Illinois Family Law: The Allocation of Possession and Responsibility of Pets

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Until a few months ago, the only statute dealing with custody of a pet was found in the Illinois Domestic Violence Act of 1986, which allows a judge to award temporary legal custody of an animal if domestic abuse is a danger to the pet. 750 ILCS 60/214. However, effective January 1, 2018, the Illinois Marriage and Dissolution of Marriage …

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Illinois Family Law: Best Interest of the Child Factors for the Allocation of Parental Responsibilities

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Everyone involved in a family law proceeding involving children has heard of the the “best interest of the child” test.  So what factors do Illinois courts consider for custody (errrr, I mean the “allocation of parental responsibilities”)? (1) the wishes of the child, taking into account the child’s maturity and ability to express reasoned and independent preferences as to decision-making; …

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Illinois Family Law: Relocation with Children

Rincker LawFamily/Matrimonial Law 1 Comment

Various reasons prompt a parent to want to relocate with his or her child.  Illinois, like most states, has strict procedures to follow when requesting a relocation since the relocation often times jeopardizes the relationship and time spent with the other parent. Relocation refers to three situations in Illinois, dependent on location: The parent moving more than 25 miles from …

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Modifying Child Support in Illinois

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  Modifications to a child support order in Illinois can be granted based on a “substantial change in circumstances” since the last child support order was entered. In addition, a child support order can also be modified if the petitioner can show that the obligor’s child support obligations differ from the guidelines set forth in the Illinois Marriage and Dissolution …

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Illinois Family Law: Was Your Marriage Invalid?

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When two people are going through a divorce, one of the first things courts consider is whether the marriage itself was VALID.  Albeit rare, under Illinois law, parties can assert a ground for dissolution of the marriage alleging that the marriage itself was not valid.  Here are a few of the possible reasons: a party lacked property capacity to consent to …

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Illinois Family Law: Common Law Marriage

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Interestingly, Illinois does not recognize common law marriage (i.e., when two people cohabitate and hold the other out as a spouse for a certain period of time); however, Illinois WILL recognize a common law marriage in other state if that couple then moves to Illinois and then wants a divorce. Importantly, this doesn’t affect child support if there are kidlets …

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