Posted on December 22, 2015 in Family Law

While most people have heard about the major changes to the Illinois family law system set to take effect January 1, 2016, many are not aware that family court procedures also changing. The process can be just as important as the substance of the law in determining the best way to handle your case.

New Law and New Process

The new law has eliminated references to child custody in favor of setting out parental responsibilities and parenting time. While the old process relied on temporary custody and visitation orders and mandatory mediation for custody issues to try and foster stability for children and bring the parties to a resolution of child issues as quickly as possible, the new law takes a different approach.

Parties will now have 120 days to submit a parenting plan once the petition for a case has been served. The parties can file a joint plan or separate plans. While the court can extend the timeline for good cause, the law is clear that judges are to encourage the parties to resolve parenting issues quickly.

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 Posted on December 15, 2015 in Divorce

High net worth divorce cases often have complicated finances that need to be evaluated before any agreement for dividing the assets can be reached. Even when a couple is deeply involved in the management of their assets and income, experts are usually needed in a divorce.

The Types of Experts You May Need

A divorce may have several different issues at stake. Couples frequently fight over parenting time, child support, spousal maintenance, and the marital assets. The court will often appoint a custody evaluator to deal with parenting time issues. However, both sides frequently hire experts to deal with the money issues.

Forensic accountants are used to evaluate the marital assets. They will dig into the records and statements to make sure all the property is accounted for. Forensic accounts not only look for hidden assets, but they also make sure assets are properly valued.

When there is a business involved, a forensic accountant may not be enough. A business valuation expert familiar with the particular industry may be needed. Sometimes the biggest assets a business has do not appear on the balance sheets-the value of the brand and the goodwill of the business need to have a dollar tag attached to them for the purposes of the divorce.

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 Posted on December 08, 2015 in Family Law

When a marriage begins to fall apart, or even after a divorce is in process, one spouse may react emotionally and destroy, damage, or waste marital assets. This behavior is called dissipation of assets. Under Illinois law there can be severe consequences for such behavior.

What Dissipation of Assets Looks Like

Dissipation of assets can take many different forms. Common situations where a court will find that a spouse has wasted a marital asset include the following:

• Spending money on an affair;
• Excessive gambling losses;
• Allowing a house to fall onto foreclosure;
• Allowing a vehicle to be repossessed;
• Substance abuse;
• Physically destroying personal property; and
• Transferring marital property at a loss to a third party.

Proving Dissipation of Assets

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 Posted on December 03, 2015 in Family Law

After a final decision has been reached in your family law case, you only have a short time to decide if you should file an appeal. Not every case is suited for an appeal. You need to have your case evaluated by a lawyer with experience in bringing appeals of family law cases.

Timelines and Options

Illinois law usually requires that any appeals of final orders be filed within 30 days of the order being issued. The first document you file is a Notice of Appeal. While appeals of custody orders are often heard on an accelerated docket, most appeals take months, or sometimes longer, to be completed.

After an order is issued you also may have other issues besides an appeal. Depending on the facts of the case, either party can file a motion for the court to reconsider the ruling. Additionally, a motion to modify an order may be appropriate if there has been new evidence or a significant change in circumstances.

What Types of Issues Can be Appealed?

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 Posted on December 01, 2015 in Divorce

Dealing with real estate can be one of the most contentious issues in a divorce. Whether it is a fight over the family home, a vacation property, or even a vacant piece of land, people are often emotionally attached to their real estate. How much say does a divorce court judge have over what happens to your land?

Deciding if the Land is Marital Property

Under Illinois law, in a divorce case, all property including both real estate and personal property is put into one of two categories. Either the property is individual property or it is marital property. The court has jurisdiction over anything that is considered marital property.

The general rule is that anything acquired by either spouse after the start of the marriage is considered marital property. Any increase in value is also considered marital property. There are several exceptions to this rule. The two biggest exceptions are that inheritances and gifts are not marital property as long as they are not commingled.

