Multi-State Divorce & Family Law Blog by Stange Law Firm, PC

Divorce: marriage may be romantic, but prenups are practical On behalf of Stange Law Firm, PC posted in Divorce on Thursday, April 6, 2017. While “love” is one of the first words a person in Springfield associates with the word “marriage,” in fact there are many practical aspects of marriage that should not get lost in the haze of romance. Therefore, some couples find that it can help to have a prenuptial agreement (prenup) in place. There are several good reasons to create a prenup. If it is a person’s second marriage, and that person has children from a prior

Collaborative divorce may be considered as an alternative On behalf of Stange Law Firm, PC posted in Divorce on Monday, November 21, 2016. Ending marriages is not something many Illinois couples go through more than once or twice in their lifetimes. Many believe what they have heard about divorce and the trauma of litigation. However, there are alternative options, and couples who decide to divorce while they are still communicating may find that they can avoid going to court. Spouses who can sit down and talk through contentious issues may reach agreements that will be less costly and less stressful,

Gray divorce may be complicated by mental health issues On behalf of Stange Law Firm, PC posted in Divorce on Wednesday, June 3, 2015. America’s largest generation is reaching old age. It has long been predicted that baby boomer retirement would dramatically affect the state of the American workforce. But other, less-anticipated problems are also emerging, including the increasing rates of “gray divorce” and high rates of Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia. Although most stories about gray divorce involve spouses who are still mentally competent to make decisions on their own behalf, an increasing number of late-life divorce cases

Claims of paternity may be challenged On behalf of Stange Law Firm, PC posted in Fathers’ Rights on Thursday, October 24, 2019. Establishing paternity is an important part of solidifying the relationship between an Illinois father and his child. As previously discussed on this blog, one-way paternity can be proven is through DNA testing that compares the genetic material of a man to that of his purported child. Paternity testing happens after a child is born to either give a father rights or to require a father to pay child support. However, not every claim of paternity that is made

Divorce may cause many financial surprises On behalf of Stange Law Firm, PC posted in Divorce on Friday, March 27, 2020. For Illinois residents and others throughout the country, a divorce is an emotional event. It can also have a significant impact on a person’s finances. This can be especially true for those who didn’t keep track of how much debt their households accrued during a marriage. It isn’t uncommon for both parties to a marriage to be responsible for paying off a portion of any debt that was accrued before the divorce. Some of this debt could include loans

Know the proper ways to work through parenting disagreements On behalf of Stange Law Firm, PC posted in Child Custody on Friday, April 24, 2020. Co-parenting isn’t always fun and games. There are times in which you and your co-parent might not see eye-to-eye. In these cases, you’ll have to work out respective solutions. This may be a challenge, but taking the time to think about what’s best for the children can sometimes help to make things a bit easier. When there is an issue that arises, make sure that you speak directly to your ex about it. You don’t

Military members can benefit from virtual visitation On behalf of Stange Law Firm, PC posted in military family law on Friday, April 10, 2020. Military members are often away from home. This can make it difficult for parents to keep in touch with their children. Unfortunately, this is just the nature of military service, but parents these days have more tools at their disposal that can help them stay in touch with their children. While they aren’t really an alternative to in-person visits with the children, virtual visits can help them remain in contact with the kids when they can’t

Effective parenting strategies after a divorce On behalf of Stange Law Firm, PC posted in Child Custody on Thursday, March 12, 2020. One of the biggest challenges in an Illinois family law case is dealing with child custody and visitation rights. For many couples, the lingering problems that led to the divorce can continue as they try to co-parent. Still, there are strategies to make the process easier. The best interests of the child are paramount. Taking certain steps can facilitate meeting the child’s needs. It is easy to say that the child should come first, but to put that

How Illinois millennials are using prenuptial agreements On behalf of Stange Law Firm, PC posted in Divorce on Friday, February 28, 2020. Prenuptial agreements are becoming more common among millennials. However, some analysts say the phenomenon indicates that this age cohort takes marriage seriously. The divorce rate has also declined among millennials. Furthermore, while many people may think of prenups as being for wealthy people, for millennials they may be more about addressing the debt they are bringing into the marriage as well as what they will do about property. With a prenup, couples can be transparent about their debt.

Women file for divorce at a higher rate than men On behalf of Stange Law Firm, PC posted in Divorce on Friday, February 14, 2020. Perhaps in part due to how the situation has been portrayed in books and on the screen, it has long been thought that many women in Illinois and around the country are far more keen on getting married than men. However, research has shown that once they have tied the knot, women are also the ones who are more likely to file for divorce. Several studies, including one that was conducted by the American Sociological

Divorce on the decline among millennials On behalf of Stange Law Firm, PC posted in Divorce on Thursday, January 30, 2020. Illinois millennials may be less likely to divorce than baby boomers. Among millennials, the divorce rate has dropped significantly, but as the oldest ones approach 40, it is unclear whether the trend will continue. The University of Maryland sociology professor who reported the lower divorce rates in his book “The Coming Divorce Decline” believes it will. He found that between 2008 and 2016, divorce rates went down 18%. For millennials who do get a divorce, the process seems to