Posted on January 26, 2022 in Kane

 Ending a marriage requires the spouses to address multiple financial issues. Most couples need to determine who will keep the marital home, vehicles, furniture, and other property. They may also need to divide bank account balances, retirement funds, business profits, and other assets. Financial issues such as these are especially consequential in a high-asset divorce case.

However, for spouses or the court to determine a reasonable division of assets and liabilities, they must have a full accounting of assets and debts. Unfortunately, some spouses lie about property or income during divorce. They try to hide assets to shield them from division or fabricate financial information to lower their child support or spousal maintenance obligations. If your spouse is being less than forthcoming about financial information in your divorce, forensic accounting may help.

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 Posted on January 26, 2022 in Main

When married couples with children divorce, they must address more than asset division and other property issues. They must also address how they plan to raise their children as a divorced couple. In Illinois, child custody involves two main components. The allocation of parental responsibilities is the allocation of significant decision-making responsibilities. Parenting time is the time each parent spends with the child. Read on to learn about how parenting time can impact child support payments in a DuPage County divorce.

Do I Pay Less If I Have More Parenting Time?

Child-related expenses can quickly add up and child support helps unmarried, or divorced parents share financial responsibility for their children.

In Illinois, child support payment amounts are based on the parents’ respective net incomes. The amount a parent pays is almost exclusively based on the parents’ financial circumstances. The parent with the greater amount of parenting time is expected to make his or her financial contribution to the child by caring for the child and meeting the child’s basic needs. The parent with less parenting time is expected to make his or her financial contribution to the child through child support payments.

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 Posted on January 17, 2022 in Main

Being the victim of sexual harassment is already bad enough. People not believing you is even worse. Despite it being illegal, many people still face sexual harassment and discrimination at work. The harassment may come in the form of requests for sexual favors, derogatory comments about a person’s sexuality, offensive statements about someone’s body, or unwanted touching. Any form of sexual harassment is unacceptable. No one should have to tolerate being sexually harassed at work.

Employers Have a Legal Obligation to Investigate and Address Sexual Harassment

Did you know that per state and federal law, employers have to address sexual harassment? If you reported sexual harassment or discrimination to your manager and nothing was done, do not give up. Take the following steps:

• Report the harassment according to your company policy – Most companies have policies and procedures for reporting sexual harassment. Follow your company guidelines. If the person who is harassing you is the person you are supposed to report harassment to, you may have to go over that person’s head to the next supervisor.

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 Posted on January 05, 2022 in Main

 Divorce can be daunting for anyone. Most spouses considering divorce are only vaguely aware of what the divorce process involves. They may also be juggling feelings of regret, anger, and sadness which can make the divorce process even more intimidating. Fortunately, you do not have to handle divorce on your own. An experienced divorce lawyer can guide you through the process, offering the legal advocacy you need during this difficult time.

However, no two divorce lawyers are the same. It is important that the divorce lawyer you choose has the skills and experience needed to handle your particular situation effectively. As you vet potential divorce lawyers, consider the following questions:

What Is Your Financial Situation?

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 Posted on December 21, 2021 in Kane

As parents age and children become adults, sometimes the parenting roles flip, and an adult child takes on a caretaking role for his or her parents. Age-related cognitive decline, Alzheimer’s disease, dementia, and physical disabilities can leave an older person unable to care for themselves. If your parent is suffering from a physical or mental disability, you may be curious about seeking guardianship.

Guardian of an Adult in Illinois

Guardianship is a legal tool that gives control of a person’s personal affairs and/or finances to someone else – often a relative of the disabled person. The Illinois probate court recognizes several forms of guardianship: “Guardian of the person” gives a responsible adult control over the ward’s personal and healthcare decisions. “Guardian of the estate” gives the person control over the ward’s finances.

Often, guardianship is needed because an elderly person cannot make sound decisions and/or keep themselves safe. Limited guardians can make decisions about specific concerns but do not have full control over the ward’s personal or financial affairs. A plenary guardian has the authority to make any and all major decisions about healthcare and/or finances. The same person may act as guardian of the estate and guardian of the person or different people may fill these roles.