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 Posted on November 23, 2015 in Divorce

After you receive your judgment from the court finalizing your divorce, you may feel a sense of relief. However, even after a divorce is final, there may be additional issues.

In the months and years after the divorce, you may need to go back to court for modifications or for enforcement actions.

Updating Personal Documents and Complying With Orders

The court may have legally terminated your marriage, however you probably have several accounts and insurance policies that still list your previous spouse. During the divorce you are often not allowed to make any changes to things such as lists of dependents or beneficiaries. However, once the divorce is final, it is important that you update everything to reflect your new situation. This includes updating the following:

• Will;
• Life insurance beneficiary;
• Retirement account beneficiary;
• Emergency contact for health insurance; and
• Bank account information.

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 Posted on November 18, 2015 in Divorce

If you and your spouse are divorcing and have children, then it is particularly important to understand the basics of Illinois child custody laws. A clear understanding can provide you and your spouse with ideas regarding a custody arrangement, and will help to demystify the factors that courts will consider when awarding custody. Additionally, divorce can be an arduous and stressful time for everyone involved-spouses, children, extended family, and friends all face the impact of an ending marriage. However, considering the following steps may prove beneficial to help make your divorce process less stressful and more amicable for all involved-primarily your children.

Encourage Your Children to Accept Change

Change is unavoidable when it comes to divorce. Even when the end result is joint custody, any children involved will have to cope with a new way of living. One strategy for helping children adapt to changes in family life is to make sure their daily routine remains consistent. After-school activities, sports, hobbies, and time spent with parents should remain as priorities.

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 Posted on November 11, 2015 in Divorce

The general rule in Illinois court cases is that each side pays his or her own attorney fees. However, in family law cases, judges have a lot of power to decide if one side should contribute to the other side's attorney fees.

The Court's Power in the Initial Proceedings

Family law cases are held in equity. Therefore, a judge is charged with making fair decisions. Still, this does not mean that things have to be split evenly. Instead, judges look at all of the circumstances and make decisions after taking all factors into account.

In a divorce case, if one side has the majority of the income and most of the assets are in his or her name, the judge may decide to order that person to pay some or all of the attorney fees for the other side. This is done as a matter of fairness. Judges may also take into account the bad behavior of one side or another when deciding to award attorney fees.

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 Posted on November 09, 2015 in Mediation

Divorce cases can be some of the most difficult cases to settle. Emotions are often intense on both sides. Moreover, both spouses may feel they are fighting for what is right and what is best for the children. However, when a case goes to trial, many times neither side wins. Mediation, however, offers an opportunity for the two sides to find a way to settle the divorce in a way that is beneficial for both spouses.

How Mediation Works

Mediation is a way to resolve a legal dispute outside of the formal court process. Unlike a settlement conference where the judge is often pressuring the two sides to come to an agreement, the judge is not involved at all in mediation.

The two sides agree on, and hire, a neutral third party who offers mediation services-the most effective divorce mediators are former judges or lawyers with years of family law experience. Prior to mediation, the two sides submit statements that explain what they believe the issues of the case are and what outcome they would like to reach.

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 Posted on November 04, 2015 in Child Custody

When Different States are Involved, Who Has Jurisdiction?

Families are becoming more global and less tied down to one city, or even one state. When a couple with children decides to end their relationship, an already emotional process can become even more complex.

Sometimes parents live in different states, or even different countries, and they both desire custody of their child. Illinois has passed the Uniform Child Custody Jurisdiction and Enforcement Act (UCCJEA) to help regulate these issues. The UCCJEA has also been passed by all of the other states in the United States.

Only one court at a time can have jurisdiction-the authority to hear a court case. The UCCJEA has a framework to help judges decide which court is the best place to move forward. Typically, the court where a child physically lives will have jurisdiction; however, there are several exceptions that are designed to prevent a parent from just taking a child and running to a place that the parent perceives to be friendlier. When dealing with interstate custody matters, it is important to act quickly and to obtain reliable advice.

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