MLG LAW GROUP-CHICAGO DIVORCE AND CUSTODY LAWYERS

Residency Requirement and Reasons for Divorce Divorce in Illinois is referred to as "dissolution of marriage." Like the majority of states, Illinois offers two types of divorce: fault-based and no-fault. Most couples pursue a no-fault case because it allows you to leave out the reasons for the breakup. Rather than placing blame or listing out potentially embarrassing details, many couples prefer to simply state that the marriage is "irretrievably broken." To file a no-fault dissolution of marriage, you or your spouse must have lived in Illinois for at least 90 days and separate from each other for a specific length of time. If you both agree to proceed with a no-fault dissolution of marriage, the period of separation must be at least six months. If only one person wishes to pursue a no-fault complaint, the time period is two years. MLG LAW GROUP 79 W Monroe Suite 925 Chicago, IL. 60603 312-374-4559 www.mlglawgroupillinois.com

The Mehta Law Group is one of Chicago’s premier law firms. Our team of lawyers and staff are here to serve you and to help build a better future for yourself and your family. We represent individuals, families, and children in every aspect of the legal process from beginning to end. Our attorneys bring with them over 30 years of combined experience, we are professional, and treat every individual with the respect they deserve. We are hardworking and don’t back down, our goals is always to advocate for our clients, to ensure a positive end result. Whether you are contemplating filing a lawsuit, or whether you have had a lawsuit filed against you, our team can provide superior representation with the goal toward obtaining the best possible outcome. MLG LAW GROUP 312-374-4559 www.mlglawgroupillinois.com

The relationship you have with your lawyer is sacrosanct. When you retain a law Even if you and your spouse agree on everything in your  divorce , you're still technically considered opposing parties in a lawsuit. Because of your competing interests, an  attorney can 't ethically represent you both in a  divorce , no matter how agreeable the terms are to each side yer M, whether for a divorce or another issue, the lawyer is ethically charged with holding what you say to him/her as confidential. That means your attorney cannot talk about your case in public or to third parties without your consent. There are exceptions to this, but I'll save that for another article. Going through a divorce is a stressful time. It's stressful for both you as the person getting divorced and for the attorney who is representing you. There's a saying within legal circles that "criminal law deals with bad people at their best and family law deals with good people at th

In her study of 1,001 reunited couples from around the world, only about 6 percent said they married,  divorced  and  remarried the same person . ... In the most recent reconciliation Steerman recalls, the  divorce  process took two years, and the couple  remarried  soon  after . MLG LAW GROUP 79 W Monroe Suite 925 Chicago, IL. 60603 312-374-4559 www.mlglawgroupillinois.com admin@mlglawgrp.com

Residency Requirement and Reasons for Divorce Divorce in Illinois is referred to as "dissolution of marriage." Like the majority of states, Illinois offers two types of divorce: fault-based and no-fault. Most couples pursue a no-fault case because it allows you to leave out the reasons for the breakup. Rather than placing blame or listing out potentially embarrassing details, many couples prefer to simply state that the marriage is "irretrievably broken." To file a no-fault dissolution of marriage, you or your spouse must have lived in Illinois for at least 90 days and separate from each other for a specific length of time. If you both agree to proceed with a no-fault dissolution of marriage, the period of separation must be at least six months. If only one person wishes to pursue a no-fault complaint, the time period is two years. MLG LAW GROUP 79 W Monroe Suite 925 Chicago, IL. 60603 312-374-4559 www.mlglawgroupillinois.com

The Mehta Law Group is one of Chicago’s premier law firms. Our team of lawyers and staff are here to serve you and to help build a better future for yourself and your family. We represent individuals, families, and children in every aspect of the legal process from beginning to end. Our attorneys bring with them over 30 years of combined experience, we are professional, and treat every individual with the respect they deserve. We are hardworking and don’t back down, our goals is always to advocate for our clients, to ensure a positive end result. Whether you are contemplating filing a lawsuit, or whether you have had a lawsuit filed against you, our team can provide superior representation with the goal toward obtaining the best possible outcome. MLG LAW GROUP 312-374-4559 www.mlglawgroupillinois.com

