Posted on September 17, 2024 in Child Custody

In this day and age, content creation is so common that it is almost strange not to have your own channels. Some influencers - children and adults alike - have as large a following as famous singers and movie stars. When popular influencers’ posts are combined with affiliate marketing, sponsored content, and subscriptions, serious money can be made.

For some children, a fun casual interest in creating online content can turn into a profitable career very quickly. However, parents of minor children who appear in paid online content need to know the laws regulating their work. A new law recently enacted in Illinois requires you to compensate your children when they appear in money-earning posts. To learn more about how this could impact you, speak with a knowledgeable DuPage County, IL family law attorney.

What Are Parents of Child Influencers Obligated to Do?

Amendments to Illinois’s Child Labor Law now require parents to pay their children if certain conditions are met, including:

Continue Reading ››

 Posted on September 12, 2024 in Family Law

Although "prenuptial agreement" is a well-known phrase that many people have heard, there is a great deal of confusion about what it means. Often, it comes up in TV shows portraying a couple about to get married when suddenly the wealthy fiance's family issues an ultimatum, telling the other fiance to sign the prenup "or else." 

Thankfully, the truth can be far less dramatic. Prenuptial agreements are practical documents that act like a contract, where both fiances are given a clear understanding of how financial matters will be handled in their marriage and in the hypothetical event of a future divorce. If you are wondering whether a prenuptial agreement is a good idea for you, contact a knowledgeable Wheaton, IL family law attorney to learn more.

The Benefits of a Prenup

One main reason people sign a prenup is the peace of mind it provides by dispelling the misconception that they will end up with nothing in a divorce. Married couples often merge their finances to some degree. 

Continue Reading ››

 Posted on August 28, 2024 in Divorce

Most couples going through a divorce are aware of the need for them to figure out how they will divide their marital assets. Illinois follows an equitable distribution model for dividing assets, which focuses on an arrangement that might not be equal but is fair based on several factors that are taken into consideration. It is, therefore, important for both spouses to agree about the value of each item considered a marital asset. However, some assets are unusual and can be difficult to value. Art, collectibles, and family-run businesses are just some examples of assets that can be difficult to divide in a divorce. If your marital assets include hard-to-value items, speak with an experienced DuPage County, IL divorce lawyer who can help you gain clarity and understanding.

How Are Unusual Items Valued for a Divorce Settlement?

Before a couple reaches a divorce settlement, they need to examine the total value of their marital estate. Figuring out the value of some assets, like a bank account, for example, is fairly clear-cut. However, valuing assets like heirlooms, art, jewelry, antique collections, cryptocurrency, and businesses can be much more difficult. In addition to the actual value of an item, factors like market trends and demand could impact what something is worth. If a couple has these types of items, they need an expert appraiser to help them understand how much their assets are worth, typically by determining how much the item could be sold for.

Continue Reading ››

 Posted on August 20, 2024 in Divorce

Many people getting a divorce have never been through one before. Naturally, all the emotional, legal, logistical, and financial steps can be overwhelming. Finding an experienced and reliable lawyer is an excellent first step, but some people need the support of a specialized mental health professional to get through the process. If you believe you could benefit from that type of assistance, contact a DuPage County, IL lawyer about hiring a divorce coach.

What Does a Divorce Coach Do?

A divorce coach is a mental health professional specially trained to guide people through their divorce. Having unique experience with divorce-related issues such as child development, co-parenting plans, and custody battles, divorce coaches can help you navigate all the demands and decisions you need to make when it feels like you are in crisis mode. When you feel like you are being pulled in so many directions and you do not have the emotional bandwidth to think clearly, a divorce coach’s unique skills might be exactly what you need. By asking questions, making suggestions, and offering advice, a divorce coach can help you understand and articulate your feelings, desires, and red lines and help you create coping strategies that you might use for yourself or your children.

Continue Reading ››

 Posted on August 14, 2024 in Family Law

When people hear that someone is signing a postnuptial agreement, they might mistakenly think it means that they are headed toward divorce. Depending on the couple, the opposite might be true. You may be surprised to learn some of the reasons why a postnuptial agreement can be a positive step for couples. If you and your spouse are considering signing a postnuptial agreement, speak with an experienced DuPage County, IL family law attorney to learn more.

