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Showing posts from October, 2015

New law regarding college expenses for Illinois Divorces 2016

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

2015 Changes Coming to Illinois Divorce Laws

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