Kids everywhere wait in anxious anticipation for the holidays, in particular, Christmas, because it means endless cookies, get-togethers with family, and most of all – presents! For the children of the separated or newly divorced parents, however, it also means a certain amount of anxiety over who does what, when, where, and how. As with…
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Most people today have an IRA, and sometimes more than one. IRA’s and 401(k)’s and other qualified plan assets have become more popular, taking the place of more traditional pension plans. Whether an employer makes any contributions, or not, people are increasingly aware of their own need to put money aside for retirement into pre-tax…
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The law never sleeps. While I am not sure this is a quotation I can attribute to anyone, in particular, the sentiment is all too true. Recently the Illinois legislature made even more changes to the Illinois Marriage and Dissolution of Marriage Act (IMDMA) by the passage of Public Act 100-0520. These changes follow on the…
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While many blog articles of late have dealt with the new child support statute in Illinois, the modification to the maintenance statute that went into effect on January 1, 2015, is still a topic that generates a lot of discussions. This is especially true now as many cases decided under the old law are now…
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The week of October 22-28 is National Pro Bono Week. When people think of attorneys, they probably don’t think of pro bono work, but a pro bono ethic is built right into the fabric of the legal profession. The phrase, “pro bono” is actually short for, “pro bono publico” meaning “for the public good.” In…
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According to The National Center for Education Statistics, about 35% of children ages 3-21 have some kind of learning disability. About 20% have a speech or language impairment. More significantly, about 9% of this population has autism, 6% have an intellectual disability, another 6% have developmental delay, 5% have some kind of emotional disturbance, and…
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The benefits of doing a living trust and transferring your assets into the trust during life are many. A primary benefit is that your estate will circumvent the probate process when you pass, if you do things right, saving your loved ones many months of administrative burdens, delays, attorney’s fees and other costs. You also…
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In case you have not heard, Illinois implemented the income shares model for child support determination, and it took effect July 1, 2017. If you are currently receiving child support, paying child support or are currently involved in child support proceedings or will be in the future, the new change may have a significant impact…
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We throw terms around without really thinking about them sometimes, but those terms influence how we think about the things those terms describe. Different terms have different connotations. For instance, the term, “family lawyer”, might generate a sense of wholesomeness; while the term, “divorce lawyer”, may conjure up a different set of feelings. These terms…
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The Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act (RESPA) addresses escrow accounts and the amounts that a lender may hold for payment of the borrower’s real estate taxes, homeowner’s insurance, and other items. A lender may retain a cushion, but the amount of the cushion a lender can maintain is limited by Section 10 of RESPA. Following…
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