Some Grey Divorce Issues in Illinois

Partially because the marriage rate has declined, the divorce rate has dropped somewhat since 2000. The number of over-50 divorces, or grey divorces, has bucked this overall trend, however. This figure has doubled since 1990. Longer and more active lifespans may have something to do with the grey divorce phenomenon. Today, a 50-year-old person may expect to live another 30 years, and most of those years will be active ones. That is a long time to remain in a bad[...]

Did No-Fault Divorce End Saturday Morning Cartoons?

Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, and other stalwart superheroes were once a fixture on Saturday mornings. Some people still wonder what happened to these shows, especially since many superhero movies are so popular. There is some evidence that no-fault divorce may have been at least partially responsible for the demise of Saturday morning cartoons. So, in a way, Cook County family law judges may have closed the Hall of Justice, thus achieving something that always eluded the nefarious Lex Luthor and[...]

Five Important Property Division Factors in Illinois

When it comes to property division, the Prairie State is an equitable division jurisdiction. “Equitable” is not necessarily the same thing as “equal,” but there is a presumption that the divorce must not be an unfair financial burden for either party. So, to unequally divide property, a Cook County judge must be convinced that one or more of the following factors is an issue. Furthermore, the judge must also hear evidence that the proposed unequal division would not be unfair[...]

Relocation and Parental Responsibilities in Chicago: Can I Move to a New Place With My Child?

Many divorced parents face difficult decisions about whether to take new jobs that will require moving to a new home, and sometimes to a new city and state. Prior to family law changes that took place in Illinois a couple of years ago, the process of relocation (or moving with a child) was discussed in terms of “removal.” Generally speaking, in order to move with a child before Illinois made significant changes to the Illinois Marriage and Dissolution of Marriage[...]

How Electronic Snooping May be an Indicator of Divorce

Given that smartphones are now so prevalent, it is relatively common for one spouse to use the other spouse’s iPhone to make a quick call or to use an app like Yelp to find a new restaurant for dinner. Is it normal for spouses to routinely look through the email accounts and text messages on one another’s phones? For the most part, spouses tend to know the phone passwords of their partners, and there are no additional password protections for[...]