The estate planning that you do (or don’t do) will leave a lasting impression upon your loved ones. Will they love you for it? Planning your estate, the extent of your planning, and the thoughtfulness by which you plan your estate is an extension of who you are. It’s your last gift to the people…
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What can a divorce attorney tell you about having a successful marriage? They can say a lot actually. We see all kinds of marriages, including those on the risk of falling apart, those entirely broken and those hanging on by a thread. Additionally, we draw from our own lives, our own marriages, those marriages of…
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While many in Illinois flooded to their assessor’s office to prepay their property tax bill due to the reduction of the property tax deduction on their Federal tax returns, the recent tax reform act enacted by Congress and signed by President Trump contains a significant change to family law matters. Maintenance or alimony payments that…
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Many people may not realize, including some attorneys, that each installment of overdue support owed by a noncustodial parent becomes a lien by operation of law against the real and personal property of the noncustodial parent. That means that these liens “arise” whenever child support becomes past due! This is a kind of super lien…
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As a new year comes, so do the effective dates of many new statutes that Illinois has passed in 2017. Several of these laws involve family law matters. Pet Custody The first and most talked about change is the authority for courts to now determine “pet custody” in divorce cases. We have previously done a…
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Over the last several years, the issue of pets in family law situations has drawn an increase in attention. First, pets were allowed to be protected under an Order of Protection and possession be granted to one of the parties. Starting January 1, 2018, the ownership and responsibility of a pet can now be litigated…
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This is the season to be pro-business. First President Trump and Congress passed significant tax reforms that are intended to help businesses, especially small businesses. Whether or not this occurs will be seen. However, one area in which the Illinois Government has reached out to help Illinois businesses is to lower the filing fees associated…
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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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Roman was elected President of the Batavia Chamber of Commerce and is currently serving as President for the 2017-2018 term. The term runs from August 2017 through July of 2018. The Batavia Chamber of Commerce is an organization made up of businesses and other entities in Batavia and the surrounding areas. The purpose of the…
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Roman Seckel recently spoke at the Kane County Bar Association annual family law seminar on November 16, 2017, at the Eaglebrook Country Club in Geneva, Illinois. His addressed the issue of Standing for Non-Parents in Guardianship and Allocation of Parental Responsibility. Roman addressed the same topic about ten years ago to the attorneys in the…
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