MLG LAW GROUP-CHICAGO DIVORCE AND CUSTODY LAWYERS

Top Ten Ways to Survive the Holidays During and After Divorce Coping with separation, divorce and loss is MAGNIFIED as the holiday season approaches. Many people feel overwhelmed by the stress and strain of trying to maintain the status quo, when in fact, their entire world is collapsing around them. The Holiday season serves as a constant reminder of festive, happier times and is contrasted by the stark reality of loneliness and despair. While others are eagerly anticipating the holidays, a newly separated or divorced person often approaches this time of year with panic, sadness, and dread. Although there are no magical solutions to cure the holiday blues, there are things you can do to make it easier to cope. 1. PLAN AHEAD - Plan to do something that is fun, relaxing, and as stress free as possible with people you really care about. If the holidays are just too painful and the reminders are everywhere, consider a vacation that allows you to "escape " the painful tri

Top Ten Ways to Survive the Holidays During and After Divorce Coping with separation, divorce and loss is MAGNIFIED as the holiday season approaches. Many people feel overwhelmed by the stress and strain of trying to maintain the status quo, when in fact, their entire world is collapsing around them. The Holiday season serves as a constant reminder of festive, happier times and is contrasted by the stark reality of loneliness and despair. While others are eagerly anticipating the holidays, a newly separated or divorced person often approaches this time of year with panic, sadness, and dread. Although there are no magical solutions to cure the holiday blues, there are things you can do to make it easier to cope. 1. PLAN AHEAD - Plan to do something that is fun, relaxing, and as stress free as possible with people you really care about. If the holidays are just too painful and the reminders are everywhere, consider a vacation that allows you to "escape " the painful tr

Sweeping changes were made to Illinois Marriage and Dissolution of Marriage Act (“IMDMA”), including changes to Section 513, which is the new divorce law on college expenses in Illinois that regulates the allocation of post-secondary education expenses for non-minor children.  These changes go into effect January 1, 2016, and eliminate some confusion and room for disagreement that led to litigation under the current version of Section 513. The changes bring clarity, definition and certainty, but that will also mean that some obligations that might be imposed under the current version of Section 513 will no longer be imposed when the new law goes into effect. Section 513 requires both parents to contribute to the post-secondary educational expenses of their children according to factors that are intended to determine the amount each parent (and the student) must contribute. The list of possible expenses has been open-ended and open to interpretation which left room for disagreement

One of the first things that happen in divorces in which there is a disparity in income between the spouses is that the spouse with less income (or no income) files a petition for temporary support. The new revisions to the Illinois Marriage and Dissolution of Marriage Act (“IMDMA”) effective January 1, 2016, will drastically change the procedural steps for obtaining temporary support. The changes to Illinois divorce law on temporary support were made with the intention of streamlining and unifying the process throughout the State, reducing litigation costs and ensuring more accurate information is provided when temporary support is determined. Temporary support is addressed in Section 501 of the IMDMA and covers things such as child support, spousal support and other issues related to the temporary needs of the spouses going through a divorce. Temporary means while the case is pending and before a more permanent arrangement can be established. The need to establish temporary sup

(CNN) Pope Francis on Wednesday called for a more open Church -- one that embraces people who are divorced and remarried and their children. "No closed doors!" the Pope said to a crowd gathered for his weekly audience in Rome. "The baptized who have established a new union after the failure of sacramental marriage are not at all excommunicated: they are not excommunicated. And they absolutely should not be treated as such," the Pope said. Catholics who are divorced and remarried, while not excommunicated, are currently barred from receiving communion. In October, Catholic bishops from around the world will meet at the Vatican to review this and other church teachings on the family. The Catechism of the Catholic Church says that while divorce itself does not "constitute a moral offense," "contracting a new union, even if it is recognized by civil law, adds to the gravity of the rupture: the remarried spouse is then in a situation of public

Back-to-School Tips for Families After a Recent Separation or Divorce Returning to school after summer vacation can be difficult at the best of times, but it poses additional challenges for children if a separation or divorce occurred over the holidays. Here's advice to help your children answer questions from schoolmates- and how to know when to seek professional help for your child. By Diana Shepherd August25,2015 Going back to school is always a stressful time for children and parents; some greet it with joyful excitement, while others are anxious and depressed when the summer holidays are over. This is true for all families -but when there has been a separation or divorce over the summer, children can be especially anxious about returning to school. What are they going to tell their friends? Their teachers? If children believe the divorce was their fault -and most children do, until repeated reassurance convinces them they're blameless -they may be experiencing feelings of

A new law in Illinois as of January 1, 2015 changes how spousal support is determined for divorcing couples whose combined gross income is less than $250,000. This new law raises some interesting issues with respect to the global finances of divorce, so let's examine briefly the new law of spousal support in Illinois. The law, which was developed by the Illinois State Bar's Family Law Section Council, creates a protocol for calculating maintenance based on the income of the parties and the length of the marriage. The law that has been in use for years essentially placed a high degree of discretion with the trial judge; parties to divorce sometimes had very little guidance as to what a given judge would award for maintenance, or if any award was to be granted. Under the new law, a maintenance award should equal 30 percent of the payor’s ( the one who pays maintenance) gross income minus 20 percent of the payee’s (recipient) gross income, not to exceed 40 percent of the parti

Divorce and foreclosure often go hand in hand. If you find yourself facing a divorce, you may have questions about your current home mortgage, particularly who is liable for the debt after the divorce and how to avoid a foreclosure. Read on to get the information you need to help you through this difficult time. (To learn the ins and outs of the foreclosure process, and foreclosure procedures in your state, visit our  Foreclosure Center .) Who Is Responsible for the Mortgage? The first thing that a divorcing couple must first figure out is who is responsible for the mortgage debt. In many cases, when married couples first take out a mortgage, they obtain the loan and take title to the property jointly. In other circumstances, just one spouse may take out the mortgage and sign the promissory note. Signing a mortgage and promissory note has important legal and financial ramifications. The note creates the promise to pay, whereas the mortgage creates the lien on the property. (Learn

Many years ago, the myth began to circulate that if parents are unhappy, the kids are unhappy, too. So divorce could help both parent and child. "What's good for mom or dad is good for the children," it was assumed. But we now have an enormous amount of research on divorce and children, all pointing to the same stubborn truth: Kids suffer when moms and dads split up. (And  divorce doesn't make mom and dad happier, either .) The reasons behind the troubling statistics and the always-present emotional trauma are simple but profound. As licensed counselor and therapist Steven Earll writes: Children (and adult children) have the attitude that their parents should be able to work through and solve any issue. Parents, who have given the children life, are perceived by the children as very competent people with supernatural abilities to meet the needs of the children. No problem should be too great for their parents to handle. For a child, divorce shatters this basic