your covert operation.

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