Month: May 2012

It is never easy to tell your children that your marriage is ending. Even if they are old enough not to be surprised, you have to choose your words carefully. And, according to parenting experts, you should adapt your message depending on your child's age. You can...

The Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers recently surveyed its membership -- attorneys around the country that deal with marriage and divorce -- about gender differences with spousal maintenance and child support. In our last couple of posts, we have been talking about the...

We are continuing our discussion of the Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers recent survey as well as the organization's response to the results. The survey asked academy members about spousal maintenance -- it used to be called "alimony" -- and found that family law...

The Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers occasionally polls its members about trends in divorce, legal separation, child custody, division of property and other things related to the dissolution of a marriage. The most recent survey asked about spousal maintenance, or...

Men and women are usually not fixated on money during the emotional proceedings of a divorce. They might be so overwhelmed with emotions like anger or sadness that they do not realize that divorce can be expensive and time-consuming. This is why residents in Lake...

We are finishing up our story of an annulment case recently decided by an appellate court. It is an interesting family law case that touches on other areas of law, including probate and estate planning, as well as a little civil procedure. In our last post, we...

We are continuing our discussion of a recent case from outside of Illinois that involved three sisters, Janet, Amy and Mary. While Janet was in hospice, just a couple of weeks before she died of cancer, she married Tim. They told no one. After Janet's death, though,...

We are continuing our discussion of a recent family law case that involved three sisters, a secret wedding and a petition for annulment. Illinois law uses the term "invalidate" instead of "annul," and it really does make more sense. Invalidation wipes the marriage off...

Family law issues come in all shapes and sizes, and they often dovetail with other areas of the law. An interesting case came up in another state that showed how estate planning and family law can come together. The case involves three sisters and a secret marriage....