Tinley Park Illinois Legal Blog | LeVine, Ehrman & Horberg Ltd.

Child support: A way to provide for your child in another home

On behalf of LeVine, Ehrman & Horberg Ltd. posted in child support on Wednesday, November 13, 2019.

Child support is an important financial arrangement that requires one parent to pay the other a preset amount of money each month (or based on another scheduled time or date) for the care of their children. Child support may seem unfair to some people, especially when they share custody regularly, but it's important to remember why support is so necessary.

Child support provides for children who live with the other parent more often. Support is required because it's supposed to make the home "whole," giving your child the full financial support of both parents in their primary household.

Every adult needs an estate plan

On behalf of LeVine, Ehrman & Horberg Ltd. posted in estate planning on Friday, November 1, 2019.

Too many Illinois residents believe that they don't need an estate plan because they don't have much of an estate or no descendants. But that is a fallacy.

Unless you are homeless and living on the street, everyone owns something of at least personal value. You have the right to determine to whom or which charity you would like to leave your worldly goods after you die.

What if you need to alter your parenting plan in Illinois?

On behalf of LeVine, Ehrman & Horberg Ltd. on Wednesday, October 23, 2019.

As a divorced individual, you know that not all plans work out. Sometimes, you need to pivot and regroup. Situations can arise in the care of children that necessitate a change of arrangements, just as they did in the case of your marriage. In this scenario, you may need to make changes to your legal parenting plan, referred to as a child custody agreement outside of Illinois.

What changes can be made to your existing parenting plan?

Don't let negativity and conflict hurt your child

On behalf of LeVine, Ehrman & Horberg Ltd. posted in child custody on Tuesday, October 15, 2019.

When it comes to child custody, it's important that both parents reach an agreement. When parents don't get along or have a lot of animosity between them, even something as simple as exchanging custody can become frustrating and argumentative.

As a parent who is looking out for the best interests of your child, it's important that you do all you can to reduce conflicts between you and your ex-spouse. Why? Negativity and conflicts have a detrimental effect on children.

Is it a good idea to have court-monitored communication?

On behalf of LeVine, Ehrman & Horberg Ltd. posted in divorce on Thursday, October 3, 2019.

One of the great things about technology is how it can change the way people interact and communicate. In the court system, this can also include requiring parents to talk with one another through court-monitored exchanges.

You might be worried about harassing calls or texts from your ex-spouse right now, but if you have monitored communication, that could put your anxiety to rest.

Open lines of communication for more access to your child

On behalf of LeVine, Ehrman & Horberg Ltd. posted in child custody on Thursday, September 19, 2019.

Child custody topics can be difficult for parents to discuss because no matter what they do, someone has to lose time with their child. Even if your divorce goes smoothly and you're both happy to work with one another on a custody plan, the reality is that your child will have to spend time with each of you separately. You will spend more time apart, and that's devastating.

The thing to remember is that there are ways that you can make the time apart more acceptable. For example, you can set up times during the day where you can have open communication with your child, like before bed or in the morning before school. You could ask for text communication so that your child can reach out if they want to speak with you at any time.

Illinois to simplify name changes in divorce

On behalf of LeVine, Ehrman & Horberg Ltd. on Tuesday, September 17, 2019.

A change in Illinois state law will soon make it easier for people going through a divorce to go back to the legal name they had prior to marriage. People, in most cases women, will have fewer steps to take before they’re legally able to go back to using their birth name, maiden name or whatever name they used before taking their spouse’s surname.

Passed by large margins in both chambers of the Illinois legislature and signed by the governor in August, the change will drop what seemed to many Illinoisans like a bizarre and intrusive relic of the distant past. Previously, a woman going back to her maiden name had to pay to announce the change announced in the pages of a newspaper.

Why does a young family need an estate plan?

On behalf of LeVine, Ehrman & Horberg Ltd. posted in estate planning on Friday, September 6, 2019.

Estate planning can start young, and it should start young if you have a family. One of the most important parts of a younger family's estate plans is naming someone to administer the estate and to establish a guardian for minor children in the case of your death or impairment.

It can be difficult to think about some of the situations that you have to talk about in an estate plan, like passing away young or having to think about who you'd want to have raise your children, but doing this now can prevent a lot of trouble in the case that you are unable to make these decisions later.

If you're owed support, seek it through the right legal channels

On behalf of LeVine, Ehrman & Horberg Ltd. posted in child support on Wednesday, August 21, 2019.

Child support is a payment made by one parent to another for the care of their children. Generally, this payment goes to the spouse who has the children in their custody more often.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, child support payments are inconsistent in the United States. Though there were approximately 6.3 million custodial parents who were meant to get support at the time of the study in 2011, only 43.4 percent of those involved in the study received support in full. Another 30.7 percent of parents received partial payments, while 25.9 percent of parents received nothing.

Mediation or arbitration could help you resolve custody disputes

On behalf of LeVine, Ehrman & Horberg Ltd. posted in family law on Friday, August 9, 2019.

When you're divorced, it can be frustrating to fight over child custody issues. From not picking up your child on time to not being able to get in touch, there are many issues you may be struggling with.

Whenever you have custody-related issues, it's a good idea to try to talk through the situation with your ex-spouse. If you are both reasonable, you may be able to resolve the problem and move on. If not, then you may want to turn to a different method of dispute resolution, such as using arbitration or mediation to resolve your conflict.