Illinois Family Law

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We are in the throes of wedding season. I just celebrated my 25th anniversary, and I haven’t been to a wedding for a couple of years. But not too long ago, I was going to what felt like one wedding a week, and I’m sure there are plenty of 20- and 30-somethings who are going through that now, or even getting married themselves.

With that in mind, I thought I’d put together a list of legal tips for those getting married. I’m an Illinois attorney and while it’s possible these tips apply in other states, they are meant for Illinois.

Continue Reading 11 Legal Tips For Anyone Getting Married

In an ideal world, Illinois law would change so that every marriage would require a pre-nuptial agreement that would dictate the terms of divorce if a marriage doesn’t work out. It would save people a lot of money and heartache. Of course, that’s not the world we live in.

As a result, a lot of divorces in Illinois are nasty and contentious. That makes sense because when a relationship is ending, there are often a lot of bad feelings. Often people treat their husband/wife poorly because their feelings are hurt. One way we commonly see this is when one person…

Continue Reading Illinois Divorce Lawyer Fees When Your Spouse Makes All The Money

I was sent a link by someone who stumbled upon some “men’s rights” podcast that was discussing divorce. It was from some group that is trying to get rid of no-fault divorce. That’s just a fancy way of saying that they want to control their wives or leverage the divorce to avoid paying their spouse any money. It’s gross, but it’s not why I am writing this.

As happens a lot on podcasts or other online content, the speaker talked very authoritatively as if everything they were saying is correct. It’s a feature of a lot of these guys that…

Continue Reading Illinois Divorce Law – Don’t Listen To Non-Lawyers

When someone calls our office looking for free Illinois legal guidance, the first thing we typically say is “How can I help you?” We want to hear what you are looking for in your own words and we’ll ask questions as needed.

Sometimes people tell us they have no idea what type of lawyer they need. Other times they know exactly what they want but just want to know who’s best for their case. And other times they think they know what they are looking for, but are actually looking for the wrong thing. That’s most common when people…

Continue Reading What Is Family Law?

Recently a friend called me asking for a divorce attorney referral for his brother. Unfortunately the brother is in another state so I couldn’t help. We only handle family law cases in the Chicago area. I couldn’t help him, but gave the brother some guidance on questions to ask before hiring an attorney. These questions are helpful for anyone looking to speak with a Chicago divorce attorney.

  1. What is the retainer fee? If a lawyer wants $5,000 and you only have $1500, that attorney isn’t going to work with you. Retainers are payment plans and every lawyer wants that retainer
… Continue Reading 20 Questions To Ask A Chicago Divorce Lawyer

About once a week, we get a phone call from someone who is divorced and needs a qualified domestic relief order (QDRO) completed. In plain English, it’s a legal document that divides up retirement funds between the two spouses. It essentially gives you your share of a 401k for the amount that was accumulated during a marriage.

Even if a spouse isn’t retiring when you get divorced, a QDRO can be completed and entered into court when you get divorced. And it should be completed then. It’s a lot of paperwork and if you don’t know what you are doing…

Continue Reading Illinois QDRO Lawyers And Lazy Attorneys

A really nice guy who was going through a tough marital breakup called me looking for a Chicago divorce attorney referral. It was a typical situation where the marriage had run its course. He and his wife both have decent jobs and the biggest issue in the case is custody of their two kids and child support.

Based on his location and specific needs (including cost and some other personal requests) I recommended a very experienced, male divorce attorney in Chicago. After I described him and he agreed it sounded like a great fit, he said he’d call him.

Continue Reading Illinois Divorce – Should I Get A Female Lawyer?

It’s the time of year that people in bad marriages start to think about divorce. Sometimes it’s because around the holidays people take inventory of their life and don’t like where the are. Sometimes being in close quarters with the cold weather pushes people over the edge.  Other times it’s a new year and they want a new life. For some the kids are old enough or out of the house. The reasons go on and on and the reality is that whatever reason you choose is fine.

It takes courage to file for divorce.  Some people are too embarrassed…
Continue Reading The Good Thing About Divorce In Illinois