In previous decades, legal childcare arrangements often favored the mother after a couple’s divorce. A father’s time with his children was relegated to weekends and holidays, and sometimes not even that. Because of this skewed historical trend, many people are surprised to find that child custody laws in many states have been updated to reflect modern family trends. 

In Illinois, child custody has been divided into two important areas: Allocation of parental responsibilities (also known as “custody”) and parenting time (also known as “visitation”). Together, these two elements make up what is known as a “parenting plan.” If you are getting divorced, you likely have many questions about how parenting time is managed in Illinois. In this blog, we will do a deep dive into parenting plan arrangements and encourage you to contact an Illinois family lawyer for help with your case. 

How Do Parents Divide Visitation in Illinois? 

Unless there is a good reason to do otherwise, under Illinois law both parents are assumed to be necessary to a child’s well-being and development. Therefore, both parents are permitted to be part of the visitation, or parenting time, schedule unless there is evidence that one or both parents are abusive or neglectful of the child or other parent. Even in cases where one parent has abused the other parent in the past, courts are still hesitant to remove a parent from the child altogether and will often order limited or supervised parenting time. 

As anyone who has experienced it can testify, sexual harassment at work can make life miserable. In addition to the harassment itself, victims of such behavior often face an uphill battle to get their concerns taken seriously. 

Clearly, when it comes to sexual harassment, the stakes are high. People who suffer from sexual harassment at work may be reluctant to take legal action against their employer, but doing so may be the only way to make the harassment stop or to take a stand against employers and coworkers engaging in such terrible behavior in the future. Concerns about the process of a sexual harassment lawsuit may also be intimidating for some people. At MKFM Law, we are here to answer your questions and to make sure you get the help you need. For an overview of how sexual harassment lawsuits work, read on and then contact one of our experienced attorneys for help with your case. 

Steps in a Sexual Harassment Lawsuit

The first step in addressing sexual harassment is to file a complaint via e-mail according to your company’s anti-sexual harassment policy. When filing a formal written report with an employer does nothing to stop the sexual harassment, it may be necessary to file a claim with the Illinois Department of Human Rights (IDHR), the Illinois state agency responsible for handling sexual harassment claims in Illinois. It is important to note that there are time limits on when complaints can be filed - you only have up to 300 days after the harassment to file a claim with the state. 

 Asset division is one of the major issues that must be addressed in any Illinois divorce. Whether a couple already agrees how they will divide their marital property, or anticipate having to go through a long, drawn-out court battle to reach a settlement, the question of finances must be resolved before the divorce can be finalized. 

Because asset division laws vary from state to state and the process of asset division is often dramatized or oversimplified in pop culture, misunderstandings about the process are common. Couples looking to get divorced in Illinois are often surprised by how much they do not know. In this blog, we will dive into common facts about asset division in Illinois, but be sure to contact a divorce attorney for answers to your fact specific questions. 

Equitable v. Equal

Some states require divorcing spouses to divide their marital estate equally - that is, with both parties receiving equal shares of whatever property, investments, and cash were earned during the marriage. Illinois, however, requires divorcing spouses to divide their estate equitably. This means that couples will need to take into account each partner’s financial and non-financial contributions to the marriage, as well as each partner’s legitimate needs following the divorce. 

While divorce is rarely a simple process, for couples who have a high net worth or ultra high net worth, it can be even more complicated. People often feel as though more money should reduce their problems, and yet this is rarely the case - especially if you have a spouse who intends to fight you over every penny. Furthermore, high-net-worth divorce cases often involve couples with at least one spouse who is in the public eye. If you are considering divorce, but are worried about the implications it could have for your reputation, estate, and children, having the help of an Illinois divorce lawyer with experience managing complex divorces with valuable family estates can make all the difference. Here are four potential problems your attorney will help you look out for during your divorce.  

Estimating Property Value

An individual or couple with a high net worth typically has a wide variety of assets. Sometimes these assets can be hard to value because they are rare, complex, or have other part-owners. For example, ownership in a family business may mean not only valuing the business in its entirety, but valuing one spouse’s ownership, plus the portion of that ownership that the other spouse is entitled to in a divorce. 

Hidden Assets

High net-worth individuals tend to be financially savvy. While this is the result of hard work, education, and ambition, it can also sometimes entail a tendency to be less than completely honest - especially if a spouse who is tempted to hide assets feels wronged by their partner. If you are worried that your spouse might hide assets, a good indicator is whether they have ever been financially dishonest in the past. Your attorney can help you determine whether hidden assets are likely and assist you in building the necessary team to find any hidden assets. 

Parents who are divorced, separated, or never married often struggle with the limited time they get to spend with their kids. Missed holidays and big chunks of summer vacations can be tough, but so can the basic, everyday interactions that parents miss out on when their children are with their other parent. 

Illinois allows parents to potentially resolve this issue by putting a creative section in their parenting plan called “the right of first refusal.” If you and your spouse get along fairly well and you are hoping to spend more time with your children, read on to find out how having this clause could benefit you. 

Right of First Refusal and Illinois Parenting Plans

The right of first refusal is a legal term that simply describes an arrangement wherein parents seek supplemental childcare from each other before they hire a babysitter or ask a family member. Parents who want the right of first refusal can make the clause as flexible as they want; if they live close to each other and can engage in frequent childcare transactions without conflict, they may want to require the right of first refusal every time a parent has to leave the children for more than a few hours. Parents who live several hours from each other or across the border in another state may only want to include the right of first refusal when a parent is gone overnight. Whatever the arrangement may be, as long as parents both agree to abide by the terms, a judge will likely approve it.