Our Lake in the Hills child custody attorneys discuss the recent reforms that have occurred to Illinois child custody laws.  These changes attempt to limit disputes and move the language of the laws closer to modern understanding.  Shared parental responsibility now falls into four main categories including medical, non-curricular, religious, and educational and are dictated by court order or the parents.  Terms including “visitation” and “non-custodial parent”  are no longer used and have been replaced with "allocation of shared parenting time and responsibility”.  This gives parenting time to each without calling either “custodial”or “non custodial.”

Read the full article by our Lake in the Hills child custody attorneys regarding the 2016 changes to child custody and divorce law.

Our Lake in the Hills child custody attorneys in this article, explain the different factors courts could consider when making decisions regarding allocation of parental time and responsibility.  Decisions are based on the Marriage and Dissolution of Marriage Act and examine issues including  the courts’ decision to factor the best interest of the child, parent’s wishes along with a child’s adjustment to their living situation.   Some of the circumstances taken into account by courts include:

• A parent's substance abuse 
• Cohabitation of a parent with someone of the opposite sex.  
• They summarize many of the different circumstances courts base their decisions and how statutes and case law impact their decision.

Read the full article by our Lake in the Hills child custody attorneys about the factors Illinois courts consider in determining child custody issues. 

Our Lake in the Hills custody attorneys discuss marriage settlements, their creation and how they're implemented.   Marriage Settlement Agreements are used during a divorce to resolve various issues regarding divorce including:

• Custody
• Support
• Asset division
• Spousal maintenance

These are common issues that are attempted to be resolved with these settlements.  The courts may accept these agreements,  but can reject what they deem “unconscionable” in their opinion to guarantee the interests of the child are met.  We explain these agreements and how to update or change them even once a divorce is finalized.  ​

Read the full article by our Lake in the Hills custody attorneys about Marital Settlement Agreements.  

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