In Illinois child custody cases, a guardian ad litem (GAL) may be appointed to represent the child and their best interests. A GAL is typically an attorney who is placed by the court to investigate and make recommendations regarding custody, visitation, and other issues related to the child’s welfare.

Understanding the role of GAL in Illinois child custody cases is essential for parents who are going through a divorce or custody dispute.

What is a GAL?

A GAL is a person the court appoints to represent the child’s best interests in a custody case. The GAL is not a party to the case but rather an independent third party that is directed to investigate and make recommendations regarding what is best for the child.

No industry is immune from harassment and discrimination. However, certain industries tend to have greater problems with sexual harassment than others. Multiple studies have shown that the healthcare industry is one of the top industries in which sexual harassment reports are filed.

One study found that over 40 percent of female nurses had experienced sexual harassment on the job. However, nurses, doctors, surgeons, nurses assistants, aides, and other workers of both genders may be victims of sexual harassment.

If you were sexually harassed at work or threatened with retaliation for filing a sexual harassment complaint, it is crucial that you understand your rights and legal options in this situation.

Everybody falls on hard times now and then, and sometimes a parent finds himself or herself unemployed. Many parents wonder what happens when a parent who is required to pay child support is unemployed. Does an unemployed parent still have to pay child support? What if a parent purposely quits or takes a low-paying job to try to avoid child support? The answers to these questions depend on the reasons for unemployment, and a few other factors.

Is the Parent Voluntarily Unemployed?

Unemployment is a term that can apply to a wide range of situations. Some people find themselves unemployed because they were laid off due to cutbacks. Others choose not to work because they simply do not want to.

In some cases, a court will grant a reduced child support obligation to a parent who is unemployed. One of the major questions the court will need to answer before determining whether to modify a child support obligation is whether the unemployment is voluntary or involuntary. There is a huge difference between a parent genuinely trying to gain adequate employment and pay his or her child support obligation and a parent who chooses not to work to evade child support.

Employees have the right to be free from sexual harassment or other types of discrimination at work. However, as countless news stories demonstrate, this kind of behavior is still prevalent in many workplaces.

Hostile workplace harassment is the most frequently discussed type of sexual harassment prohibited by federal and state law. A hostile work environment is one in which an employee is subjected to explicit, demeaning, or offensive conduct that is either severe or pervasive enough to create a hostile workplace.

Quid pro quo harassment is another type of sexual harassment that is less frequently discussed in the media. Quid pro quo harassment occurs when a supervisor or other authority figure requests sexual favors from an employee or applicant as a condition of employment or job advancement.

For parents getting divorced, the impact of the divorce on their children is generally at the very top of their minds. Parents worry about how children will respond to the news of the split and how they will cope with the impending changes to their family. Fortunately, many children with divorced parents grow up happy and healthy. However, that is not to say that the divorce will be easy for them.

As you navigate this complicated situation, consider the following tips from child experts and psychologists for discussing divorce with children.

Stick to the Facts and Avoid Oversharing

One of the most important things to remember when discussing the divorce with your children is to remain fact-based and age-appropriate. Your marriage may be ending because your spouse had an affair, gambled away the savings account, or otherwise betrayed you. Or, the divorce may be the result of a marriage that has been broken for years. Whatever the reason, it is important not to get into the details about why the marriage is ending. Instead, factually explain the logistics of the split, where the children will live, and when they will see each of the parents.