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

The Voluntary Acknowledgement of Paternity in Illinois On behalf of Stange Law Firm, PC posted in Fathers’ Rights on Friday, January 5, 2018. This blog has discussed on previous occasion how DNA testing works when it comes to paternity and what a father might expect if he decides to go to court to establish paternity. However, there is another way that a dad who is not legally married to the mother of his child can establish paternity quickly and efficiently. This option, called a Voluntary Acknowledgement of Paternity, just involves properly completing a form prepared by the State of Illinois.

How grandparents can obtain custody On behalf of Stange Law Firm, PC posted in Child Custody on Friday, December 29, 2017. As this blog has explained previously, grandparents’ rights are somewhat limited in Illinois, as the law of this state expresses a strong preference for a child’s legal parents to raise that child and make important decisions on his or her behalf. However, there is a way, called a guardianship, for grandparents to obtain child custody over the grandchildren, although this way is only available in limited circumstances, such as when neither of the child’s parents are willing or able

The Servicemembers Civil Relief Act On behalf of Stange Law Firm, PC posted in military family law on Friday, December 22, 2017. One unique aspect of military family law is that the federal Servicemembers Civil Relief Act may apply to child custody, paternity, divorce or child support actions involving an active duty member of the military, particularly when that person is deployed. It is relatively odd that federal law regulates topics that are normally matters left up to the different states, but Congress thought it was appropriate that soldiers and sailors who were away serving the United States should not

How we advocate for a father’s joint custody rights On behalf of Stange Law Firm, PC posted in Fathers’ Rights on Thursday, December 14, 2017. Due to a recent change in Illinois law, it is now more appropriate to talk about commonly known family law concepts such as “custody” and “parenting time” as an “allocation of parental responsibilities.” Parental responsibilities include not only seeing one’s child, but also how Illinois parents will make decisions on big issues like healthcare, religion and education. In short, what was once thought of as joint custody is now just a subset of “parental responsibilities”

Parenting coordinators as resource in custody cases On behalf of Stange Law Firm, PC posted in Child Custody on Thursday, December 7, 2017. A previous post on this blog talked about how a guardian ad litem can be a valuable resource to fathers, as well as mothers, when it comes to solving a child custody case. This blog has also mentioned that mediation is a good way for parents to work out their issues regarding child custody and parenting time outside of court. Yet another resource parents can use when working through a child custody dispute is a parenting coordinator.

How a guardian ad litem can benefit fathers On behalf of Stange Law Firm, PC posted in Fathers’ Rights on Thursday, November 30, 2017. Like several states, Illinois courts may use a guardian ad litem in a child custody case. The reason for appointing a guardian ad litem is so the court can have a better idea of what custody arrangement is in the best interest of the child. Generally speaking, a guardian ad litem, or GAL, is an attorney, but does not have to be. In custody cases, the GAL’s role is to investigate the child’s living circumstances and

The importance of fighting for joint legal custody On behalf of Stange Law Firm, PC posted in Fathers’ Rights on Thursday, November 23, 2017. Many Illinois residents get very focused on how much time they get to spend with their children and for good reason. After all, it is very hard for a dad to bond with his children and develop his relationship with them if he’s only allowed to see them on a very limited basis. However, dads should also be concerned about advocating for one of the most important fathers’ rights, which is the right to ask an

We can help in a child support dispute over income On behalf of Stange Law Firm, PC posted in family law on Friday, November 17, 2017. A previous post discussed how, even with the recent changes in the way Illinois determines child support, the income of each parent still makes a lot of difference when it comes to determining the dollar amount of a parent’s weekly child support payment. While a local resident might think that figuring out each parent’s income is relatively straightforward, such is not always the case. Sometimes, a person makes irregular income that can be hard

What constitutes income for child support purposes? On behalf of Stange Law Firm, PC posted in family law on Monday, November 13, 2017. Although child support in Illinois is determined by a set formula, even under the recently revised guidelines, how much a parent should pay can still be a controversial family law question. After all, couples can argue quite a bit about what raw numbers should go in to the Illinois’ child support formula, especially when it comes to deciding how much income each parent makes. In Illinois, a parent’s income includes every dollar that the parent makes, even

Is it true that moms are the preferred custodial parent? On behalf of Stange Law Firm, PC posted in Fathers’ Rights on Friday, November 10, 2017. It is hard to deny that, historically, if an Illinois dad was not living in the same home as his children for any reason, he was unlikely to get primary custody of the children absent something extraordinary like a credible allegation of domestic violence, drug abuse or something of the like. However, particularly with the advent of the fathers’ rights movement and a deeper appreciation of the important role fathers play in the lives

Understanding how paternity tests are conducted On behalf of Stange Law Firm, PC posted in Fathers’ Rights on Monday, November 6, 2017. As previously discussed, some Illinois parents have to deal with paternity issues. This family law problem could arise for various reasons, but the underlying question that is being asked when paternity is at issue is whether a man is or is not the biological father of a child. Proving or disproving paternity could help a man obtain a relationship with their child, help a man terminate child support obligations or help a mother secure child support. In order