The Mehta Law Group is one of Chicago’s premier law firms. Our team of lawyers and staff are here to serve you and to help build a better future for yourself and your family. We represent individuals, families, and children in every aspect of the legal process from beginning to end. Our attorneys bring with them over 30 years of combined experience, we are professional, and treat every individual with the respect they deserve. We are hardworking and don’t back down, our goals is always to advocate for our clients, to ensure a positive end result. Whether you are contemplating filing a lawsuit, or whether you have had a lawsuit filed against you, our team can provide superior representation with the goal toward obtaining the best possible outcome. MLG LAW GROUP 312-374-4559 www.mlglawgroupillinois.com

The Custody Battle Between Frankel and Hoppy Continues Bethenny Frankel's divorce has dominated Page Six and the tabloids since she first announced her separation from her ex Jason Hoppy in 2012. Though their divorce was finalized two years ago, Frankel and Hoppy continue to fight for custody of their eight-year-old daughter, Bryn. Recent headlines have involved Frankel posting pictures of herself wearing her daughter's pajamas on social media and the overdose of Frankel's boyfriend, Dennis Shields. Hoppy has weaponized these incidents as a bid to have sole legal and physical custody of Bryn. Frankel uses the couple's history of domestic violence to paint Hoppy as an unfit parent. The big question in front of the Court right now is Shields' overdose. Are accusations of addiction of a third party enough to award custody to one parent? The standard for custody in New York is best interests of the child. The Courts consider multiple factors such as parental stabil

The new tax law will make getting divorced more expensive for maintenance payors by removing a deduction that has been in place since 1942. Not only will maintenance payors be unable to deduct the payments from their taxes, payees will not have to report the money as income. The March issue of the Illinois Bar Journal covers what practitioners need to know when it comes to planning and drafting settlements.  MLG LAW GROUP 312-374-4559 www.mlglawgroupillinois.com

The Mehta Law Group is one of Chicago’s premier law firms. Our team of lawyers and staff are here to serve you and to help build a better future for yourself and your family. We represent individuals, families, and children in every aspect of the legal process from beginning to end. Our attorneys bring with them over 30 years of combined experience, we are professional, and treat every individual with the respect they deserve. We are hardworking and don’t back down, our goals is always to advocate for our clients, to ensure a positive end result. Whether you are contemplating filing a lawsuit, or whether you have had a lawsuit filed against you, our team can provide superior representation with the goal toward obtaining the best possible outcome. MLG LAW GROUP 312-374-4559 www.mlglawgroupillinois.com

In a fault-based  divorce , the judge would consider evidence of “marital misconduct” committed by a “guilty spouse” against an “innocent spouse.” ...  Adultery  occurs when a legally married spouse has a sexual relationship with a person who isn't the other spouse.  Illinois  is neither a no-fault nor a fault-based state. MLG LAW GROUP www.mlglawgroupillinois.com 312-374-4559

The new tax law will make getting divorced more expensive for maintenance payors by removing a deduction that has been in place since 1942. Not only will maintenance payors be unable to deduct the payments from their taxes, payees will not have to report the money as income. The March issue of the Illinois Bar Journal covers what practitioners need to know when it comes to planning and drafting settlements.  MLG LAW GROUP 312-374-4559 www.mlglawgroupillinois.com

The new tax law will make getting divorced more expensive for maintenance payors by removing a deduction that has been in place since 1942. Not only will maintenance payors be unable to deduct the payments from their taxes, payees will not have to report the money as income.  MLG LAW GROUP 312-374-4559 www.mlglawgroupillinois.com

The Mehta Law Group is one of Chicago’s premier law firms. Our team of lawyers and staff are here to serve you and to help build a better future for yourself and your family. We represent individuals, families, and children in every aspect of the legal process from beginning to end. Our attorneys bring with them over 30 years of combined experience, we are professional, and treat every individual with the respect they deserve. We are hardworking and don’t back down, our goals is always to advocate for our clients, to ensure a positive end result. Whether you are contemplating filing a lawsuit, or whether you have had a lawsuit filed against you, our team can provide superior representation with the goal toward obtaining the best possible outcome. MLG LAW GROUP 312-374-4559 www.mlglawgroupillinois.com

