Posted on August 08, 2012 in Child Custody

Once upon a time, Jon and Kate Gosselin had a reality show on the network TLC. The show, Jon & Kate Plus 8, featured the couple and their eight children, fraternal twins (both girls) and sextuplets (three boys and three girls). But then Jon and Kate got a divorce and the show became Kate Plus 8. Jon was ordered to pay child support.

Gosselin, 35, has recently come out to the media, complaining that he cannot afford to pay support. According to a report on CW 15 NEWS, he recently claimed in a magazine interview that he will be forced to choose between paying his rent or paying child support for his eight children. "I can't afford to pay my rent and the domestic-relations staff tells me they will put me in jail unless I pay child support. I am a single father who's trying to make ends meet during a recession. What do I do — pay child support or rent? I need to support my kids, but I could lose my house, and I need my home to continue to have custody."

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 Posted on August 06, 2012 in Child Custody

According to Fox News, results of a new study examining the effect of children raised in broken homes where one parent was gay could eventually be used against those parents in custody cases. The study, which has been published in the journal Social Science Research, was written by Mark Regnerus, a sociologist at the University of Texas in Austin. His conclusion was that these children grow to be young adults with somewhat more psychological and social problems than ones from traditional families that had experienced divorce and separation.There were 2,988 people, between the ages of 18 and39, nationwide, who participated in the study. About half of them were born out of wedlock, with one gay parent. The other half were born into traditional families which eventually broke up.Problems in current lives, such as drug use, depression and unemployment, were reported more often by the participants coming from the non-traditional families. Those with a gay parent also reported less education and more sexual partners. There was a slightly higher rate of participants receiving public assistance from the non-traditional group as compared to the traditional family group.The New York Times reported that some gay rights groups discount the study, saying that its financing by conservative foundations make it biased and also claim it was poorly researched. The Times also contacted other experts who say the study was extremely thorough and provides some of the best information to date.Whatever your family situation, make sure you protect your rights and your children's rights. If you are involved in a custody dispute, you need the services of an experienced Chicago attorney. If you're considering a divorce, contact our supportive divorce lawyers today to discuss your family situation.

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 Posted on July 31, 2012 in Division of Property

Singer Katy Perry and actor Russell Brand, one of Hollywood's quirkiest couples, finalized their divorce this month that Brand filed for in December. According to MTV.com, the couple married in India, and split on good terms, despite all the cameras. Brand has been forthcoming about the divorce on Ellen DeGeneres' Talk Show and on ITV1s "Lorraine" show. Perry has said that she hopes her acceptance of Brand's filings inspires her fans to move on from divorce.

Not all couples are as lucky to end on amicable terms. Many couples seek therapy at the end of their marriage for help going through a divorce. According to the Independent, "professional counselors no longer necessarily aim to glue you both back together like a broken vase. They want what is best for both of you, and they may help both of you to deal with the divorce in a more rational and civilized way." This is especially true if one party isn't quite ready to call it quits.

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 Posted on July 27, 2012 in Child Support

When parties to a divorce have children, they typically address issues related to those children such as custody, visitation, and child support. One other issue, however, that parents may not anticipate, particularly if their children are very young, is the payment of college expenses. In many cases, it is far too speculative to determine what the parties' respective financial situations will be when their children are ready to enter college, what the costs might be, and if the children will even attend college at all. As a result, many marital settlement agreements or court rulings in contested divorces will simply reserve the issue of college expenses to a later date, when some of these issues become clearer.

Under the Illinois Marriage and Dissolution of Marriage Act, a court can divide college expenses between divorced parents, as well as the child, based on a number of different factors, including the parents' abilities to pay for college, the child's financial resources, and the child's likelihood of academic success. However, divorced parents should be aware that under Illinois law, a parent's ability to pursue college expenses from the other parent does have time limitations.

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 Posted on July 26, 2012 in Divorce

According to a recent article by Fox Business, a new study by the Spectrem Group, a financial consulting Group, more and more women are reporting that they are actually more financially savvy following their divorces. While the common perception often is that women who get divorced usually experience at least some degree of financial distress, this study shows that a person's class in terms of overall wealth has a huge impact on a woman's financial status following divorce. Evidently, the greater the wealth, the more likely the woman is to avoid the financial perils that so often accompany divorce proceedings.

