Month: August 2013

For 13 years, Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones have stood steadfastly next to one another -- despite critics of their 25-year age difference. Now, the couple has announced that they will be taking time apart to re-evaluate their marriage, and rumors have been...

There used to be a commercial on television that made a lot of people laugh. It featured a young lawyer entering an older lawyer's office to discuss a personal injury case they were handling. The older lawyer appeared quite confident and learned -- he was surrounded...

The 36,000 or so active duty military men and women who make Illinois their home received news last week about an important policy change. The Pentagon announced on Aug. 14 that same-sex spouses of military personnel will be eligible for federal benefits no later than...

We often talk about the difficulties of paying and collecting child support. In our last post, for instance, we discussed a new law in Illinois that the governor believes will help to reduce the state's $3 billion child support backlog. One man, however, finds himself...

Both the IRS and the state of Illinois consider gambling winnings to be income. You have to report it on your tax returns, and you have to pay taxes on it. Lottery winnings, slot machine jackpots and your take from hitting the trifecta -- it is all income. And because...

When we say there are serious consequences for not making child support payments, we are not kidding. The primary risk, of course, is to the child's well-being: Remember that one or two missed payments can put a single parent below the poverty line; in Illinois,...

We are continuing our discussion of a woman's situation with her immigration status, her marital status and her wish to bring her son to the U.S. In our last post, we discussed the different ways she could first establish permanent residency and then become a citizen....