When you divorce, much in your life changes, including your payment of taxes. Your filing status affects elements of your taxable liability. One important concept to keep in mind is that your divorce is a private contract with your former spouse; it does not bind any other party, including your creditors and the Internal Revenue…Read More
Articles & Information
Firm founder Gary L. Schlesinger is a frequent speaker and writer on various family law topics. Many of his articles are included here. We have also posted a variety of summaries and information regarding Illinois family laws.
Divorce and Life Insurance: Steps to Take To Ensure Your Are Insured
After a divorce, a spouse who is receiving child support, spousal support or other payments relies on their former spouse’s earning ability to cover those payments. However, merely having the payments order in divorce decree does not ensure their payment. Should your former spouse die, if you have not made the proper arraignments, you could…Read More
Credit Ratings After Divorce: Protecting Your Financial Options
Divorcing spouses have many issues to consider during the divorce process, including spousal and child support, child custody and visitation, and whether the process can be handled through family law mediation. But regardless of the presence of children, substantial assets or other factors, all parties must play close attention to division of marital assets and…Read More
Can you make your spouse leave the marital home in an Illinois divorce?
In many cases, one spouse voluntarily leaves the home when a couple decides to divorce. However, some spouses refuse to leave the home, even though the other spouse tries to force the issue.Illinois law does allow one spouse to make the other leave in certain cases, and an appellate court ruling handed down in June…Read More
For divorced parents, summer vacation may create scheduling obstacles
Summer vacation is in full swing, and kids throughout Illinois are settling into their summer routines. For parents, however, summer vacation can be a complicated time – particularly for divorced parents who must incorporate summer vacation into parenting schedules andchild custody plans. When considering how divorce may affect your children’s summer vacation, the following tips…Read More
Illinois parents with joint custody have first crack at baby-sitter duty
Thanks to a new child custody law that went into effect on January 1, 2014, Illinois parents who have joint custody and want to spend more time with their child may get the chance should the other parent need a baby-sitter. Specifically, the new law states that when an Illinois court awards joint custody of…Read More
The unique challenges associated with gray divorce
It is quite common to find people in Chicago who are divorced. According to the National Center for Family & Marriage Research, 19 out of every 1,000 marriages in the U.S. ended in divorce during the year 2011. While Illinois has a lower divorce-to-marriage ratio than some states, including Hawaii, North Dakota and Utah, many…Read More
Illinois could see changes to spousal maintenance laws
A proposed bill would change the laws about spousal maintenance awards, creating a formula for determining the amount and length of awards. In May 2014, the Illinois legislature passed a bill that would reform the state’s spousal maintenance laws. The bill is awaiting the governor’s signature. If the bill becomes law, it would take effect…Read More