Recent Blog Posts
Iowa is First State to Propose Banning No-Fault Divorces
When New York finally introduced no-fault divorces in 2010, it was the 50th state in the U.S. to do so. According to the Wall Street Journal, no-fault divorce was introduced in New York to help “do away with lengthy trials—reducing acrimony, containing costs, and sparing people additional emotional pain.” The Journal cites that for most divorcing couples the law has worked as intended, but there are some grey areas when it comes to no-fault divorces, including what, then, is grounds for divorce. In Illinois, a no-fault divorce does not affect child support, child custody, alimony, or any other of the myriad of divisions initiated during a divorce. 
Good Parents, Bad Spouses | Kane County Divorce Attorney
According to the Huffington Post, while some people consider a good parent to be a sexy attribute in a spouse, being a good mom can often mean that a woman is a bad wife. This is for obvious reasons—that a person is so wrapped up in her or his children that there’s no forest for the trees, so to speak, but for less obvious reasons as well. Having children clearly changes a relationship, and if a person consistently puts the children above the relationship, both in small and large ways, the marriage can get rocky. The Huffington Post has some good ideas to keep this from happening, from calling each other your real names (instead of “mommy” and “daddy”), refusing to help with various bake sales and soccer practices, and keeping a regular date night. 
Parents’ Divorce Leads to Children Leaving Church
A new university study has found that children that have two religious parents are more likely to leave the church if his or her parents get divorced. Researchers from Baylor University discovered that children of divorce of religious parents are twice as likely to become estranged from their church compared to children of religious parents who stay together.
The lead author of the study and professor at Baylor University Jeremy Uecker told U.S. News and World Report that, “When both parents are religious, the effect of divorce has a negative effect of religiosity. They might think their parents’ marriage was ordained by God or something and that breakup can have more of an effect on their religiousness in adulthood.”
Domestic Violence Law Expanded | Geneva, IL Family Law Attorney
The Violence Against Women Act, the law meant to prevent domestic abuse, has been expanded to protect gays, immigrants, Native Americans and sex-trafficking victims, according to the Chicago Tribune. President Barack Obama signed the updated version of the law at the Interior Department on March 7.
Don't put up with abuse. Contact a Geneva, IL Family Law Attorney as soon as possible.The new version of the law guarantees that Native American Indian women have better legal protection against abusers. Violent partners can now be arrested and prosecuted on Indian lands. The new law also makes shelters and other services more accessible to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender victims, and protects people from being discriminated.
Facebook "Likes" can Affect your Divorce | Kane County Divorce Attorney
Your social media activity can affect your divorce proceedings.
Clicking those blue “like” buttons all across the internet may do more than marking you as a fan of a product. It could out you as gay, reveal how you vote, or even suggest that you are “an unmarried introvert with a high IQ and a weakness for nicotine,” according to The Whig.
A newly published study from the National Academy of Sciences concluded this in its findings. Researchers analyzed the likes of over 58,000 American Facebook users to make guesses about their personalities and behavior, even including whether they smoked, drank, or did drugs.
One author of the study, Cambridge University researcher David Stillwell, said the results may come as a surprise. “Your likes may be saying more about you than you realize.”
Facebook added its like button in 2009 and the thumbs up sign has become universal on social networks and common across the web as well. Facebook reported roughly 2.7 billion new likes are added to the internet every day. That means an increasing pool of data for marketers, managers, and anyone else interested, especially from people who aren’t careful with their privacy settings.
GOP Lawmaker Links Divorce and Promiscuity | Illinois Divorce Lawyer
Many people think that controversy and politics go hand in hand. A story recently reported by Think Progress Justice, proves that train of thought just may be true.
Earlier this week, the Iowa state House presented a bill to that would deem a no fault divorce illegal and no longer a viable option for divorcing couples. State Representative Tedd Gassman (R) took the podium to support the bill. Under this new law, parents who have children under the age of 18 would have to prove that there was a crime committed against the family. These crimes could include adultery, abandonment or criminal activity that puts the family in danger.
He stated that the continued break up of families would lead to the eventual break down of America. He also stated that divorce puts young people, especially girls, at risk. He stated that a teenage girl from a divorced family is more apt to become promiscuous. It was later reported that there are no plans to have the bill heard before the committee. It is speculated that this decision was made because of the statements that were made in connection with this bill.
Bad News about Using Social Media during Divorce
Infidelity is one of the most commonly cited reasons for divorce. Social media is not helping to keep people honest in their relationships. Relationship expert Logan Levkoff said that “the Internet lends itself to secret behaviors. It just offers more avenues [to cheat].” There are also other dangers presented to divorce by the internet and specifically social media.
A recent study decided to ask cheaters questions about their behaviors. They surveyed 2,400 American adults to find common behaviors of cheaters. One third of them had created a social media or email account that was unknown to their spouses. The most commonly used site to cheat on was Facebook.
NBA Great Jordan Files to Dismiss Paternity Suit
On February 6th, Pamela Smith filed a paternity suit against the NBA legend Michael Jordan. She claimed that the two had an extramarital relationship in 1995, which resulted in a pregnancy. At that time, Jordan was married to his wife Juanita, who he divorced in 2006.
The Georgia woman requested to change her son, Grant Pierce Jordan Reynolds’ last name to Jordan. She also wants child support and assistance in paying for medical bills that are not covered by insurance. This comes on the heels of “Taj” posting a confessional video on YouTube in December of last year that confesses that MJ is his father and that they should have a better relationship.
Kardashian Divorce Trial in May | Illinois Divorce Lawyer
Kim Kardashian already had a due date for her baby; she now has a trial date for her divorce from NBA player Kris Humphries, according to a recent post by the Quincy Herald-Whig.
A May 6 trial was set for the reality TV star by a judge on Friday. Kardashian wants to end her marriage before July, which is when her child with Kanye West is due to be born.
Kardashian and Humphries had been married for only 72 days when she filed for divorce on October 31, 2011.
Their trial is predicted to last three to five days and has the potential to reveal details about Kardashians reality show empire, which includes “Keeping up with the Kardashians” and a few other spinoff shows as well.
It was determined Friday that Humphries’ lawyers will have adequate time to prepare for the trial. Humphries would prefer to have the marriage annulled, stating that Kardashian only married him for the sake of her show. She, however, denies that allegation and wants what would be her second divorce.
Louisiana Hits Jackpot in Back Child Support Collection | Illinois Child Support Attorney
The Louisiana Department of Children’s and Family Services (DCYF) recently announced the success of a pilot program the agency launched in September 2011, intercepting more than $806,000 in casino winnings from 599 parents to cover back child support payments. Currently there is more than $1.2 billions in child support that is owed by non-custodial parents.
The program was introduced and passed in 2010 to deal with the growing problem of child support evasion. Any gambling winnings over $1200 are seized and applied to the back child support. There are currently 18 casinos in the state participating in the program. Two days after it went into effect, $1995.40 was collected from a non-custodial father. Other states that have enacted similar casino winning laws are Colorado, Indiana, Mississippi, New Jersey, New Mexico and West Virginia.
