Illinois has some of the strictest gun laws in the country, and penalties for violating them can be severe. If you are caught violating concealed carry laws, punishments can range from a misdemeanor for a first offense to a class 3 felony for a subsequent offense, which can be punishable by five years in prison … Continue reading First Steps to Take After Being Charged with Carrying a Concealed Weapon

Illinois fathers are not getting enough time with their children.  Although, officially, fathers are supposed to have more rights today than they had years ago when mothers were almost always granted primary custody of the children, in actuality Illinois dads see less of their children than dads in most other states. According to a new study … Continue reading Why Divorced Dads in Illinois See Less of Their Children

What are the consequences of staying in a bad relationship longer than you should?  While no one wants to go through a divorce, if your marriage is really on the rocks, new research shows that staying in a miserable marriage can actually be bad for your health, far worse than striking out on your own. … Continue reading When Is It Healthier to Leave a Bad Marriage?

The divorce rate in the United States has been high for decades, but now, thanks to millennials, marriages today have a greater chance of lasting than they have for years. According to United States Census Bureau statistics, people under 45 are helping drive down the divorce rate. In addition, a new study by University of Maryland … Continue reading Millennials Drive Down Divorce Rate

Married people often have credit cards in common and don’t always think about who is making purchases on them, but what happens when divorce enters the picture?  Determining how credit card debt gets split in divorce presents unique issues, so Illinois has specific rules for assigning responsibility between divorcing spouses. It’s important to be aware … Continue reading How Is Credit Card Debt Split in Divorce?

The right to a speedy trial is a fundamental principle in our criminal justice system. According to the Sixth Amendment to the Constitution, “In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial.” The amendment guarantees a trial within a set period of time, and it prevents the prosecution from unnecessarily … Continue reading What Does a Speedy Trial Mean?

In an ideal world, parents who are divorcing should be able to negotiate and come to an agreement as to custody and visitation issues, and the well-being of the child should come first.  Unfortunately, this does not always happen, and the courts may need to step in. While people often want to know about joint … Continue reading Understanding “Joint Custody” Laws in Illinois

In Illinois, crimes are classified according to how serious they are.  Misdemeanors are less serious than felonies, which are broken down into five classifications, from most serious to least: Class X, Class 1, Class 2, Class 3 and Class 4. Although a Class 4 felony is the least serious of all felony charges, it still … Continue reading What Is a Class 4 Felony in Illinois?

When couples divorce, who gets stuck with the debts run up during the marriage? Just as assets are shared in marriage, debts may be as well, so it has to be determined which party should be responsible for what debts. Sometimes, even if your spouse was the one who incurred the debt, you may still … Continue reading What Happens to Debt When You Get Divorced?

When parents divorce in Illinois, child support is determined by a formula that changed on July 1, 2017, when Public Act 99-764 amended the Illinois Marriage and Dissolution of Marriage Act (IMDMA). Instead of the old method of relying on the net income of the non-custodial parent, there is now an income-share system that holds both … Continue reading How Is Child Support Calculated in Illinois?