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

Giving yourself endurance in a family law dispute: Part I On behalf of Stange Law Firm, PC posted in Divorce on Thursday, May 7, 2015. We have previously written that divorce is often difficult emotionally, physically and financially. A major reason for this is that divorce (or any family law dispute) can leave you in a near-constant state of stress, worry and anger. Say, for instance, that your divorce or child custody dispute takes 18 months to finalize. For many people, that would mean 18 months of near-constant stress and all the psychosomatic symptoms that come with it. The human

Study supports joint custody as healthy option for kids On behalf of Stange Law Firm, PC posted in Child Custody on Friday, May 1, 2015. In discussions about what is best for children after a parental divorce, assumptions sometimes get more weight and credibility than they should. For instance, shared custody has been growing in the United States, including here in Illinois, but it is still not as common as it is in some other countries. And a frequent argument against shared child custody is that kids would turn into “suitcase kids” – forever bouncing back and forth between homes with

Divorcing well: Choosing to rise above your spouse’s badmouthing On behalf of Stange Law Firm, PC posted in Divorce on Friday, April 24, 2015. One of the worst aspects of divorce for most people is the emotional turmoil, much of which is due to the nasty things said by their soon-to-be ex. When facing the hurt and vulnerability that comes at the end of a relationship, both spouses may act uncharacteristically cruel toward one another. In such cases, the hurt is three-fold. First, you may be deeply hurt by the things said to you and about you. Second, you might

Study on divorce and heart attack risk gives a grim diagnosis On behalf of Stange Law Firm, PC posted in family law on Friday, April 17, 2015. We have previously warned readers that studies about marriage, divorce, custody and other family law issues must be taken with a grain of salt. On one hand, the findings are usually interesting. On the other hand, study results don’t apply to all cases and may not be all that helpful. A recent study seems to be an example. Researchers attempted to determine what effects divorce might have on a person’s health, specifically their

In post-divorce parenting, stability is the key On behalf of Stange Law Firm, PC posted in Child Custody on Friday, April 10, 2015. It used to be the case in many parts of the U.S. that when parents got divorced, one parent would be granted sole custody. More often than not, it was the mother. But times are changing, and courts are increasingly trying to award joint custody when possible – or at least significant visitation rights to the non-custodial parent. With the move toward joint child custody, many former couples are finding that they need to develop a workable co-parenting

Some basic information on child support orders in Illinois On behalf of Stange Law Firm, PC posted in Child Custody on Friday, April 3, 2015. When discussing issues like child support, emotions tend to run high. Non-custodial parents who struggle to make child support payments are often called “deadbeats.” While custodial parents who seek to enforce the support order are sometimes accused of being “greedy” and vindictive. So which side has it right? As usual, the truth is somewhere in between these extremes. Indeed, most parents want what is best for their children, regardless of whether they pay or receive

Helping older children understand & cope with parental divorce On behalf of Stange Law Firm, PC posted in family law on Tuesday, March 24, 2015. In our post last week, we discussed how divorcing parents can help their toddlers understand and cope with the difficulty of parental divorce. Although toddlers present a unique challenge due to their very limited development, it can also be difficult for parents to know how to help their young children (ages 6 to 12). Most of the strategies we discussed in our last post will apply to this age group as well, according to family

Parental divorce and toddlers: How to help them understand & cope On behalf of Stange Law Firm, PC posted in family law on Friday, March 20, 2015. Divorce tends to be hard on children of any age. As such, it’s important for parents to know what they should expect during various stages of development and how to tailor support strategies accordingly. That being said, it can be especially difficult to help very young children cope with divorce or even help them understand what divorce is. In today’s post, we’ll share some tips on talking to toddlers about divorce. These tips

Prenuptial agreements: Your presentation is important On behalf of Stange Law Firm, PC posted in family law on Thursday, March 12, 2015. If you are planning to get married in the near future, you are probably well aware of America’s high divorce rate. No one wants to go into marriage thinking about someday getting divorced, but it is a risk worth being prepared for. A prenuptial agreement is often the best way to stay focused on marriage while safeguarding against some of the risks associated with divorce. If you have decided that a prenuptial agreement should be included in your

Statistics show declining military divorce rates in 2014 On behalf of Stange Law Firm, PC posted in military family law on Tuesday, March 3, 2015. Since that fateful day in 2001 when the Twin Towers fell, military personnel and their families have experienced hardships that few civilians can understand or relate to. Lengthy deployments, traumatic brain injuries, post-traumatic stress disorder and other battle scars have stretched military families to the breaking point. In light of this, it came as little surprise that the military divorce rate increased during this time. In 2011, the military divorce rate peaked at 3.7 percent.

How is property divided in an Illinois divorce? On behalf of Stange Law Firm, PC posted in Divorce on Tuesday, February 17, 2015. If this is your first time going through a divorce, then you probably have a number of questions about what to expect throughout the course of the process and how to make sure that you are getting the best outcome possible. Because of the complexity of the law both here in Illinois and across the country, most people direct their questions to a skilled family law attorney. With the topic we are about to present below, the