Posted on December 00, 0000 in Divorce

Deciding to end your marriage is difficult, but the process of divorce can be especially challenging if you are not prepared. Your divorce is likely to include a number of fairly complicated elements, but with a little advance planning, you can be ready for the potentially long road ahead. If you are considering a divorce, you should:

Decide How You Want to Handle Your Divorce

Your attitude toward your divorce can make a dramatic impact on the proceedings and the eventual outcome. Before you file any formal paperwork, you should set goals about the process. You can decide that you will do everything possible to keep your divorce amicable and friendly, or you can decide that getting exactly what you want is more important than preserving a future relationship with your ex. Keep in mind that a bitter, contentious divorce could end up taking much longer, costing more money, and may not be best if you have children.

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 Posted on December 00, 0000 in Divorce

In the course of a normal day, how often do you open a social media app on your smartphone to see what is happening with your friends and acquaintances? If you are like most people, there is a good chance that you log on to Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or Pinterest at least once a day. Among younger demographics, the likelihood is even greater. While social media sites can be fun, informative, and entertaining, they can also pose challenges to those who are going through the process of divorce. Sometimes, social media posts can even find their way into the courtroom as evidence.

The Myth of Online Privacy

Most social media sites and apps have privacy settings that allow you to control who sees what you post. It is easy to believe that by applying the right settings you are completely protected. Unfortunately, things are not quite so simple. You could, for example, set your account so that only your “friends” are able to see your posts, and, since your soon-to-be-ex-spouse is not one of your friends, you should be fine. But, what about those who are friends with both you and your estranged partner? What are the chances that they will see your posts and share them with your soon-to-be ex? No matter how strong someone’s good intentions may be, some people attracted to what they see as drama, and few things are more dramatic than a juicy divorce situation.

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 Posted on December 00, 0000 in Divorce

In a recent post on this blog, we talked a little bit about how social media can be dangerous when you are going through a divorce. If we are being fair, however, the dangers of social media are only half the story. It is also very possible for social media posts—such as those on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram-to be used to your advantage during your divorce proceedings. As you approach your divorce, there are some things to consider that could help you—especially if your spouse has a tendency to overshare on social media.

The Internet Is Forever

For generations, divorce cases have relied on a great deal of “he said, she said” testimony and evidence. A battered spouse, for example, who never sought medical care or help from law enforcement could only present her interpretation of the situation verbally. With the rise in popularity of social media sites, evidence from such sites is finding its way into the courtroom. In fact, a recent survey of divorce lawyers reports that more than 80 percent of them have seen social media evidence increase in their divorce cases.

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 Posted on December 00, 0000 in Divorce

Most married couples look forward to sharing a bed after a long day. Spending time being physically close to your partner is an important component to any romantic relationship. A lack of physical intimacy is often associated with a higher likelihood of divorce. According to a study by the National Sleep Foundation, however, many married couples are choosing to sleep in separate bedrooms.

A Better Night's Rest Can Lead to a Healthier Relationship

Whether we like to admit it or not, most of us have at least some annoying nighttime habits. Some snore loudly or toss and turn; others talk in their sleep or sleepwalk. A person may get up to go to the bathroom several times throughout the night or be unable to stay asleep because of insomnia or other health issues. All of these interruptions can lead to a very unrestful night for a partner sharing the same bed. After a night of being interrupted and getting little quality sleep, a person is likely to be grumpy and irritable. Some may even feel anger or resentment towards their partner for disrupting their sleep – even if they know it is not their partner’s fault. This resentment can build up over time and be a catalyst for arguing and poor communication between spouses.

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 Posted on December 00, 0000 in Divorce

If you completed the process of divorce last year, filing your income taxes this year has probably raised a number of questions. (If you have not yet filed, the deadline for personal income tax returns is fast approaching. Presuming your divorce finalized on or before December 31, 2016, you almost certainly filed this year’s taxes as a single filer. Many single filers still end up receiving a refund for overpaid taxes, but if you have recently divorced, you may not be entitled to keep your entire refund for yourself.