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 Posted on December 15, 2021 in Main

 Sexual harassment is a form of illegal discrimination. While unlawful, sexual harassment continues to occur in DuPage County and throughout Illinois. Workplace sexual harassment falls into two broad categories: Quid pro quo harassment and hostile work environment.

Many people are unsure of what types of behaviors constitute sexual harassment. Some victims of sexual harassment convince themselves that they are overreacting or misunderstanding the situation. To be clear, anyone who feels threatened, offended, insulted, or demeaned at work should speak up. Even if the behavior has not yet crossed the line into sexual harassment, it is likely to escalate in the future, so it is best to report the behavior right away. That being said, people who have been victims of sexual harassment at work often experience the same types of feelings.  

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 Posted on December 14, 2021 in Kane

It is common for spouses to mutually agree that one will work outside the home, while the other stays home to raise children or manage the household. When couples in these situations divorce, the spouse who did not work for pay is often fearful about how they will support themselves going forward. Fortunately, Illinois courts consider the value of non-economic contributions made by a homemaker spouse during property division decisions.

Illinois law also offers opportunities to homemakers in the form of spousal maintenance. Working with an experienced divorce lawyer can help ensure that you take full advantage of these opportunities. 

What Legal Protections Do I Have as a Homemaker During Divorce?

When a spouse has been out of the workforce for years, it can be difficult for them to fend for themselves financially. Courts will usually try to prevent a situation where one spouse is unable to support themselves and provide for their basic needs after getting divorced. If you gave up a career to devote yourself to homemaking or child-rearing, these options may be available to you: 

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 Posted on December 14, 2021 in Main

Many people assume that money is the answer to all of their problems. However, in reality, money can often make life more complicated. This is certainly the case when it comes to divorce. High net worth divorce cases usually involve a greater number of complex issues legally, financially, and personally. If you and your spouse have amassed considerable wealth and you plan to divorce, keep the following considerations in mind.

Valuing and Classifying Property May Be the Hardest Part of the Property Division Process

Deciding who gets what is often one of the most contentious parts of the divorce process. In a high net worth divorce, many couples also run into challenges valuing assets and identifying assets as marital or non-marital. Real estate, investments, business interests, and other complex assets should be professionally valued before spouses begin negotiating a property division settlement. Assets will also need to be classified as marital property belonging to both spouses or non-marital property belonging to only one spouse.

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 Posted on December 08, 2021 in Main

Employees have the right to be free from sexual advances and offensive behavior at work. Although multiple federal and state laws prohibit sexual harassment, workplace harassment and discrimination continue to be problems in Illinois and throughout the U.S.

Unfortunately, many victims of workplace sexual harassment never report the harassment. They fear that nothing will be done to stop the harassing behavior, or worse, that they will face retaliation for reporting the harassment. If you are in this situation, you should know that retaliation is unlawful. Your employer may not “punish” you for filing a sexual harassment or discrimination complaint. If they do, you may be entitled to legal remedies including monetary damages.

What Does Employer Retaliation Look Like?

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 Posted on December 02, 2021 in Main

Divorce can have major financial repercussions for both spouses. When divorce places a significant financial burden on a spouse, that spouse may be entitled to alimony or spousal maintenance as it is called in Illinois. However, spousal maintenance is only awarded in certain circumstances. Whether you are the family’s breadwinner or the lesser-earning spouse, it is important to know how spousal support may impact your divorce.

Entitlement to Spousal Maintenance

There are three main avenues through which spouses may receive spousal maintenance in Illinois. The first is a prenuptial agreement or postnuptial agreement. If you and your spouse signed a marital agreement entitling one spouse to maintenance, the court will likely uphold the agreement.

Spouses may also agree on a spousal maintenance arrangement. Collaborative law or divorce mediation may help the spouses negotiate the exact terms of the spousal maintenance agreement. Alternatively, the spouses may negotiate maintenance through their attorneys.

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