Benefits of a Postnuptial Agreement

Postnuptial agreements sometimes get a bad rap. People wrongly assume it means the couple is laying the groundwork for an eventual divorce. The truth is, having one can be a refreshing way to move forward as a couple, and some people feel like a huge weight has been lifted off their shoulders after signing one. Some reasons why include:

Continue Reading ››

 Posted on August 07, 2024 in Asset Division

When a couple decides to end their marriage, there are many things they need to figure out how to split. Whether they own a home, have children, or founded a business together, it can be complicated going from being a couple to becoming two single individuals. One of the things that people often ask about is what happens with their retirement funds if they get a divorce. This article will explain a bit about how these funds would likely be divided. If you have further questions, speak with a knowledgeable Wheaton, IL divorce lawyer to find out more.

How Are the Funds Divided?

In Illinois, retirement funds are considered marital property if they were accumulated during the marriage. This means that both spouses might have a valid claim to them. The division of retirement accounts is usually part of the overall property division process in a divorce. To understand how a couple’s retirement funds might be divided, there are several things to consider:

Continue Reading ››

 Posted on July 30, 2024 in Family Law

Child support is a legal measure that courts use to make sure children’s needs are met after a divorce. Both parents are usually obligated to pay child support, though how much they pay depends on factors like custody arrangements and annual income. When a judge orders child support payments, it is after considering the child’s educational and developmental needs. These include any disabilities that might require extra care.

Parents may stop paying child support payments in certain cases, though you should always check with an Illinois child support attorney before you stop making child support payments.

When Can I Stop Paying Child Support?

Parents are usually absolved from paying child support in the following cases:

Continue Reading ››

 Posted on July 22, 2024 in Asset Division

People who decide to get divorced face many unknowns, particularly when it comes to property division. When two people dissolve their marriage, the law entitles both of them to marital property. Also referred to as marital assets, marital property is anything that was acquired during the marriage. There are some exceptions to this rule, but most possessions gained after the wedding belong to both spouses.

The operative question, then, is how is this marital property divided? Who, for example, gets the family car? This article will discuss that question and the mechanics of property division. Be sure to speak with an Illinois divorce attorney if you have any questions about dividing property in an Illinois divorce.

How Is Property Divided in an Illinois Divorce?

Illinois law is relatively vague about how property should be divided in a divorce. It does, however, tell us the following:

Continue Reading ››

 Posted on July 14, 2024 in Divorce

Divorce can not only be emotionally taxing, but it can also drain your finances. Legal fees, alimony, child support, and property division all can affect your economic situation. However, dissolving your marriage does not need to break the bank. There are strategies that you can use to ease the financial burden that many people experience in divorce. 

This article will discuss three ways to lower the cost of your divorce. Consult an Illinois divorce attorney about other ways you can keep your economic future as secure as possible.

Stay Out of Court

One of the best ways to avoid wrecking the bank is to avoid a court battle, also known as litigation. Legal fees for court appearances alone can cost you tens of thousands of dollars, which is particularly high considering litigation is often not necessary. Most divorcing couples are able to reach settlements through alternative dispute resolution.

Continue Reading ››

 Posted on July 06, 2024 in Divorce

Divorce sometimes reveals an imbalance between two spouses. One spouse, for example, might be a stay-at-home parent who is unemployed, while the other may be a high-powered executive. A court, therefore, may order the party who is better off financially to pay spousal support, or alimony, to the unemployed parent. 

However, a divorce can sometimes drag on for a long time. Some divorces carry on for a year or more. During this time, an unemployed spouse may need financial assistance until the judge issues the final court order requiring the working spouse to pay alimony. In such a case, the unemployed spouse’s Illinois divorce attorney may ask the court to sign a temporary relief order.

What Is a Temporary Relief Order?

As the name suggests, a temporary relief order is a legally binding decree that grants temporary financial relief to one of the parties during the divorce process. This relief can be in many forms. In the scenario above, the order would instruct the party with financial means to support the spouse with none.

Continue Reading ››