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Holiday Visitation Schedules

Published
Categorized as Child Custody & Visitation

Under both the Illinois Marriage and Dissolution of Marriage Act and the Illinois Parentage Act of 1984, visitation (which is also sometimes called “parenting time”) is allowed between a non-residential or non-custodial parent and their minor children.  Many parties that have already been to court and have obtained a custody judgment or parenting agreement already

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What is a Prove up Hearing?

Published
Categorized as Illinois Divorce

Obtaining a judgment for dissolution of marriage can be overwhelming, even if the parties are in complete agreement. Negotiating and executing a marital settlement agreement can take months depending on the complexity of the parties’ assets and the issues of the case. After taking the time and effort to execute a settlement agreement, parties often

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Broken Engagement

Published
Categorized as Illinois Family Law, Property Division

Diamonds are forever. Sometimes engagements are not. If the banquet hall was booked, the invitations are in the mail, and the rings are sized, the bride or groom-to-be wants more than his or her dignity back. Fortunately, when a storybook romance doesn’t result in a happy ending, Illinois law provides a chapter–the Breach of Promises

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Same Sex Marriage

Published
Categorized as Same Sex Divorce

You obtained a civil union with your partner and now that marriage between same-sex couples is legal in Illinois, you would rather be married.  What are our options? The new Religious Freedom and Marriage Fairness Act was recently signed into law and is scheduled to be effective as of June 1, 2014. The new Act provides that

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When Is a Permanent Maintenance Award Reasonable?

Published
Categorized as Spousal Support

Most people understand the concept of maintenance, formally known as alimony. The question becomes, what type of maintenance should a person receive from their spouse, and how long should it be awarded? The recent case of In Re the Marriage of Dea discussed this very issue. The husband Paul, sought permanent maintenance, a type of

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Grandparent Visitation

Published
Categorized as Grandparents Rights

Most grandparents cannot imagine not being able to spend time with their grandchildren. However, when a parent is at odds with a child’s grandparent, and chooses to exclude a grandparent from the child’s life, the law in Illinois presumes that the parent is acting in the child’s best interest. In 2002, in the case Wickham

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