A Tax Refund Is Not New Income

In an Illinois divorce proceeding, a couple’s marital property must be divided equitably between the spouses. Marital property, in general, refers to all assets and debts acquired by each spouse during the marriage, with a few limited exceptions. All other property, including that acquired before the marriage or after the divorce finalizes, is considered non-marital or separate property.

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 Posted on December 00, 0000 in Divorce

“Should I leave or should I stay? What about the kids? What will my friends and family think if I leave? Is my marriage salvageable?” If these or similar thoughts have been running through your mind recently, you are probably in the arduous indecision stage of a struggling marriage. Trying to decide if a marriage is truly over or not is one of the hardest decisions you will ever make. Only you can choose what is right for your situation, but experts do have some advice for those contemplating a divorce.

Ask Yourself These Questions

There is no one-size-fits-all checklist of dealbreakers in a marriage, and everyone’s circumstances are unique. However, asking yourself the following questions may help you decide if it is time to consider ending your marriage:

• Have you been completely honest with your spouse? Until everything is out in the open, no real solution to your marital problems can be found;

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 Posted on December 00, 0000 in Divorce

Some divorces can take years to resolve, which can lead to many unfavorable consequences for both parties. However, many divorces can be resolved on a quicker timeline and with fewer attorney’s fees.

To streamline your divorce proceedings, consider the following tips:

1. Agree with your soon-to-be ex-spouse as much as possible.

This is called an uncontested divorce. The simplest divorces involve spouses who agree that a divorce is needed. In these cases, a spouse is not trying to escape a process server or file unnecessary motions to delay a divorce from being finalized. There are also a number of other concerns that could be settled with little or no court intervention. For example, if the spouses agree on how parental responsibilities or the marital property should be divided, these issues will not need to be developed by the attorneys and decided by a judge.

2. Have a prenuptial or postnuptial agreement.

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 Posted on December 00, 0000 in Divorce

Getting a divorce can be very emotionally taxing. Divorce can also be monumentally expensive. There are seemingly cost that come out of nowhere, especially in cases where the divorce is contested, or there are children involved. More and more people are trending towards collaborative law as a means to keep the financial burden of getting a divorce minimized.

How Expensive Can Divorce Be?

That depends largely on the type of issues that need to be resolved. There is no universal cost for a contested or uncontested divorce. The average divorce in Illinois cost roughly $13,800. More than half of that figure will likely be allocated towards fees for your lawyer. The average hourly rate for a divorce attorney is $260.

The size of the firm, the amount of staff that works on your case, as well as the total time spent on your case will be the determining factor for how much you will pay in attorneys fees. Other expenses may include:

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 Posted on December 00, 0000 in Divorce

Married or unmarried people sincerely love their pets. Roughly 78 million dogs and 86 million cats are owned throughout our nation. When a marriage between pet owners ends in divorce, one of the most contentious matters to navigate through is deciding who will take ownership of the pets in the dividing household.

Are Pets Subject to Court Ordered Visitation?

Illinois law mandates that “any person having a right of property in an animal, or who keeps or harbors an animal, or who has it in his care, or acts as its custodian is that animal’s owner.”

For example, a spouse who leaves the home of his or her ex-spouse who then attempts to assert ownership of the pet he left will likely have a difficult time getting a court to agree. The court would likely rely on previous Illinois law to determine who the legal owner of the animal was. In that event, the court would probably decide that since the husband had left the home, the pet was legally owned by the now ex-wife.

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 Posted on December 00, 0000 in Divorce

When progressing through a divorce in Illinois, spouses have to make important financial decisions. This must be done while tolerating a great deal of emotional stress. Many times this volatile situation can cause people to make unnecessary yet consequential mistakes. A substantial mistake made regarding finance is operating and making decisions without having ample information. Without the information required to make sound decisions, the outcome of a divorce can be left to chance, or even worse, the other spouse.

Budgeting Through Divorce

Another common mistake made when spouses are going through a divorce is not adequately budgeting. When spouses are married, they become accustomed to having the financial resources of two incomes. When a marriage ends in divorce, the spouses are forced to adapt their financial decision making to address the fact that they no longer have the other spouse’s income available. Not making a conscious and focused consideration about the decreased income that spouses have available to them can lead to serious financial shortcomings that an Illinois court may not be able to rectify.

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