For instance, the study showed that almost three-quarters of divorced high-income women, or those who were worth $1 million or more, reported increasing their knowledge about investments and finances in general, which only enhanced their ability to manage their money. Generally speaking, it appears that these high-income women choose to take control of their finances post-divorce, and have the means to learn how to effectively manage their finances. As a result, this class of divorced women seems to dodge the financial pitfalls and difficulties that tend to afflict women who have recently divorced, at least for the most part.

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 Posted on July 25, 2012 in Child Custody

An important aspect of every divorce is the division of property, especially when custody of children is considered. While dividing properties and assets like money seems easier, it is difficult to consider aspects such as life insurance. Yet it is increasingly important to protect the future of any children the ex-spouse pays alimony to with some long term life insurance. This is in case the alimony responsibility is not fulfilled before the parent passes away.

Before you sign any type of divorce agreement make sure you and your attorney have discussed including life insurance coverage into your agreement. As you discuss this please keep three things in mind. The first thing to remember if you are including health insurance in an agreement is to make sure it is enough to really help secure your future. Any death benefit should pay off your current mortgage, the cost of educating your children, and credit card debt. This will alleviate missing an alimony payment over the term of the agreement.

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 Posted on July 18, 2012 in Divorce

It's no secret that divorce is one of the most difficult things that a person can go through in his or her life. In fact, divorce is consistently rated as either the first or second most stressful event in life—sometimes more than even bereavement. Part of this is all the paperwork and administrative stress that goes with the emotional stress of a divorce. Selling a home is among these complicated processes that divorcees have to wade through.

Many couples going through a divorce decide that one party gets to keep the house, especially if there are children involved. This can be an easier situation. In many divorces, as Deborah Innocenti, a real estate agent in New Jersey told the Chicago Tribune, "listing the home becomes another huge symbol of their losses," which can lead to not only increased emotional stress but financial stress as well. Yet many couples cannot afford to pay a mortgage on a house meant to be paid by two working adults, and thus selling the house is the only options.

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 Posted on July 15, 2012 in Divorce

In a recent Chicago Tribune article, experts reported that more and more divorcing couples are moving toward the collaborative divorce model, rather than toward the more adversarial litigation process that has traditionally dominated the world of divorce. Particularly when children are involved in a divorce, it appears that more parents are seeing the benefits of placing their children's needs and best interests before their own anger, betrayal, and negative emotions. By avoiding behaviors that place their children in the center of their divorces, parents can work together to co-parent their children even if they are no longer functioning as an intact married couple.

In a collaborative divorce, parties work together with their respective attorneys, a neutral third party financial advisor, a mental health professional if needed, and a mediator in order to reach an agreement on all issues related to their divorce, including property division, child custody and visitation arrangements, and child support. The idea behind collaborative divorce is to avoid litigation, although it is still a possibility if the collaborative process fails in any aspect of the divorce. Obviously, this trend is positive for both children of the divorce and the pocketbooks of the divorcing parents.

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 Posted on July 13, 2012 in Divorce

In a move reminiscent of their whirlwind courtship, movie stars Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes have announced in an L.A. Times story today that they have reached a mutually acceptable divorce settlement, a mere 11 days following Holmes' initial divorce filing in New York. The parties and their lawyers are remaining virtually silent about the terms of the agreement, indicating only that they are working together for their daughter's best interests, to support each other as parents, and to safeguard their family's privacy.

The efficiency, speed, and lack of drama regarding this high-profile divorce is very uncharacteristic of many celebrity divorces, and, indeed, of many divorces among non-celebrities. Unfortunately, divorce is often a breeding ground for drama, accusations, fighting, and generally poor behavior between soon-to-be ex-spouses. Particularly when divorce involves children, as does the Holmes-Cruise divorce, avoiding this sort of behavior is the best tactic for all parties.

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 Posted on July 11, 2012 in Child Support

According to WBEZ, recent changes in guidelines for Illinois's All Kids health program as of July 1, 2012 will result in 4,300 children no longer being eligible for medical coverage. Under the revised guidelines, families whose income is more than 300% above the federal poverty guidelines, who are currently eligible for All Kids coverage, will no longer be eligible for coverage.

All Kids is primarily a health program that provides coverage for children whose family's incomes are too high to qualify for Medicaid, but who do not have access to health insurance through their employers. While President Obama's Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act will eventually provide coverage for this sector of the Illinois population beginning in 2014, coverage under All Kids ran out as of July 1^st, leaving a gap of approximately 18 months before coverage will become available for many of these children.

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