Hello After Trying to find a decent as well as a will organize attorney will very stressful until I came across Sean and Angela as well as their team. Their price cost was reasonable as well so Affordable. That their whole office each person played a tremendous role to help my divorce run as smoothly as possible with me doing little to much of no effort. They kept Me up today with the processing , Payment plans as well as walking me through step-by-step of how the core procedure in the paperwork was going to go. Each person had a positive energy as well as a positive vibe I to help you reinforce as well reinsure that eveeverything is gonna be OK. I am truly thankful it's one about a my heart for their patience as well as their understanding to me and my family doing the town will needed them the most.🤗🤗🤗 MLG LAW GROUP www.mlglawgroupillinois.com 312-374-4559

The Mehta Law Group is one of Chicago’s premier law firms. Our team of lawyers and staff are here to serve you and to help build a better future for yourself and your family. We represent individuals, families, and children in every aspect of the legal process from beginning to end. Our attorneys bring with them over 30 years of combined experience, we are professional, and treat every individual with the respect they deserve. We are hardworking and don’t back down, our goals is always to advocate for our clients, to ensure a positive end result. Whether you are contemplating filing a lawsuit, or whether you have had a lawsuit filed against you, our team can provide superior representation with the goal toward obtaining the best possible outcome. MLG LAW GROUP 312-374-4559 www.mlglawgroupillinois.com

In a fault-based  divorce , the judge would consider evidence of “marital misconduct” committed by a “guilty spouse” against an “innocent spouse.” ...  Adultery  occurs when a legally married spouse has a sexual relationship with a person who isn't the other spouse.  Illinois  is neither a no-fault nor a fault-based state. MLG LAW GROUP www.mlglawgroupillinois.com 312-374-4559

The new tax law will make getting divorced more expensive for maintenance payors by removing a deduction that has been in place since 1942. Not only will maintenance payors be unable to deduct the payments from their taxes, payees will not have to report the money as income. The March issue of the Illinois Bar Journal covers what practitioners need to know when it comes to planning and drafting settlements.  MLG LAW GROUP 312-374-4559 www.mlglawgroupillinois.com

The Mehta Law Group is one of Chicago’s premier law firms. Our team of lawyers and staff are here to serve you and to help build a better future for yourself and your family. We represent individuals, families, and children in every aspect of the legal process from beginning to end. Our attorneys bring with them over 30 years of combined experience, we are professional, and treat every individual with the respect they deserve. We are hardworking and don’t back down, our goals is always to advocate for our clients, to ensure a positive end result. Whether you are contemplating filing a lawsuit, or whether you have had a lawsuit filed against you, our team can provide superior representation with the goal toward obtaining the best possible outcome. MLG LAW GROUP 312-374-4559 www.mlglawgroupillinois.com

The new tax law will make getting divorced more expensive for maintenance payors by removing a deduction that has been in place since 1942. Not only will maintenance payors be unable to deduct the payments from their taxes, payees will not have to report the money as income. The March issue of the Illinois Bar Journal covers what practitioners need to know when it comes to planning and drafting settlements.  MLG LAW GROUP 79 W Monroe, Ste. 925 Chicago, IL. 60603 312-374-4559 admin@mlglawgrp.com www.mlglawgroupillinois.com

The child support component of payments is not a taxable event. If someone receives a certain amount of money in child support, they do not declare that as income nor does the party who paid the child support claim it as a deduction for either federal or state tax purposes in Illinois. Maintenance, however – spousal support is what we used to call alimony – is a taxable event. There are some little wrinkles that the IRS has set up over the years to try to make sure that if money is changing hands and being called alimony, that it really is alimony. Assuming that those fairly simple tasks are met, the person who pays it takes that amount of money as a deduction right off the bottom of the front page of their federal tax returns. It comes right off the gross income. The party who receives it, it gets treated as ordinary income, so they pay tax on it. In general, maintenance is a taxable event, child support is not. MLG LAW GROUP 79 W Monroe Suite 925 Chicago, IL. 60603 312-37

The new tax law will make getting divorced more expensive for maintenance payors by removing a deduction that has been in place since 1942. Not only will maintenance payors be unable to deduct the payments from their taxes, payees will not have to report the money as income.  MLG LAW GROUP 312-374-4559 www.mlglawgroupillinois.com

