Posted on March 14, 2013 in Family Law

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 Posted on March 11, 2013 in Divorce

Heavy and incompatible drinking, or when one spouse consumes a significantly higher amount of alcohol than the other, has been shown to increase the chance of divorce. This has been proven in a study of almost 20,000 Norwegian couples that was recently released. Researchers at the Norwegian Institute of Public Health collected and reviewed data from 19,977 married couples in one county in Norway, and found that spouses who consumed similar amounts of alcohol were less likely to get a divorce than couples in which one spouse was a heavy drinker and the other was not. When the wife was the one who was drinking more alcohol, the risk of divorce was especially high. Norwegian Institute of Public Health director Ellinor F. Major was especially interested in the fact that when women were the heavy drinkers, the divorce rate was higher. “The risk of divorce is estimated to be tripled when the husband’s level of drinking is low and the wife’s drinking is heavy, compared with couples where both drink lightly,” reported Major in the online edition of Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research. Another researcher from the Norwegian Institute of Public Health Fartein and author of the study Ask Torvi suggested possible explanations for why heavy drinking in women, specifically, may increase the chance for divorce: “One of them is that women in general seem to be more strongly affected by heavy drinking that men are. Thus, heavy-drinking women may be more impaired than heavy-drinking men,” said Torvi. He added, “A wife’s heavy drinking probably also interferes more with general family life – that is, the caring role of the mother, upbringing of children, etc. Perhaps the husband is more apt to leave their spouse than is the wife when major problems occur.” This study is not the first time that researchers have linked alcohol consumption to marital status. A study was presented in August 2012 at the annual meeting of the American Sociological Association, which indicated that married women drink more than divorced and widowed women, in part due to the men that they lived with that who had higher rates of alcohol consumption. Married men, however, seemed to drink less than their divorced and single counterparts. If alcohol consumption has interfered with your marriage and you are considering filing for divorce, contact Goostree Law Group today. Located in Kane County, IL, these experienced divorce lawyers can help you with a smooth, painless divorce.

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 Posted on March 08, 2013 in Child Custody

Pick up any tabloid magazine and you’re sure to find at least one article about celebrity couple Kim Kardashian and Kanye West and the new baby they have on the way. But a recent article in The Examiner raises the question as to who legally under California law, where the couple reside, could be considered the baby’s father. Kardashian is still legally married to pro-basketball player Kris Humphries. And although highly unlikely Humphries would attempt to lay claim to paternity of the baby, under California law, he could legally be entitled to do just that. In California, the husband of a pregnant woman is legally presumed to be the baby's father. Although the presumption of the law is that the married couple must be residing together, something that Kardashian and Humphries have not done in quite some time, Humphries could possibly use that law to his advantage in any divorce financial settlement negotiations. However the Kardashian/West baby situation plays out, it emphasizes the importance of establishing paternity. When relationships are working and everyone is happy, there usually aren't any issues such as financial responsibility for a child. But when relationships end, the fighting may begin. Child support and other financial obligations need to be determined. Children are also entitled to certain paternal benefits, including inheritance rights and Social Security and veteran’s benefits. If you have a child whose biological father is refusing to pay child support, contact an experienced Illinois family lawyer today to legally fight for your child and obtain what they are entitled to.

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 Posted on March 05, 2013 in Family Law

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 Posted on March 02, 2013 in Divorce

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 Posted on February 28, 2013 in Divorce

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 Posted on February 26, 2013 in Divorce

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 Posted on February 23, 2013 in Divorce

While marriage tends to reduce the alcohol intake of men, women seem to be the complete opposite, according to a study. The study found that married women appear to be heavier drinkers than single women, widows or divorcees. On the other hand, happily married men do not drink as much as their bachelor friends or divorced men. The researchers believe the reason is that women can reduce their husbands’ alcohol consumption whereas heavy drinking men pass their drinking habits to their wives. Married people generally do not drink as much as non-married people. Women also tend to drink less than men and are not as likely to have an alcohol problem. In another study, which was led by Corinne Reczek, an assistant professor at the University of Cincinnati, researchers found that getting married or divorced affected drinking habits, but men and women were very different in this respect. The biggest difference in alcohol intake was between happily married men and recently divorced men, who often start drinking more alcohol during their divorce. However, women were different. Divorced women generally did not drink as much as those still married. “Our qualitative results suggest this occurs because men introduce and prompt women’s drinking, and because divorced women lose the influence of men’s alcohol use upon dissolution,” the researchers said. Marriage does not guarantee happiness and sometimes filing for divorce is the best option for you. If you find yourself in the midst of a divorce, you should discuss your options with an experienced family law lawyer who will defend your rights and protect your interests. Contact a knowledgeable divorce attorney in Kane County at your earliest convenience.

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 Posted on February 18, 2013 in Divorce

NOTE: A new law defining how child support is calculated in Illinois goes into effect in July 2017. For more information, please visit our Child Support page.

The DePaulia, the student newspaper for DePaul University, has highlighted the fact that it been over two years since the Illinois Child Support Advisory Committee recommended that Illinois perform a major overhaul of the Illinois child support calculation model. Despite this clear recommendation, however, the General Assembly has failed to take any steps toward child support reform thus far. 38 other states have reformed their child support calculation guidelines or models since the 1980s. Illinois currently uses what is known as the “percentage of obligatory net income” model. Under Illinois law, the parent who is ordered to pay child support must pay a flat percentage of his or her income, based on the number of children the parties have together. A major criticism of this model is that it fails to take into account the custodial parent’s income, or the amount of visitation that the noncustodial parent exercises. In contrast, the income shares model, which is used in many other states, considers both parents’ incomes, as well as the amount of time that the noncustodial parent spends with the child. Experts advocate the use of the income shares model as a more fair and rational way of allocating financial responsibility for a child between the parents. Critics of the long delays in the child support guideline reform process point to the ongoing dispute as to whether the proposed reform should be based on parents’ gross incomes or net incomes. Another question lies in what percentage of time a noncustodial parent must spend with a child in order to impact his or her child support obligation. More importantly, at least one child support reform advocate notes that while politicians, lawyers, and judges are heavily involved in the drafting process, parents – who arguably most affected by such reform – are largely absent from the process. While child support reform may become applicable to parents at some point in the future, divorcing parents now must follow the current Illinois laws with respect to the calculation of child support. Whether you will be paying or receiving child support in the near future, it is best to consult with an experienced Crystal Lake divorce lawyer in order to get a clear idea of the amount of support that will be involved in your case.

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 Posted on February 15, 2013 in Divorce

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