Articles

The Importance of a Prenuptial Agreement

DuPage County Divorce Lawyer

We live in a culture where marriages are not always "till death do us part." Although most engaged couples imagine that their marriage will be a lifetime of shared bliss and cooperation with finances, the truth is that approximately 20 percent of marriages end within five years, and more than 30 percent end within 10 years. This is why it is important to consider all possibilities for the future before you get married. You need to protect the assets you held prior to entering the marriage and assert your right to certain assets you and your spouse procure during the marriage. If you have a child from a previous relationship, it is also critical that you protect his or her right to your assets through a prenuptial agreement. A prenuptial agreement is a lot like a homeowner's insurance policy – although you hope you never have to use it, it can be a lifesaver if you do.

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How Are College Expenses Typically Divided in a Divorce?

Naperville Family Law Firm

For young adults across the United States, attending college is a milestone. It marks the end of one's adolescence and the beginning of one's adulthood, ending with a degree that will hopefully make him or her more marketable to potential employers. It can also come with a huge, sometimes six-figure, debt load. In many families, parents help their children cover their college costs. Some families outright cover their children's college needs or partially pay for their tuition, room, board, and books, while others help their children save money by providing free housing, food, and utilities while the young man or woman attends college locally. As a parent of a college-bound teen, you might be wondering about your financial responsibility for your child's post-secondary education. Under Section 5/513 of the Illinois Marriage and Dissolution of Marriage Act, parents may have to help cover their children's college costs. The decision is at the judge's discretion and is made according to a series of factors that determine your child's need for financial assistance, his or her need for a college education and capability for success at this level, and both you and your former spouse's abilities to contribute to your child's college costs. Generally, the judge asks the following questions to determine a fair way to divide college costs among a student's parents.

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Tips for Child Custody and Summer Vacation

DuPage County Child Custody Lawyer

Summer is here, and that means it is time for summer vacation. For most families, summer means abandoning their regular schedules and cutting loose for two months.

When you have a child custody agreement in place, summer vacation can mean fights and chaos. New routines, summer camps, and family vacations can all disrupt the status quo of your custody agreement and lead to misunderstandings and resentment. Instead of allowing this summer to be an exercise in frustration for every member of the family, talk with your former spouse before school ends to develop a summer custody plan. By both agreeing to be flexible and working together for your child's sake, you can give him or her a great summer vacation while enjoying these weeks yourselves as well.

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Divorce and Your Social Media Network

DuPage County Divorce Attorney

A recent Censuswide survey found that one in seven divorces in the United States are caused by social media. This is attributed to a variety of reasons. Social media has changed the ways we interact with each other and use the information we receive, challenging previously-held ideas about what is appropriate to share with others.

Other statistics back up these findings about the effect social media can have on a marriage. Approximately one in five divorces in the U.S. is at least partially attributed to Facebook use. Eighty-one percent of attorneys in the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers report that they have used evidence found on social media platforms during divorce proceedings; 66 percent of online information used in divorces comes from Facebook.

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Litigation Defense Firm Wades Into Family Law

By John Flynn Rooney, Law Bulletin Staff Writer

Known as a civil defense litigation firm, the leaders of Cassiday, Schade LLP decided they wanted to provide more services to clients. So the firm hired Donato "Don" Pesce to start a new family law practice — the first time it had employed a family law attorney since it opened in 1979. Read more of the article.