MLG LAW GROUP 79 W Monroe, Suite 925 Chicago, IL 60603 312-374-4559 admin@mlglawgrp.com www.mlglawgroupillinois.com

The new tax law will make getting divorced more expensive for maintenance payors by removing a deduction that has been in place since 1942. Not only will maintenance payors be unable to deduct the payments from their taxes, payees will not have to report the money as income. The March issue of the Illinois Bar Journal covers what practitioners need to know when it comes to planning and drafting settlements.  MLG LAW GROUP 79 W Monroe, Ste. 925 Chicago, IL. 60603 312-374-4559 admin@mlglawgrp.com www.mlglawgroupillinois.com

The new tax law will make getting divorced more expensive for maintenance payors by removing a deduction that has been in place since 1942. Not only will maintenance payors be unable to deduct the payments from their taxes, payees will not have to report the money as income. The March issue of the Illinois Bar Journal covers what practitioners need to know when it comes to planning and drafting settlements.  MLG LAW GROUP 312-374-4559 www.mlglawgroupillinois.com

The new tax law will make getting divorced more expensive for maintenance payors by removing a deduction that has been in place since 1942. Not only will maintenance payors be unable to deduct the payments from their taxes, payees will not have to report the money as income. The March issue of the Illinois Bar Journal covers what practitioners need to know when it comes to planning and drafting settlements.  MLG LAW GROUP 79 W Monroe, Ste. 925 Chicago, IL. 60603 312-374-4559 admin@mlglawgrp.com www.mlglawgroupillinois.com

In a fault-based  divorce , the judge would consider evidence of “marital misconduct” committed by a “guilty spouse” against an “innocent spouse.” ...  Adultery  occurs when a legally married spouse has a sexual relationship with a person who isn't the other spouse.  Illinois  is neither a no-fault nor a fault-based state.

The new tax law will make getting divorced more expensive for maintenance payors by removing a deduction that has been in place since 1942. Not only will maintenance payors be unable to deduct the payments from their taxes, payees will not have to report the money as income. The March issue of the Illinois Bar Journal covers what practitioners need to know when it comes to planning and drafting settlements.  MLG LAW GROUP 312-374-4559 www.mlglawgroupillinois.com

Tips to Survive the Holidays for Divorced Parents Kyung (Kathryn) Dickerson Co-authored by Alan Plevy, Co-founding Principal at SmolenPlevy Divorce is difficult for children and their parents at any time of the year, but it can be particularly challenging during the holidays. There are a number of issues that can arise, including:  coordinating when and where the children are supposed to be,  the gift giving tug-of-war, where the parents try to outdo each other by giving the most expensive present, or try to make life difficult for the other parent by giving particularly annoying gifts, and the termination or modification of established family holiday traditions. The uncertainty and stress of being in a separated family or a divorced family can cause disagreements to quickly escalate into arguments, making this an overwhelming and stressful period for both parents and children. However, there are some things that you can do as a parent to make things easier during the hol

What’s Mine Is Mine, What’s Yours Is Yours - Or Maybe Not Fred Silberberg You are going to get married. You have substantial net worth. You have a business that you have built up over the years and it is now doing well. You are excited about your upcoming marriage and you don’t want to do anything that might take the excitement out of the process. Since you already own the business and you already have accumulated your worth, there seems to be nothing to worry about. After all, community property, as you understand it, encompasses that which you acquire during the course of your marriage. You already have the business and the assets going in, so in the off-chance it does not work out you will be okay financially. While it is true that in California assets that are acquired prior to marriage, or that are acquired through a gift or inheritance are separate property - they don’t always remain so. If the business you are operating continues to grow through the marriage, the apprecia

The Mehta Law Group is one of Chicago’s premier law firms. Our team of lawyers and staff are here to serve you and to help build a better future for yourself and your family. We represent individuals, families, and children in every aspect of the legal process from beginning to end. Our attorneys bring with them over 30 years of combined experience, we are professional, and treat every individual with the respect they deserve. We are hardworking and don’t back down, our goals is always to advocate for our clients, to ensure a positive end result. Whether you are contemplating filing a lawsuit, or whether you have had a lawsuit filed against you, our team can provide superior representation with the goal toward obtaining the best possible outcome. MLG LAW GROUP 312-374-4559

MLG LAW GROUP 79 W Monroe, Suite 925 Chicago, IL 60603 312-374-4559 admin@mlglawgrp.com www.mlglawgroupillinois.com

When making a  dissipation claim , a spouse needs only to prove that the expenditure was made at or during the time of the marriage breakdown or was spent for a non-marital purpose, (such as significant gifts, hotel rooms, air tickets etc for a mistress,) during the marriage.

