In order for a court to enter a binding order in a paternity case, it must have both subject matter jurisdiction and personal jurisdiction. The case must also be filed in the proper venue, meaning the correct county court within the state. Subject matter jurisdiction, is the court’s ability to hear the particular type of case at hand. In Illinois the state circuit courts have subject matter jurisdiction over paternity cases. This means that paternity cases should be filed in state court rather than federal court.

The baseline rule is that the disabled adult’s home state has jurisdiction over the guardianship proceeding. The disabled adult’s home state is defined as a state in which the disabled adult was physically present for at least six consecutive months immediately prior to the filing of the guardianship proceeding. A temporary absence counts toward this six month period. If the disabled adult does not have a “home state” because he or she has not lived in the same state for six consecutive months prior to filing the guardianship proceeding a state with a significant connection to the disabled adult may assert jurisdiction.

In this article, we discuss life events that may require a review of your estate plan. We discuss updating your estate plan when you get married, when you buy your first home, when you have a child, when your children reach adulthood, after a divorce, when you acquire new assets, when you want to change how your assets will be distributed when you pass, when you are ready to plan for long-term care.