Permanent maintenance is often granted when the parties had a long marriage and there is no termination date in site. However, permanent maintenance does not necessarily mean it can never be terminated. Permanent maintenance can be reviewed after a certain period of time. It can be modified/terminated at any time after a finding of a
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Benefits of a Marital Settlement Agreement
Most clients would prefer to spend as much time out of court as possible. Less court involvement usually equates to saving time and money all around. The Illinois Marriage and Dissolution of Marriage Act (IMDMA) promotes parties to settle their disputes by way of agreement. Pursuant to Section 502 of the IMDMA (750 ILCS 5/502),
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The Benefits of a Settlement
It is no secret that in Family Court, most Judges prefer that the parties settle the cases amongst themselves. They will try to engage in a settlement with the parties, through counsel, by providing guidance and recommendations at case management and pretrial conferences. Sometimes, settlement can be a difficult sell to a person who has
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How to “get rid of” an adverse order
In Illinois family law cases, sometimes orders are entered which are adverse to clients. Clients often ask if there are ways to get rid of an order. Sometimes, the answer is yes, but it is situational and the primary way to determine if the order can be removed depends upon how and why it was
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Post-Separation Purchases and the Effects on the Divorce
One of the first recommendations we make after a client retains us is to avoid any and all purchases of big-ticket items until after the divorce. Sometimes our clients diligently listen to us, often times they do not. Here are a couple of scenarios if you have purchased a property/car, or gifted large amounts of
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Restricting Parental Responsibilities
According to Sections 602.5 and 602.7 of the Illinois Marriage and Dissolution of Marriage Act (750 ILCS 5/602.7), courts in Illinois are to allocate parenting time and decision-making responsibilities according to a child’s best interests. There is a presumption that both parents are fit and courts should not place any restrictions on parenting time. However,
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