Black's Law Dictionary defines  dissipation  as, “ [t]he use of an  asset  for an illegal or inequitable purpose, such as a spouse's use of community  property  for personal benefit when a  divorce  is imminent.

In the simplest form, " dissipation " refers to times when a spouse will conceal or waste  marital  assets in anticipation of a  divorce , but it can be more than that. ... Generally, it means to waste  marital  funds in a  wasteful  and foolish manner; this can occur just before the  divorce  or earlier in the marriage

In a fault-based  divorce , the judge would consider evidence of “marital misconduct” committed by a “guilty spouse” against an “innocent spouse.” ...  Adultery  occurs when a legally married spouse has a sexual relationship with a person who isn't the other spouse.  Illinois  is neither a no-fault nor a fault-based state.

Before the court can divide  assets  in your  divorce , it must first categorize the property you and your spouse own. This is because  Illinois  courts only have authority to divide marital property in  divorce . Any  asset  you or your spouse acquired during the marriage is considered marital property

In order to get a divorce based on no-fault grounds, otherwise known as “irreconcilable differences,” the parties must have been separated for a period of  two years . If the parties agree to the divorce in writing, then only a  six month separation is required.

While that it is true in community property  states  like California, it is not true in  Illinois .  Illinois  is an equitable distribution  state , which means marital property is divided in “just proportions,” not necessarily  50 / 50 .

New Laws 2018: Illinois laws that take effect January 1 CHICAGO (WLS) -- Haircuts. Cell phones. Freedom to Yelp. Obama. Dogs - In 2018, laws are changing to make life safer, better, more fair and more sensible for you and your family. These are the most interesting new laws taking effect January 1, 2018, according to Senate Democrats. More than 200 laws will take effect thanks to actions by Illinois citizens and activists working with lawmakers: improvements, refinements and updates to reflect changing times and needs. These are the most interesting new laws to give you a quick overview of what's coming your way. 10. Sticker shock or driving hazard? Those great deals might get you onto the lot, but a new law makes sure stickers, decals, paperwork and other items that may obstruct your view are off the windshield and windows before you drive away. The new law also includes test-drives. Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White said the bill stems from the death of Brendan Burke,

MLG LAW GROUP 79 W Monroe, Suite 925 Chicago, IL 60603 312-374-4559 admin@mlglawgrp.com www.mlglawgroupillinois.com

The child support component of payments is not a taxable event. If someone receives a certain amount of money in child support, they do not declare that as income nor does the party who paid the child support claim it as a deduction for either federal or state tax purposes in Illinois. Maintenance, however – spousal support is what we used to call alimony – is a taxable event. There are some little wrinkles that the IRS has set up over the years to try to make sure that if money is changing hands and being called alimony, that it really is alimony. Assuming that those fairly simple tasks are met, the person who pays it takes that amount of money as a deduction right off the bottom of the front page of their federal tax returns. It comes right off the gross income. The party who receives it, it gets treated as ordinary income, so they pay tax on it. In general, maintenance is a taxable event, child support is not. MLG LAW GROUP 79 W Monroe Suite 925 Chicago, IL. 60603 312-37

New Illinois Child Support Law Taking Effect in 2017 Under present law, child support is based on the net income of the  child support  payer. It is 20% for one child, 28% for two, 32% for three, and 40% for four. Net income is defined in 750 ILCS 5/505 as gross income minus certain specified deductions. One of the factors is NOT the amount of parenting time that each parent has with the child. However, there are a few Illinois Appellate Court Opinions that say that parenting time may be considered. In the fall of 2016, the Illinois Legislature passed and the Governor signed a new statute that completely changes the way child support is calculated in Illinois. The new law takes effect July 1, 2017. The law eliminates the former percentages and creates what is called the income shared approach. “To calculate child support based upon the parent’s combined adjusted net income estimated to have been allocated to the child if the parents and children were living in an intact hou